Team Executes Unprecedented Turnaround
~ by Trevor Phipps ~
Talk about a turnaround, or maybe it was byproduct of hard practice, strategic plays and a series of pep talks.
Whatever the reasons, the Woodland Park Panthers’ football succeeded in executing a ten-fold rebound from the grave after their dismal season opener. Last week, the boys traveled down the Pass and surprised the Sierra Stallions, when they punished them during a 51-0 shutout!
The Panthers were definitely dialed in during their second game of the 2019 season as they showed up in full force on both sides of the ball. The team was able to make big plays on both offense and defense.
One play stood out and made video highlights on local news channels when senior cornerback Joey Babin made a big interception play. After the pick, Babin ran the ball down the field for big yards, giving the Panther offense good field position. The big interception play set the Panthers up for a rushing touchdown, scored by senior running back Matias Lopez.
From that point on, the Panthers continued to dominate both offensively and defensively. According to Coach Joe Roskam, the Panthers improved last week in most areas including special teams.
“We had three special teams’ touchdowns, which were awesome,” the coach said. “And defensively we shut them out and they have a couple players that are really talented. So, we tackled really, really well and we were able to run the ball efficiently. We had four rushing touchdowns which was good.”
He said that one player that particularly shined last Friday was Joey Babin ,when he was able to pick off the Stallions’ quarterback three different times. He also mentioned that senior running back and corner back Elliot Patterson also had a good game, when he scored a touchdown on special teams by recovering a blocked punt in the end zone.
Patterson then got a rushing touchdown while playing running back on offense. Braden Roskam also made some big plays last week, highlighted by mega running plays for big yardage including two rushing touchdowns.
Still, even with the amazing victory, Coach Roskam is not ready to rest on their laurels. “We’ve got to get our passing game dialed in,” Roskam said.
The team hopes to improve their passing game while staying strong on defense and special teams. This Friday, the Panthers return home for their homecoming game when they take on the 1-2 Summit High School Tigers, who hail from Frisco.
