Football: Ashour Peera leaving Gateway after one season to return to Florida

AURORA | Late in the game, the Gateway High School football team is again looking for a new head football coach.

While other teams begin work over the summer in preparation for the 2014 season in the fall, the Olys need a new coach following the abrupt departure of Ashour Peera, who left the program after one season as head coach.

Peera — who came out from Florida to take the job that came open when Justin Hoffman left for nearby Smoky Hill — said he informed Gateway last week that he had decided to accept a head coaching position at East Ridge High School in Clermont, Fla., which plays in Florida’s 7A classification.

Before coming to Gateway, Peera coached as an assistant at Northwestern High School, a powerhouse program in Miami.

The Olympians finished 6-4 last season in the lone campaign under Peera and qualified for the Class 5A state playoffs, where they lost to Doherty 59-35 in the first round.

Peera tried to make a splash when he arrived, as he outfitted the team with brand new uniforms shortly after taking the job. Over the summer, the Olys also challenged before coming up just short of topping Cherokee Trail for the championship in the annual Hog Wars contest among Aurora linemen.

Under Peera, Gateway fell short of beating rival Rangeview for The Anvil traveling trophy with a 7-6 loss, which marked the Olys’ third straight loss to the Raiders by a single point.

Following the season, Gateway had a large number of seniors sign to play football in college: Markese Briggs, Dordt College (Iowa); Isaac Fuqua, Western State; Devin Johnson, South Dakota School of Mines; Jonah Mitchell, Western State; Jon Oquendo, University of Saint Mary (Kan.); Lance Savage, Paine College (Ga.); Daniel Saye, Independence CC (Kan.); Calvin Weber, Mayville State (N.D.) and Nyerre Williams, Independence CC (Kan.).

Linebacker Kevin Prosser, who will be a senior, verbally committed to play at the University of Wyoming in May.

The only other head football coaching job that was open in Aurora following last season was at Hinkley, which tabbed former assistant Robert O’Brien to succeed Jaron Cohen — who left for Ponderosa — in April.

Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel