Fall Season Concluding for Many Local Sports Teams
Trevor Phipps
Now that temperatures across the Rock Mountains are starting to drop, fall sports action is winding to an end.
While some sports still have a few weeks left, sports, such as softball and golf, have already come to a halt.
The golf team left the course at the end of September with the Regional tournament taking place on Sept. 19 and the state championships happening on Sept. 28. The softball team ended their season with a big 24-12 win against James Irwin on Oct. 7.
However, football still has two games left and girls’ volleyball plays their last match of the regular season on Oct. 27.
The boys’ soccer team has one more regular season match this Thursday against Salida and then they most likely will be headed to the playoffs.
Boys’ Soccer
The boys’ soccer team this year has been a standout for fall sports action, with this stellar group of athletes impressing the community like never before. In fact, the team has continued to break school records by putting forth their all-time best season record.
With an overall record of 9-1-2, the team currently sits in first place in the 3A Tri-Peaks League. At the time this article was written, the Panthers were sitting in ninth place statewide in division 3A soccer.
The team hasn’t lost a match since late August and they either won or tied in 10 games in a row since they lost to Falcon by a single point on Aug. 31. After their last 0-0 tie against Widefield on Oct. 3, they came up with a big win against a tough Lamar team 2-0 on Oct. 5.
Currently, senior forward Ryder James is in second place statewide in division 3A with 54 points and 24 goals for the season. Sophomore midfielder Tevin James is in third place with 10 assists and sophomore goalie Noah Magistrelli is ranked in eighth place with a 0.667goals-against average posting.
The Panthers play their final regular season game this Thursday at 4 p.m. on the road against the 7-3-2 Salida Spartans. But if the team keeps winning, they will be on their way to the postseason and they even have a chance at hosting a playoff game.
Football
The Panthers this season had a rough start, but after an early bye they looked like they may be able to turn things around. But then after two wins in a row, the team suffered a tragic 52-0 loss to La Junta on the road.
At press time, the team had a 2-4 overall record and a 1-2 league record putting them in fourth place in their 2A Southwest Division. The Panthers’ hopes to return to the playoffs have slightly dwindled, but they are not officially out yet.
Despite their struggles, the Panthers have produced some top performers in the 2A Southwest Division. Junior Quarterback Marqus Schoenberger, who is leading the team for the first season, currently ranks in third place in the league in passing yards with 548.
The team also has some top performers on defense. Junior Parker Shreeve ranks third in the league with 45 tackles, and he is the league’s top pass rusher with four sacks under his belt.
Senior Evan Bamesberger has proved himself as a key defensive and special teams’ player. Bamesberger is third in the league with three interceptions and first with the most average punt return yards at 13.33.
This Friday, the Panthers play their final home game against the 3-3 Lamar Thunder. They end their season next Friday with an away match against the 1-5 Alamosa Mean Moose.
Girls’ Volleyball
After seeing postseason play for a few years in a row, the volleyball team has suffered due to star players moving onto the next level. The team this year has struggled against opponents that they once dominated, and their playoffs hopes are basically gone.
The Lady Panthers at the time this article was written had a 3-11 overall record and a 2-5 league record. With four matches left, the team was sitting in 10th place in their 3A/2A/4A Tri-Peaks League.
Starting in mid-September, the ladies hit a bad luck streak win they lost five matches in a row. But then they had a change of pace win they came out and swept the tough Vanguard team 3-0.
So far in the season, senior Kara Wiley is ranked 13th statewide in the 4A division with 196 digs. Junior Brooke Gardner is 14th in the state with 285 assists.
The team plays two matches on the road this week; one on Tuesday against the 12-2 Lamar Thunder and another on Thursday versus the 0-10 Atlas Preparatory School Gryphons. The team’s regular season ends next week with an away game against the 12-2 James Irwin Jaguars next Tuesday and their final road match versus the 10-5 Mead Mavericks next Thursday.
Softball
The girls’ softball team definitely had a better season than recent years, but the ladies fell short of making it to the postseason. Their regular season ended in early October, and they finished sixth place in their 3A Tri-Peaks League.
The team ended their season with a 7-16 overall record and a 3-5 league record. And the good news is they finished their 2023 season on a good note with two big wins where they racked up 48 runs between only two matches.
Kaitlyn Roy finished the season with the second-best slugging percentage (1.063) in the 3A Tri-Peaks League and she had the third best on base percentage with 0.707. Kendra Fish led the league in stolen bases with a season total of 21.
