Huge Slew of Local Grapplers Qualify for State Championship
Trevor Phipps
After a season filled with ups and downs, the high school sports winter season comes to a close on a high note for many local athletes. Some of the local winter sports programs have already come to an end, with others playing their final matches this week.
Overall, the Woodland Park High School boys and girls wrestling teams emerged as the standout for the winter season. Both individually and at a team level, the boy and girl wrestlers have proven to be a dominating force.
Other sports, however, didn’t go the way fans had hoped. Besides several wrestlers punching the ticket for the state wrestling championship tournament, the other winter sports programs fell short of earning a seat in the postseason.
Boys and Girls Wrestling
After a very exciting season, the high school wrestling teams wrapped up their ’25-’26 season last weekend when qualifying wrestlers competed in the state championship. The results weren’t available prior to press time, but updates will be given next week.
During the regional tournament, several wrestlers placed in the top 10. Moreover, the girls team snagged third place as a team at regionals.
Overall, nine wrestlers qualified from Woodland Park to wrestle in the state championship. The school took a total of 10 wrestlers with one girl wrestling in the unified division, which is saved for athletes with special needs.
Of the nine state qualifiers, two girls received top laurels. At the 105 lbs. weight class, sophomore Jasmine Brewer snagged first place at the regional tournament and has racked up 79 wins during her high school career. Senior Cheyenne Becker, meanwhile, took first place at Regionals in the 235 lbs. weight class.
Boys Basketball
This year the Panther hoopsters appeared on a roll compared to last year. The team started out slow, but then they picked up four big consecutive wins, to put them in a good spot for playoffs.
However, the team then struggled with a late season losing streak. At press time, the Panthers netted a 6-12 overall record with a 5-5 league tally.
The Panthers play their final match this Tuesday against the 12-5 Vanguard School Coursers. They then officially end their season on Friday and Saturday when they play in the Tri-Peak League Tournament at Florence High School. If they succeed in the league tournament, they could find their way into the postseason.
This year, the team’s stat boards have been led mostly by underclassmen. Sophomore Zach Summeril leads the team, averaging 12.3 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game. In total, he leads the Panthers with 221 points and 112 rebounds.
Freshman Saie Soto has also displayed top-notch abilities as he comes in second in many of the major stats. Statewide Soto is ranked 17th with 4.5 steals per game. So far this season, Soto has racked up 198 points, 43 assists and 12 blocks.
Senior Reuben Lovell has also been impressive this season as he leads the team with 18 blocks. Junior Kael Acree proves to be best long range with a 33 percent field goal percentage.
Next year, the Panthers should be in a good position as they have a really young team. In fact, Lovell will be the only senior they lose to graduation
Girls Basketball
The Lady Panther hoopsters have experienced a rough year, especially during the last half of the season. However, throughout the year, they were able to pick up a few key wins to end multiple losing streaks.
At press time, the Lady Panthers had 3-15 overall record and a 1-9 league tally. But unfortunately for fans, their 12th place ranking in the 4A/3A Tri-Peaks League be enough for them to experience postseason action.
The girls had a similar season as the boys’ team, with a similar ending. The Lady Panthers play their final match this Tuesday on the road against the 7-8 Vanguard School Coursers.
Statistically, one senior on the team stood above the rest. Senior Emma Larsen leads the team with 132 points, 130 rebounds and 12 blocks.
However, the team does have hope in the future as younger stars stood out this year. Freshman Tyler DeFabio leads the team with 14 assists and 47 steals.
The girls should also have a bright future as their starters were also pretty young this year. Larsen, Aubrey Lanza and Torri Stein will be the only three graduating this spring.
Boys Hockey
Once again, the WP hockey team has struggled due to facing bigger hockey-based schools. For the last few seasons, the Ice Panthers have failed to pick up a win. And despite some close games, this season was no different.
The boys officially wrapped their season up on Feb. 10 and their 0-12-1 overall record definitely did not send them to the playoffs. The team did though, barely lost their last match to a solid Rampart team, 4-3.
