High School Pigskin Stars Devour Skeptics; Eye Undefeated Season
Trevor Phipps
Starting with the first kickoff of the season, the success of the Woodland Park High School and Middle School programs have become the talk of the town and have reigned as one of the top football stories for the entire Pikes Peak region.
During the first week of the school year, the Woodland Park Middle School, Junior Varsity and Varsity football teams all started their seasons with a victory. Some local skeptics contended this was a fluke occasion. Now, those critics are eating Panther turf.
In fact, as the season wore on, the success of both teams has continued. After playing five games, the varsity and middle school team were both undefeated.
After leading the middle school team to their fifth victory in a row, the Little Panthers and their head coach, former Air Force Falcons’ running back Bo Pitts, earned the chance to host a Middle School Tri-Peaks League Championship against the second place Canon City Falcons.
Normally, middle school pigskin matches take place in the afternoon while the sun is still out. But, due to the game being a league championship, the boys earned the chance to play at night under the big lights just like they will in the future.
The championship game also filled the stands at Panther Field as more than just parents and family showed up to cheer on the team. And to add to the grandiose affair, the cheerleaders and high school band made a special performance for the middle school football match to make it seem like a big-time game under the “Friday Night Lights.”
In the end, the Little Panthers didn’t disappoint the large crowd after snagging the victory over the Falcons 26-14. After the game ended, the crowd rushed the field for a big celebration as the team was awarded the 2024 Tri-Peaks League Championship trophy.
According to Coach Pitts, the team’s key to success this year was the fact that they had an abnormally experienced team with a number of 8th-graders who have been playing football since pee wee league. “Instead of most middle school teams that maybe have that one dynamic player or two, I had eight,” Pitts said. “They also all have a very high ‘Football IQ.’”
Pitts also stated that it helped the program to have the high school and middle school football programs working closely together and sharing coaches. The middle school boys use the same plays and offensive/defensive schemes as the varsity squad. As a result, they are prepared for the same playbook when they reach high school age.
The middle school team this season was led by quarterback Joey Williams who plans to continue his football career through high school and hopefully even college. He said that he thought the team was so successful due to all of the hard work the team put in during practice.
“I think that we have a really great group of boys this year, and we got better,” the team’s QB said. “We have been locked in all season. We came out day one and we wanted this, and we came out the last day and got it!”
Several other star eighth graders, such as Grayson Rogers who played center during the championship game, plan to take their chances at making the varsity team next year during their freshman year at the high school. If anything, the team’s recent victory gives Panther fans high hopes for the future.
WPHS Panthers Thrill Fans With Homecoming Win
The varsity, high school team, meanwhile, has commanded top billing on television media outlets in the region, which in the past, rarely featured Woodland Park, unless they squared off with a major powerhouse. Those days are over as now WP is the powerhouse that area sports journalists tout.
This point hit an exclamation mark during the Panthers’ impressive homecoming win.
During Week 7 of high school play, many fans were probably more worried when the tough Lamar Thunder came to town. At the time, they boasted an undefeated record and sported plenty of bravado. Out of all the teams the Panthers play for the rest of the regular season, Lamar was ranked the highest.
But the Panthers did what they planned to do and came out with huge 24-20 win during their homecoming game. The nearly 1,000 fans that showed up to watch were at the edges of their seats at the end of the contest. Woodland was down 20-17 and it looked like they were going to fall short. But then with a mere 11 seconds remaining in the game, the Panthers scored a big passing touchdown to seal the deal.
The team’s latest victory earned them a 6-0 overall record, a 2-0 league record, and it surged them ahead in the ranking to first place in their 2A South East League. Across the state in 2A football, the Panthers are currently sitting in sixth place. This means that if they keep winning the team could earn a home playoff match for the first time since 2000 when the team beat Sterling 53-0.
But before Panther fans get too excited, the team still needs to win their next two regular season games to put them in a good spot going into the postseason. And this week could be their last final challenge as they face their rival team, the Manitou Springs Mustangs.
This is a rivalry that is almost comparable to the Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders, with plenty of tradition.
“Realistically, Manitou will be a fist fight,” WPHS head football coach Chad Drummond said. “When it comes to Manitou and Woodland Park both teams could be 0-9 and it’s going to be an epic game. I don’t care what Manitou’s record is or what ours is, I know it’s going to be a tough game.”
The Panthers play the 3-3 Mustangs in Manitou Springs at 7 p.m. this Friday. They then end their regular season on the road against the 2-4 La Junta Tigers on November 1.