As far as October surprises go, this one could have been a doozy: A sports blog questioned whether U.S. Senate hopeful Cory Gardner ever played high school football, as he has claimed, but photographs and interviews with townsfolk debunk the report.

The main source for the story by the online site Deadspin — former Yuma High School teacher Chuck Pfalmer, who had Gardner as a student and kept football stats — says the report mischaracterized his comments. Gardner graduated from the Eastern Plains high school in 1993.

In fact, Pfalmer says, Gardner played football his freshman, sophomore and junior years at the high school.

“He was not a starter, but he played in those years,” said Pfalmer, 77, who retired from the school in 1997.

Pfalmer’s recollection contrasts starkly with the Deadspin story’s headline: “Is a Colorado Senate Candidate Lying About His Football Career?”

“That’s a low blow about (Gardner),” Pfalmer told The Denver Post on Wednesday afternoon. He had not yet seen Deadspin’s story. “I’ll tell you this: I’m proud to know him. He’s a very intelligent man. I don’t have nothing against him. He’s one of my best students.”

The editor of Yuma’s local newspaper also disputed the thrust of the Deadspin story. He’s cited briefly in the story, but not by name.

And Gardner’s campaign provided an undated photograph of the candidate in a football uniform. Gardner played football in grades seven through 10, the campaign said, although Pfalmer recalled him also playing in 11th grade.

The Deadspin story quotes Pfalmer as saying: “Cory Gardner wasn’t on the football team.”

But Pfalmer, who doesn’t remember saying that, says the reporter initially asked him questions by phone, and then Pfalmer followed up by e-mailing the reporter more information.

He said he had trouble sending that e-mail, and the address appeared to be incorrect. The reporter, Dave McKenna, told The Post that he did not receive the e-mail, which Pfalmer said he sent after checking his records.

Pfalmer read from the e-mail, which said, in part: “I did find a few things that may interest you. First, Cory did play football for three years. In his third year, he had one tackle and three assists. He did not play his senior year.”

McKenna said, “It’s my job to get everything right. Whatever’s not right is my fault.”

Tony Rayl, editor of The Yuma Pioneer, said Gardner wasn’t a great athlete but played in his younger years.

Deadspin looked into Gardner’s playing time after a profile in The Washington Post led with a comment Gardner made about playing football:

“Cory Gardner figures that what he needs to know about big-league politics he learned as a fullback and middle linebacker for an eastern Colorado high school so small that the guys had to play both offense and defense.

” ‘I used to play against a high school football team that always used to run the single wing. And eventually, other teams figured out that they ran the single wing. And so they prepared for it,’ the two-term Republican congressman said as he made his way through a game-day crowd at the Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium this month. ‘The Democrats are stuck running the single wing.’ “

Gardner is running in a heated race against Sen. Mark Udall, a Democrat elected in 2008.

Eric Lubbers of The Denver Post contributed to this report.

Jon Murray: 303-954-1405, jmurray@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JonMurray