Local Wrestling Fans Looking For Titles in ’24-’25 Season
Trevor Phipps
Photos By Paul Magnuson
The winter sports season has finally arrived, and area fans want to see more when it comes to winning action. Moreover, they are hopeful that their athletic squads can duplicate the amazing success story established by the fall teams.
Nearly all the teams, offering winter games in Woodland Park, have now had matches under their belts. Hockey was the first to kick off their season, with contests held before Thanksgiving, with basketball teams hitting full stride in the first part of December.
All of the winter sports usually have somewhat of a slow start as they play non-league matches for the first few weeks before the holidays. After the school’s winter break, the athletes then jump into the bulk of their seasons.
This year all eyes will mostly be on the wrestling teams. Both the boys and the girls’ teams are planning on having grapplers that will be competing in the state championship this year. Now that the winter sports season has finally arrived, it’s the perfect time to go catch an indoor wrestling, hockey or basketball match. The following is a look at how each winter sports team fared last season, and what they could have to look forward to in the ’24-’25 season.
Boys Wrestling
Last year the boys had some wrestlers that were close to qualifying for the state championship tournament. Unfortunately, no local male grapplers placed last year, but they had a young team.
This year more of the underclassmen grapplers will be ready to prove themselves in their weight classes. And some of the stars from last year are seniors this season. As a result, they will be hungry to win.
This season will be the second in the high school’s recently updated wrestling room. Hopefully, the boys can use their new facility to their advantage.
The boys had their first wrestling tournament at Woodland Park High School on November 30 where they faced off against multiple schools. Then on December 2, the boys had their first away match against Pueblo Central. They went to Mitchell on Dec. 4, and James Irwin Charter School on Dec. 6.
The boys stayed busy last week as they went to Strasburg on Dec. 7, Salida on Dec. 9 and to a tournament at the Island Grove Event Center on Dec. 15. After already grappling in seven tournaments and matches, the boys were done starting this week and they won’t have a match again until they travel to Lamar on January 6.
Girls Wrestling
Even though there are more boys involved in wrestling, all eyes will most likely be on the girl grapplers this year. The girls wrestling program in Colorado is rather new, but it has grown significantly in the past few years to the point where colleges are handing out scholarships to female wrestlers like candy.
Over the summer three high school seniors Lindsay Henggeler, Vanessa Nguyen, and Haddy Waak took a trip up to North Dakota to wrestle in the 2024 U.S. Marine Corps Junior National Championships. The three wrestlers have already secured scholarships to wrestle in colleges in and out of the state after graduation.
In fact, there is a good chance that all three will be battling it out at the state championships in 2024. The girls wrestling team seems to grow in numbers each year and they too already have about seven matches and tournaments under their belts.
The girls’ next wrestling meet is in Lamar on January 5.
Boys Basketball
There was one point in time that the boys’ basketball team turned things around and went to the playoffs for a couple of seasons. However, lately they have struggled to get on top.
Last season, the boys ended their season with a 2-17 overall record and a 1-12 league record. This season the boys have been off to a rough start, but they haven’t played any league matches yet.
The team started their season with three losses, three days in a row on Dec. 5-7. They fell to Pueblo Centennial 43-34, Harrison 50-41 and Cheyenne Mountain 77-36.
The boys have a home match against Elizabeth this Tuesday at 7 p.m. They then play South Park on the road on Friday.
Their last home match before winter break takes place this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against Platte Valley.
Girls Basketball
Last year, the girls fared a bit better than the boys when it came to basketball. The Lady Panthers ended their season with a 9-14 overall record and a 4-9 league record. But their 10th place finish didn’t earn them a playoff spot.
At press time the girls had yet to play a match. The team has a home match against Elizabeth on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. They then travel to South Park on Friday and then come back home on Saturday to face Platte Valley at 6 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey
The WPHS hockey program has struggled for the past few seasons as locals try to find funds for a local hockey arena. But for now, the boys play at arenas down the pass.
Last year, the team ended with a 2-13 overall record and a 1-8 league record. This year, the team started with an 8-0 loss to Pueblo County on Nov. 23 and a 5-1 loss to Rampart on Dec. 7.
The Ice Panthers play at Air Academy this Saturday at 3 p.m. Then after winter break they challenge Pueblo County again on the road on Jan. 4 at 2:30 p.m.
