Saturday’s Class 3A boys soccer state play-in game served two purposes for the Powell High School Panthers.

Not only did PHS punch its ticket to the state tournament, it got an offensive warm-up in the process.

PHS (6-11) took avantage of an undermanned Newcastle squad en route to an 11-0 thrashing at Lander Valley  High School in Lander, setting up a PHS-Jackson Hole matchup in the first round of the state tournament today (Thursday) at 4 p.m.

Jackson, the No. 1 overall team in 3A and the Southwest quadrant’s No. 1 seed, owns three wins over Powell this season, the most recent being a 5-1 victory in Powell on May 15. If Powell defeats Jackson, they will enter a 4 p.m. state semifinal Saturday against the winner of the Lander Valley (11-5-1)-Buffalo (7-6) matchup. If PHS falls, it will meet the loser of the Lander-Buffalo game at 11 a.m. Saturday.

PHS head coach Travis Rapp said the Panthers’ three previous matches with the Jackson Broncs (14-1) will only benefit the team as they prepare for what could be the biggest upset in PHS boys soccer history.

“We’ve played Jackson three times, we know what we’re going against,” Rapp said. “I’ve shown Jackson something different in all three games purposefully. We’ll have more of a defensive gameplan moving forward.

“If we can defend their transition and possess the ball, there’s no reason we can’t be in the semifinals with a big upset of Jackson.”

The Panthers earned their fourth shot at the Broncs thanks to an overpowering offense that capitalized on a Newcastle team that only had 10 players.

PHS sophomore Owen Dent opened the scoring in the fourth minute, and before long, the Panthers held a 5-0 halftime advantage.

“We started the game with 11 players, dominated pretty quickly and scored a couple goals early,” Rapp said. “We were trying to play more sound soccer instead of just opening the flood gates. We really tried to focus on playing the correct way.

“I thought the boys did a really good job of that.”

Rapp pulled a player in the second half, making it a 10-on-10 battle on the field. First-string goalkeeper Sean Wagner moved to the field as Dent took over in goal for the final 40 minutes.

Juniors Trey Ouellette, Kristian Stenlund and Alex Aguirre and sophomore T.J. Abraham (one assist) all scored two goals for the Panthers. Senior Luccho Maurizi and sophomore Shattuck Swenson also added a goal and an assist. Sophomore Brian Crawford had a robust four assists, while seniors Alex Bjornestad and Austin Hanson also assisted on goals.

Rapp said he was happy with the effort and maturity his team showed on the field despite the circumstances, and said his team will be ready for Jackson Hole in light of the easy victory Saturday.

“It depends on how you manage the game,” Rapp said of the effects of a blowout win. “It was good in the sense that we were able to have some success on some shots.

“If your team is mature enough that they’re able to step up and continue to play in the triangles, continue to play with possession, there’s a benefit to it.

“They did things correctly to where it was good and the guys saw ‘If I do do it correctly, we’ll be able to score goals.’”

Heading into Friday’s Class 3A girls soccer state play-in game, the Powell Lady Panthers were in search of some much-needed offense.

Luckily for head coach Jack Haire and the Panther girls, they found it in Worland.

Freshman Sydney Olsen tied the game in the first half before PHS erupted for three more goals as the Lady Panthers worked past Newcastle for a 4-1 victory at Worland High School.

PHS (7-10) will now face Lander Valley (8-8), the southeast quadrant’s top seed, in the first round of the state tournament today (Thursday) at 9 a.m. at Jackson Hole High School. Lander defeated Powell, 1-0, on May 8, but Haire believes Powell’s fortunes could be different this time around.

“The first time we played them, we had a great game,” said Haire, who believes the Lander goal that defeated his team in their first meeting came on a tough break for PHS. “It’s hard to accept that game as a loss, but we’re pretty confident as a team that we can beat Lander, and that means a lot.

“I still think we’re in a good position. And now that we’re actually in state we’re in a great position,” he continued. “We’ve got our hands full, but if we play the way we did Friday we should have a good run.”

If PHS defeats Lander Valley, it will move on to play either Star Valley (10-4) or Cody (9-1-1) in the semifinal round at 2 p.m. Saturday. If the Lady Panthers lose, they will battle either Star Valley or Cody in the consolation round at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Friday’s win over Newcastle only confirmed Haire’s belief that, despite his team’s previous offensive drought, they were still in prime position to be successful.

In a span of six games from May 2-16, the Lady Panthers managed just two goals while surrendering 14. That changed against the Dogies.

PHS temporarily helped Newcastle when a Powell player’s kick back to goalie Gabby Hirsch accidentally got past the Lady Panthers’ keeper for an own goal. But PHS freshman Sydney Olson erased the mistake with a kick that just got past the Dogie’s goalie for a 1-1 tie.

Seniors Aimee Kawano (off a header) and Rebecca Pratt (two goals) provided the go-ahead and insurance goals for the Lady Panthers as PHS took a 2-1 halftime lead before building on it in the second half.

Haire was happy with his team’s offensive pressure, totaling 13 shots against the Dogies.

“We fired away,” the coach said.

Hirsch made 10 saves for Powell.