Seth Romsa

Another fall season has come and gone, and the athletics around Powell did not disappoint whether at the high school or college level.

The college women’s soccer team capped a historic season with its first ever Region IX championship game and hosted the first in school history for men’s or women’s, bringing an exciting play style each and every game that saw several high scoring contests throughout the year.

I expect that program to continue improving and hopefully take that next step in the coming years as it keeps growing.

Powell High School crowned its first ever state champion in cross country, with Kinley Cooley breaking away from the pack and making more history to add to her storied career.

Unfortunately the Panther girls’ team did not repeat its title, but they did put up another strong performance to bring home a third straight trophy at the state meet.

The Panther volleyball team also capped off a strong season with a trophy, finishing in third at the state tournament and putting up a valiant effort against eventual state champion Douglas in the semifinals.

Several teams had strong performances and came up just short at the end of the year, including a double overtime loss for the football team that saw plenty of thrills and chills in Riverton.

The Trapper men’s soccer team lost its opening postseason game in a shootout against Laramie County Community College, with that program continuing to be strong and looking to take that next step.

On the boys’ side for cross country the Panthers took a large step at the state meet, falling just short of a trophy but showing great improvement with a mostly young team returning talent next year.

The Panther girls’ swim team battled injuries throughout the season, and came through with some individual success at the state meet in Cheyenne with a pair of top three finishers despite it being a rebuilding year.

The Powell golf teams showed improvements and continue to show potential moving forward as those teams will get to work in the spring and over the summer as they will each return strong golfers.

The tennis teams had some strong performances throughout the year, and will bring back some talented players next season.

Volleyball at the college dealt with some injuries at key positions throughout the Region IX schedule, battling but falling short of the postseason for a second straight season.

As the weather turns and we head indoors for several months, the college teams are already in full swing, as the college wrestling team is out on the road for the next two months while the basketball teams will host the Coach Collins Heart of a Champion Classic on Friday and Saturday, honoring the memory of the late Jay Collins.

High school teams will kick off winter practices next week just before Thanksgiving, as the basketball and wrestling teams start on Monday, Nov. 25, while the boys swimming team will have to wait an additional week to start practice.

Indoor track won’t get started until the new year hits, but plenty of contending teams should be in play at the college and high school level.

The Panther basketball teams should be competitive, as well as the boys’ wrestling team looking to return to the top with a strong contending group.

Each of the college teams has shown to be competitive early in the year. The boys’ swim team will look to grow and the indoor track team will look for success before heading outdoors in the spring.