Postseason honors poured in for the Powell Panther football team, as Panthers were recognized across the state after a 6-4 season. Keona Wisniewski earned a second straight All-State recognition while also being named to the Casper Star-Tribune’s Super 25, Doug Bettger earned his second straight All-State nod while Trevon Abraham earned his first honor. All-Conference awards saw four more seniors honored, as Alex Jordan, Jacob Eaton, Evan Whitlock and Dusty Carter all received recognition in the 3A West.

SUPER 25

For the second year in a row and the fourth time in five years the Panthers had a player named to the Super 25 team, with Wisniewski being recognized as one of the top 25 players in Wyoming. “Ever since [former Panther] Toran Graham was a Super 25 linebacker I knew I wanted to be one,” Wisniewski said. “Toran was one of my role models and just really helped me become the player I am today. At the beginning of this season my goal was to be a Super 25 player. So I worked towards it and put in the extra hours I needed so I could achieve this. At the end of the season I wasn’t 100% sure I was going to achieve my goal, but when [coach Chase] Kistler came up and told me I was Super 25 I was so grateful and humbled to be able to receive that honor.” Wisniewski starred on both sides of the ball for the Panthers, quarterbacking the team and finishing with 1,203 yards with 14 touchdowns to five interceptions. He also was the team’s second leading rusher with 442 yards and four touchdowns. On the other side of the ball Wisniewski finished with 174 defensive points, recording 95 total tackles, nearly half of them (45) solo, nine tackles for loss, recorded six sacks along with a fumble recovery and two interceptions. “I definitely couldn’t have received Super 25 or All-State without my teammates and coaches,” Wisniewski said. “They helped me become the player I am today either by pushing me in the weight room, helping me break down film or even just going to the field and practicing — so thanks to all those guys who helped me become the player I am today.” Wisniewski joins a long list of Panthers who have been named to the Super 25, as Powell High School has had 24 recognitions since the honors began in 1991. He was recognized along with the other selections at a banquet in Casper in November. “The event was really cool. It was just nice to be surrounded by other athletes who have the same drive and passion as I did for the game,” Wisniewski said. “The event was a really cool experience getting to see everyone and hear what their coaches had to say about them.”

ALL-STATE SELECTIONS

Overall in the All-State selections the Panthers were recognized for their defensive prowess, as Bettger was recognized as a defensive tackle for a second straight year while Abraham earned the honor as a linebacker. Bettger finished the year with 39 defensive points, recording 17 tackles, five of them solo, as well as two tackles for loss and two sacks. He also recorded two fumble recoveries. “Doug is a beast who every team feared to play against,” Wisniewski said. “I am so grateful for Doug, he took on a lot of double teams this year which allowed me to roam free as the middle linebacker.” Bettger also helped lead an offensive line that anchored the fifth best offense in the state in terms of yards gained. Abraham was the second leading points getter for the Panthers, finishing with 139 defensive points and 81 tackles. He had 38 solo tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack. He added a fumble recovery and an interception. Earning his first All-State honor came as a bit of a surprise to Abraham, but he felt like his hard work and efforts from the season were recognized. “I would say it was kind of a surprise, but at the same time I felt like I had earned it too,” Abraham said. Earning those honors defensively, Abraham said that it was just a recognition of how the Panthers set the tone each game. “Setting the tone defensively has always been the No. 1 priority every game,” Abraham said. “If we were able to set the tone, it allowed for everything else to fall into place. I think it just shows how physical we were as a team to have three players get All-State on defense.” Abraham also recorded the most rushing yards for the Panthers with 548 and four touchdowns, along with 109 receiving yards.

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

In addition to those three All-State selections, the Panthers had four players selected to the 3A West All-Conference team. For the second year in a row, Jacob Eaton was selected as an offensive lineman and was part of an offense that was fifth in the state in terms of yards per game. Also on offense was Alex Jordan, who was named as a receiver after hauling in 23 receptions for 325 yards and eight touchdowns. Earning postseason honors for the second year in a row was Dusty Carter, who, after being named All-State as an offensive lineman a year ago, was named as a defensive lineman this season. He recorded 69 defensive points, finishing with 35 total tackles, 16 of them solo. He added seven tackles for loss, three sacks and one fumble recovery. The final Panther earning recognition was Evan Whitlock, who was named an All-Conference selection at cornerback. He recorded 76 defensive points, which came from 34 tackles, 21 of them solo, in addition to one tackle for loss and once interception.