Seth Romsa

Another fun chapter came to a close in Wyoming’s high school sports with the conclusion of the state spirit and basketball competitions in Casper March 8-11.

Powell High School continued to impress at all levels of competition, bringing about improved seasons for nearly every team — including the end of the first seasons of girls’ wrestling and the indoor track teams at PHS.

Starting out with 3A swimming, Lander walked away with another state title. The Panthers finished 10th among a competitive group up through fourth place.

Wrestling brought about a state championship for Powell, with Stetson Davis capping an impressive senior season with a state title at 220 pounds. He went undefeated against Wyoming competition in the process.

Meanwhile, PHS freshman Allison LeBlanc participated in the first-ever girls’ state championship bout at 110 pounds. LeBlanc finished second and earned a spot in history at the inaugural state championships for girls’ wrestling in Wyoming.

The support and excitement shown at that state tournament shows Wyoming made the right choice to include girls’ wrestling as its own sport, and I expect it to grow significantly moving forward.

Powell’s track athletes had been forced to participate with Cody’s and Lovell’s indoor track teams in prior years, but got the chance to shine on their own in PHS uniforms this season.

Indoor track was split into two classifications for the first time this year and Cody Seifert earned the first individual title in school history, winning the 3A triple jump.

Indoor track is another sport I expect to see grow at PHS in the years to come.

Finishing off the year were the cheerleaders and the basketball teams. All came home with hardware at their respective state competitions in Casper to cap the long winter season.

Continued improvement in those programs, along with few athletes being lost to graduation, should see each program challenge for higher placements at state next year.

At the collegiate level, difficult seasons ended in triumph for the men’s basketball team and the wrestling program at Northwest College. Four Trappers earned All-American status for the wrestling program after an October bear attack left two team members seriously injured. Meanwhile, the men’s basketball program earned a Region IX semifinal berth after losing their late coach, Jay Collins, last July, just before the season began.

The Trapper women’s basketball team continued to build under Lauren Davis, and is expected to continue climbing the Region IX ladder next year.

SPRING SPORTS

Heading into the spring season, athletes from PHS are hoping to compete and succeed in different sports, with programs continuing strong traditions or hoping to take another step forward.

The Panther girls are back to defend their state title in track, looking for a third successive title in Casper in May.

The PHS boys’ soccer team will hope to bounce back and make one last push with its current core of players. After falling short the previous three seasons — including a disappointing semifinal loss a year ago — the team will look to make the leap to a state title.

Both the PHS boys’ track team and the PHS girls’ soccer teams are hoping for improved seasons this year. The boys are replacing talent in field events after a third-place finish last year and the girls’ soccer players are hoping for their first state tournament berth since 2017.

Heading out on the diamond, students from PHS will join the Pioneers for another year of baseball, with the hopes of earning a state title on a team that returns all but one player from last year’s roster.

As the snow melts and the teams move back outside for the next six months, teams at all levels in Powell continue to improve while competing at a high level.