WP Football and Soccer Teams Eyeing State Championship Titles
Trevor Phipps
Photos By Paul Magnuson
Both the Woodland Park Panthers boys’ football and soccer teams got the chance to participate in the classic ritual of pummeling their infamous rival in the Ute Pass region: the Manitou Springs Mustangs.
And better yet, after both teams stomped their rivals, they were officially given the green light to playoff spots.
Earlier in the football season, Panther head coach Chad Drummond promised TMJ News that the matchup against Manitou would be a fist fight regardless of what record each team had at the time. And he wasn’t lying.
On October 25, hordes of Panther fans flooded down the hill to watch the classic and bloody Battle of the Ute Pass. In fact, Panther fans filled the visitors’ stands in Manitou Springs to the point that many observers determined that there were more WP fans rooting for the Panthers than those supporting the home-town Mustangs.
Despite the strong WP support, the game started out a little rough for the Panthers as they struggled offensively. The Panther defense held strong at first, but many fans started biting their nails as soon as Manitou put up the first score. Manitou, which sported a losing record at the time of the game, put up quite a battle.
The Panthers were down 7-0 at halftime, but that didn’t keep them from mounting a comeback. This time it took a little bit of time to develop. With about eight minutes left in the third quarter, Panther QB Marqus Schoenberger streaked across the end zone, via a six-yard touchdown, to even up the score.
Then in the final minutes of the game with the game still tied at 7-7, the Panthers made a huge pass down the field to put them in perfect scoring position. Schoenberger then ran in another three-yard touchdown to seal the deal and take home the 14-7 victory for the Panthers.
After the big win, the Panthers earned an 8-0 record and snagged well-deserved media attention, with their victory garnering front page sports coverage in a local daily newspaper. Sports journalist Rob Namnoum from KRDO was so impressed with the Panthers’ efforts that night that he gave the Panthers’ defense the highly coveted KRDO High School Football Player of the Week Award in the station’s Friday Night Blitz show.
The Panthers went into their last regular season game last Friday against La Junta with an 8-0 overall record, a 4-0 League record and a 7th place ranking statewide in Class 2A football. Results of the game were not available as of press time. But regardless, the path is clear for the Panthers to see postseason action in 2024.
This week the Panthers start their playoff run, but it is not yet certain who they will compete against. This will mark the second year in a row, the football team has snagged a playoff spot. Insiders now see the Panthers as a definite football threat to win a state title.
Boys Soccer Team Returns to Postseason
Before the football team’s big victory, the boys’ soccer Panthers got their own chance to beat up on Manitou. During their last regular season match on October 24, the soccer stars defeated the Mustangs 2-0 in match that was “for all the marbles.”
In fact, the Panthers’ last regular season victory sealed the deal for the playoffs and rocketed them into 7th place in 3A soccer statewide. With their 11-1-3 overall record and their 3-0 league record, the Panthers surged their team into first place in their 3A Tri-Peaks League.
After such a successful season, the Panther qualified in the top eight of the pack and earned the right to host a playoff game at Panther Field for the second year in a row. Last Wednesday, the Panthers started their 2024 state tournament bracket and took on the 5-9-1 number 26-ranked Basalt Longhorns at their home field.
Results were not available as of press time. But if the Panthers are victorious, they will host another playoff game at home this Tuesday against the winner of the match between number 10-ranked Timnath and number 23-ranked Prospect Ridge Academy.
Girls Volleyball Team Earns Winning Record
Just when Panther fans thought the boy athletes had all the fun this fall, the Lady Panther volleyball team also accomplished a successful season. The team may not get a chance at the postseason this year, but they still made it out of the 2024 season with a winning record proving that they could have what it takes to continue the strong volleyball legacy WPHS is known for.
As of TMJ’s press time, the girls had just wrapped up the bulk of their season with a 3-0 league victory over Ellicott. The team played in a tournament last weekend, which will most likely mark the last time they will play this season.
The lady Panthers volleyball team did improve quite a bit from last year by earning an 11-8 overall record and a 7-5 league record. But since they are in a very competitive league, the Lady Panthers only finished in sixth place in their 3A/2A Tri-Peaks League and they were only ranked 38th statewide, which probably won’t prove to be quite good enough to earn a chance in the playoffs.
Panther Softball Team Snags Second Place in 3A Tri-Peaks II League
The Panther softball team also just missed the postseason this year, but they did show significant improvements from last year. The team wrapped up their regular season with a big-league win over James Irwin 19-7.
Unfortunately, their end-of-the season rout against league teams wasn’t good enough for them to earn a spot in the playoffs. The Lady Panthers ended their season 8-14 overall and 7-5 during league play, earning them second place.
The team just missed their chance at the 32-team postseason tournament by ending the season with a number 34 ranking. In the end, Eaton snagged the state championship in Class 3A softball for the third consecutive year.
