Boys and Girls Wrestling Teams Commanding Top Rating
Trevor Phipps
Photos By Paul Magnuson
The transition period between fall and winter high school sports in Woodland Park and through much of Colorado is now officially over.
Sports fans will once again have local matches, enabling them to cheer on their various Panther teams.
The winter high school sports season officially started last week. This month will primarily serve as a warm-up period for the brunt of the winter season, which generally occurs after winter break, at the start of 2006. Still, wins in the November games and matches get our local teams a step closer towards post-season plan. The local winter sports leaping into action so far are high school girls and boys basketball, girls and boys wrestling, girls swimming and boys ice hockey.
The following is a look at how the various high school sports teams fared last year, and a glimpse into what they will face in the coming weeks.
Boys and Girls Wrestling
Probably the two most anticipated sports to watch this season are the boys and girls grappling squads. The program has vastly expanded in the past few years (especially the girls team) and they now both sport some impressive star wrestlers, with state championship credentials.
Head Coach Matthew Hood is back at the helm, and moreover, he is quite optimistic about the upcoming season on the wrestling mat. Hood has previously said that he hopes several wrestlers can qualify for the state championship this year, including a hefty number of girls. Last year, junior Cheyenne Becker took third place statewide. And she is back for her senior year and so could likely make another repeat appearance at the state championship.
The wrestling program recently got a new, upgraded training facility, which has helped the team better prepare for winter matches. For the past several years, the team has sent at least one wrestler to the state championship. This winter, Hood hopes the number of Woodland Park state qualifiers will shatter record books.
The girls wrestle at home next on Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. The boys mainly wrestle on the road until after Winter Break.
Boys Basketball
Woodland Park b-ball fans are thrilled that they can now watch live games at the local high school once again. More notably, they hope that the team can make some major improvements from last season, which was primarily a rebuilding year.
Last year, the Panther hoopsters weren’t horrible, but they did miss the playoffs. They ended their ’24-’25 season with an 8-14 overall record and a 5-8 league tally. They placed ninth in their 4A/3A Tri-Peaks League.
The boys basketball team start their regular season this week with a road match against Harrison on Friday.
Head B-ball Coach Robert “Dip” Donaldson is in charge, and he will be looking to improve his team. This year the team is filled with juniors and only has a single senior player.
After the team starts their season on Friday, they then play their first home match at 10 a.m. this Saturday against the Cheyenne Mountain Red Tailed Hawks. The Panthers then take some time off from play before battling the Elizabeth Cardinals on the road on Dec. 16 and the Platte Valley Broncos away on Dec. 20.
The Panthers don’t play at home again until Jan. 8 when they take on the Strasburg Indians.
Girls Basketball
Just like the boys, the girls’ basketball team also had a tough season last year. But hopes are running high that they can improve this year and make an impressive showing in the Tri-Peaks League.
And luckily for the Lady Panthers, the bar wasn’t set very high last season. In fact, the girls’ basketball team failed to win a single match. So as far as good news for the Lady Panthers, it will only take a single win to improve.
The girls’ season doesn’t officially commence until next week. According to early reports, Pierre French will serve as the team’s head coach.
The girls play their first match next Thursday at home. On Dec. 11 at 5 p.m. the Lady Panthers battle the Banning Lewis Academy Stallions on their home court.
The girls then continue their season with three matches, three days in a row. Next Friday (Dec. 12), the ladies head down the pass to face the Harrison Panthers. Then next Saturday (Dec. 13), the Lady Panthers come back home to challenge the Cheyenne Mountain Red Tailed Hawks at 10 a.m.
The girls then play on the road against Elizabeth on Dec. 16 and have an away game with Platte Valley on Dec. 20.
Boys Ice Hockey
Over the past few years, the WPHS hockey team has struggled quite a bit, largely due to some hefty competition in the Pikes Peak region. The fact that they play all of their matches down the Pass against teams with home ice and bigger budgets doesn’t help.
Just like the lady hoopsters, the boys’ hockey team failed to win a single match in 2025. But regardless, they are back on the ice looking to improve and often draw many local spectators.
Technically the Panthers do have home and away games, but they all get played in indoor ice arenas in the Colorado Springs area. The boys’ first match takes place against the Crested Butte Titans this Saturday. The boys then play again next Saturday (Dec. 13) against the Kent Denver Sun Devils.
Girls Swimming
Every year, the WP girls swimming team fares quite well, even though they may receive less attention than other sports. In fact, ever year the girls’ swimming squad sends at least one swimmer to the state championship competition.
The girls’ swim and dive season starts this week with a match on Tuesday at Coronado High School in Colorado Springs. The girls compete in their first home match this Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Woodland Aquatic Center against the Kent Denver Sun Devils.
