WP Football Stars Finish Regular Football Season Undefeated
Trevor Phipps
Photos By Paul Magnuson
History was broken earlier this month when it became official that two Woodland Park High School sports teams would be on their way to the preseason.
The boys’ soccer team won their first playoff match, putting them into the top 16, and giving them the right to host a Round Two Playoff match.
The football stars finished their season 9-0. And according to known records, this ranked as the first time ever they hosted a playoff match since 2000, as they squared off against the Sterling Tigers on Nov. 9. The team has only made the state championship one time in its history (when they lost to Canon City in 2001).
However, the boys weren’t the only sports stars to shine bright this fall. In fact, the cross country team produced several stars and the girls’ volleyball and softball teams just barely missed out on a chance to play in the postseason.
WPHS Football Team Strikes Gold
It is now official that the Woodland Park Panthers are one of the best teams in the state. Even though CHSAA did the team the disservice of under ranking them in seventh place. Other ranking entities, such as Sports Illustrated, had them in the top five.
In the end though, the Panthers accomplished what seemed impossible just a few years ago. After enduring a 20-year playoff drought, the team has made it to the postseason twice (2022 and 2024) in the last few years. And this year, the did the unthinkable: completing the regular season with a perfect record, and devouring most opponents on a regular basis.
The Panthers ended their regular season with a big road victory over La junta 34-6. The latest win gave the Panthers first place in their 2A Southeast league with their first undefeated record.
On top of completing their most successfully season, many star players picked up good stats to take with them into next year. In the end, the Panthers produced top players in Colorado Class 2A football in all three aspects of the game (offense, defense and special teams).
Starting quarterback senior Marqus Schoenberger made waves this year and impressed fans with both his passing and rushing skills. Schoenberger ranked in the top 15 statewide in 2A with the most passing yards, total points, total touchdowns and total yards.
On defense, Matteo Pizarro ranked third in 2A with six total sacks and Parker Shreeve came in fourth with five sacks. Shreeve also came in the top 10 in 2A with an average of 35 kickoff return yards and 386 total return yards.
Panther kicker Myles Wiley also had an impressive, record-breaking year on special teams. Wiley ranked in the top five in 2A with four field goals made, 29 point after touchdowns (PATs) made and 2,650 total kickoff yards
The Panthers played their first playoff match last Saturday against the super tough 8-1 Sterling Tigers. Results were not available at press time, but just like their soccer peers it is do or die time for the two teams meaning they advance with a win and pack their bags with a loss. Regardless of the playoff outcome, the football season in Woodland Park has been declared as an unprecedented success story.
Panther Soccer Teams Hosts Two Home Playoff Games
The Woodland Park soccer stars also proved that they can break records of their own. Last year, the team made history when they hosted the program’s first ever playoff match.
This year they not only repeated the feat they accomplished in 2023, but they hosted two games. The Panthers also ranked in seventh place in their Class 3A which earned them a chance to compete in the 32-team championship tournament.
The Panthers played their first postseason match against the 5-9-1 Basalt Longhorns on Halloween evening. The Panthers showed up strong and led the entire game before coming out on top 3-1.
Their first victory jumped them into the top 16 and gave them the right to host another home playoff match. As if holiday soccer matches were a thing, the team played round two in the playoffs on Election day against the 10-1-5 Timnath Cubs.
The team overcame Timnath 4-3 moving them into the quarterfinals. Last Saturday the team played in the quarterfinals against Jefferson Academy.
Girls Volleyball Team Just Misses Playoff Chances
The Lady Panthers did a good job of bouncing back this season as they were able to end the year with a winning record as opposed to last year. The girls finished their season playing in a tournament and won their final match of 2024 against Coronado 3-1 on November 2.
Overall, the team finished 12-11 with a 7-5 league record. However, even though the ladies ended their season strong, they finished in seventh place in their 3A/2A Tri-Peaks League and just barely missed the chance to play in the playoffs. In girls’ volleyball the top 36 teams get to play in the state championship tournament and the Lady Panthers finished in 38th place.
