WP Football Team Starts Season With Winning Stomp
~By Trevor Phipps~
Photos By Paul Magnuson
Before the season even started, the Woodland Park Panthers football team was the talk of the town with many sports buffs having high hopes for the ‘24/’25 season.
The team jumped up in ranks before they even took a snap on the gridiron. Many insiders say that they are expected to win their 2A South East Division. The first couple of games have further confirmed this theory, based on first-hand accounts.
With a 62-0 win against Lincoln to start the year and a recent 31-7 blowout win against Salida, the team is well on their way towards seeing postseason action. Even though it is obviously too early to proclaim a playoff year, the Panthers are staying at the top in their division. At the time of this writing, they were tied with Lamar, La Junta and Manitou Springs at 2-0.
According to recent stats, Panthers have gained an 18th-place statewide ranking in the 2A Division. But unfortunately, their division rivals, La Junta and Florence, were experiencing a good start also, sitting at 13thand 14th spots respectively.
But regardless of stats which sometimes can be interpreted different ways, most fans agree that the Panthers mean business this year. The team boasts plenty of size and energy and a determination to win, qualities sometimes lacking in the past.
Some fans still weren’t convinced following the Panthers’ stomping of Lincoln. But now, even the staunchest of critics have joined the WP Panther victory and playoff-bound bandwagon. Going into their second match of the season, Woodland Park and Salida were neck and neck in statewide Division 2A.
Salida Blowout
In fact, this game started very close until a rare occurrence took place about halfway through the second quarter. The Panthers stuck the Salida Spartans deep in their own territory after a punt, when Panther linebacker Parker Shreeve busted past the Spartans’ offensive line and made a sack for a safety.
Shreeve then snagged the post-safety kickoff and took it back for a touchdown. Add a two-point conversion from the offense to the mix, and the Panthers lunged to a 10 to zip lead. It may have been the strangest way ever to gain momentum, but it seemed to work.
After the Panthers’ offense, defense and special teams all contributed to their first scoring combo, the team continued to stay strong. At half time, WP was up 17-0. In the third quarter, the Panthers scored two more TDs with the Spartans only answering with one TD.
So far this year, Marqus Schoenberger has been quite impressive in his role as starting quarterback. He has completed 17 passes of 28 attempts for 164 yards and four touchdowns. While rushing, the QB leads the team with 21 carries, 161 yards and six touchdowns.
Seniors Trey Reed and Aidan Hood have also been key to the team’s “Ground and Pound,” style of offense. Reed has 11 carries for 100 yards and one touchdown. Hood has 13 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.
When it comes to receiving, Shreeve has been Shoenberger’s favorite target with five catches for 50 yards and two TDs. Senior Gabe Marquez has caught four passes for 23 yards. In total, the Panthers have 164 yards passing and 323 yards while on the ground.
On defense, senior Kadyn Lewis leads the team with 18 total tackles. Shreeve leads the team in sacks with two.
Panthers Confronting the Real Meat of Their Schedule
To start the season this year, the Panthers were walking into their fourth season under the reins of head coach Chad Drummond. With this type of longevity, 2024 represents Drummond’s first season with players that started his football program with him.
All of the freshman and sophomore stars from two or three years ago are now much bigger, upper classmen. This is their year to shine, and rumors say that many of them already have had college recruiters studying their progress. And luckily for the young men, they could have smooth sailing at least for the next couple of weeks.
The Panthers are now hitting the road for two weeks. This Friday, the Panthers head to challenge the winless Rye Thunderbolts. Rye has only scored seven points during two blowout losses, and they are ranked much lower than the Panthers.
Next week, the mighty Panthers travel down the Pass to play another winless team: the 0-2 Banning Lewis Academy Stallions. The Stallions have been slaughtered during their two games with only 12 points scored.
In fact, based on early season stats, the Panthers may not have a real challenge this season until they return home on October 11 to face the tough Lamar Thunder. Lamar has won their first two games by smaller margins than the Panthers, but they are sitting at 23rd statewide, which compares with an 18th place ranking for the Panthers.
But it’s definitely too early to hold any victory celebrations.
Woodland Park’s schedule toughens up as the Panthers play Florence, Manitou Springs and La Junta in the final matches of the season. All three are hungry for blood and like Woodland, started the 2024 season with a winning push.
