Boys Soccer Team Just Miss Playoff Chances
Trevor Phipps
Photos By Paul Magnuson
After losing a few consecutive games, the Woodland Park Football team came out swinging on Oct. 24 when they battled their regional rivals, the Manitou Springs Mustangs.
The home stands were packed for the rival match with many students taunting their enemies down the Pass all evening, in a game that always attracts much attention.
In fact, Woodland Park’s “12th man” (referred to as the local crowd) probably played a vital role in the Panthers’ 49-13 defeat of Manitou during their second to last game of the season. During the game, student fans could be heard screaming, “You can’t do that!” when the opposing team was called for a penalty. When an underclassman made a big play, the taunting continued with, “He’s a freshman!” chants.
After returning to the gridiron from an undefeated season, the Panthers’ 2025 season has been a bit disappointing. With the loss of several key players and most of its coaching staff during the offseason, the Panthers currently have a 3-5 overall record and a 1-3 league tally.
But when they played the winless Mustangs, the team seemed to display a new vibe. The Panthers were successful in the air and on the ground. Panther fans were especially shocked with quite a few long pass connections, proving that the team’s air raid is back.
During the Manitou game, junior quarterback Bryce Bischoff completed six passes out of 13 attempts for 78 yards. Freshman Saie Soto was Bischoff’s favorite target in the air after catching three passes for 35 yards. Soto also led the team on the ground with 18 carries for 196 yards and five touchdowns.
Soto leads the team in several statistical categories with seven total rushing touchdowns, and an average of 79.7 rushing yards per game. Senior Nathan Summerill has been the team’s top receiver with an average of 45.1 receiving yards per game, and a total of five receiving touchdowns.
Throughout the season, Panther head coach Brad Page has given a total of four quarterbacks a chance behind center. Junior QB Alex Stotts played the position in eight games and he has the team’s best completion percentage at 0.611.
Junior QB Brandon Lewis though, leads the team with four total passing touchdowns. Freshman QB Joey Williams racked up the team’s best overall quarterback rating with a 72.6.
On defense, senior middle linebacker Bradyn Hancock led the team with an average of 7.2 tackles per game. Sophomore defensive lineman Zach Summeril led the Panthers with four total sacks. Senior defensive back Spencer Cross got the most picks with two total interceptions.
The Panthers played their last game at home on Halloween night against the 6-2 La Junta Tigers, but the results were not available, at time of this writing. The Panthers will most likely miss the postseason this year, but with some young stars and a new coach, the team’s future looks bright.
Boys Soccer Team Fall Just Short of Postseason Action
All eyes were on the Panther boys’ soccer team this season as they have made the playoffs the last two consecutive season. Last year, the team made history when they elevated to the third round of playoffs before getting eliminated.
This year though, the team lost their star goalie to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks’ practice squad. The team looked good at first, but then fans were devastated after seeing them lose five matches in a row during the mid-season period.
The team still had a chance to come back and there was a chance to snag a spot in the playoffs, when they beat Lamar 2-1 on Oct. 21. The Panthers then finished their regular season with a big “do or die” match against Manitou. Unfortunately, the battle ended in a 3-3 tie.
The Panthers ended up finishing their season with a 6-72 overall record and a 1-1-1 league tally. Seeding for the state championship playoffs came out last week with the top 32 teams in the Colorado 3A division entering the bracket. Unfortunately for the Panthers, CHSAA gave the team a 33rd ranking which means they missed out on the playoffs by one ranking position.
Despite missing the playoffs for the first time in two years, many of the team’s players put up some impressive stats during the season. Senior midfielder Jamie Urban averaged 0.5 goals per match and 0.9 assists per match. Urban led the team with 12 total assists (giving him an 8th place ranking in 3A statewide) and 24 total points.
Senior midfielder Tevin James also racked up a good season by averaging 0.5 goals per game. James got the most goals out of anyone on the team with seven.
On defense, freshman goalie Liam Rawson had a good enough season to earn him 10th place in saves in Division 3A statewide. Rawson ended the season with 117 saves averaging 7.8 saves per match. Rawson earned 1.895 goals against average and put down one shut out during the season.
The team’s season has reached a conclusion. On the downside, the team will lose several of their stars to graduation this spring. However, the team does have quite a few underclassmen standouts (like goalie Rawson) who will be key to the team’s success in the future.
