WP Baseball Fans Gets a Taste of Playoff Fever
Trevor Phipps
Now that school ended last week, many Woodland Park High School students will be moving on to “bigger and better things,” especially when it comes to future academics.
And on the athletic fields, many local team standouts and members accomplished stellar achievements as they bid farewell to their high school sports’ careers.
Overall, the ‘24/’25 school year sported one of the most successful sports seasons in recent history. The fall sports season was dominated by the football and boys’ soccer teams, which both earned playoff spots and won their respective league championships. Then during the winter, all eyes were on male and female wrestlers as several qualified to compete in the state championship.
This spring, the boys’ baseball team recorded their best start in school history. They also had a pitcher that broke the school career strikeout record. More importantly, they earned their first playoff spot since 2016.
The following are some of the highlights of the 2025 spring sports season
Baseball
Overall, the Panther baseball team had a terrific season. Among the many highlights, junior pitcher Link Bryden shattered the school career strikeout record when he ousted 105 batters. His record strike-out hurl came when he pitched against the Harrison Panthers on March 28.
The Panthers won a slew of games early in the season. After 15 games, the Panthers looked like they were on top with a 13-2 overall record. But then the team struggled to finish the season strong and lost seven games in a row.
The Panthers ended their season with a 13-9 overall record and a 6-3 league tally. They took fourth place in their 2A/3A Tri-Peaks League, and they were seeded 25th in their Division 3A when it came to the playoffs.
After losing to Colorado Springs Christian School 3-2 and losing twice to the Elizabeth Cardinals 10-0, the Panthers played their league championship tournament. During the tourney held at St. Mary’s High School, the Panthers lost to Manitou Springs 3-1`and to St. Mary’s 6-3. The Panthers then lost their last regular season match that was rescheduled due to weather to Salida 17-7.
But despite their end of the season slump, the Panthers earned a spot in the regional championship tournament. The Panthers fell short in the first game in the regional tournament against The Classical Academy (TCA) Titans, considered a real baseball powerhouse. The Titans actually went on to become the region’s champions.
Overall, the Panthers had a great season, with the entire starting roster contributing to their success. Sophomore Cody Becker ended up in 11th place statewide with a .532 batting average, and recorded 11th place in slugging percentage and 6th place in on-base batting percentage. Becker also ranked 5th in Division 3A statewide by striking out 94 batters during the season.
Senior Gabe Marquez also aided the team with a total of 24 stolen bases during the season, earning him the seventh spot statewide in 3A. Marquez also earned a .327 batting average with 16 hits, 28 runs and two homeruns. Marquez along the other seniors on the roster (Cody Fries, Quinn Vergenz and Wyatt Stimits) left the team this year due to graduation.
Track and Field
The Woodland Park Track and Field team just ended their season two weekends ago with their state championship tournament. Several of the athletes earned spots to compete in the state championships and the athletes fared quite well at the tourney.
During a Tri-Peaks League meet in late April, the track and field Panthers showed spectators that they meant business. During the meet on April 26, the boys team took second place and the girls team snagged third. The girls took first place in the 4×100 and 4×400 relay races.
The meet also produced a handful of individual champions for Woodland Park. Joe Johnson won the 100m hurdles, Silas Tiemen prevailed in the high jump and Aidan Bates reigned in the long jump and triple jump.
During the state championship tournament that took place May 15-17, every girls relay team qualified for state. To show appreciation for the successful female teammates on his team, the track and field head coach Jeremy Grier died his long beard bright pink in their honor.
The track and field athletes also accomplished quite a bit in the state championship tournament. The girls 4x100m relay team snagged third at 50.33 seconds. Aidan Bates took 13th in the boys’ triple jump and long jump, while Joe Johnson snagged the 7th spot in 100m hurdles.
Girls Soccer
The Lady Panthers had a rough start to the season, but then they rebounded around toward the end. The girls won three matches in a row mid-season, and they won their final game of the season.
The Lady Panthers finished with a 5-7-3 overall record and a 1-2 league tally. The team finished in third place in their 3A Tri-Peaks League, but it was not quite enough to see postseason action.
Senior goaltender Raegan Graff took first place in the 3A Tri-Peaks league (13th statewide in 3A) with 132 saves and third best with a 2.236 goals-against-average percentage. Senior Missa Kleppe ranked second in their league with nine assists. The Lady Panthers lost five starters this year to graduation.
