Week seven of the 2022 fall season was a success for PHS athletics. The Panthers and Lady Panthers all boosted their respective records as they take one step closer to the end of the fall campaign. 

The PHS football team kicked off their last regular season away game in Evanston on Oct. 7. The seven-hour bus ride seemed to have no effect on the boys as they came out of the locker room swinging.

“I felt like it was a great game,” junior Jhett Schwann said. “We had a lot of great drives and big plays. Also, our defense was solid on all three levels.”

With the combination of a consistent run game and an improved passing attack, the Panthers quickly extended their lead over the Red Devils.

The Panthers now sit at #3 in the 3A West Conference and will take on Jackson Hole at home on Oct. 14.

The Lady Panther Volleyball team dominated at the 3A West Conference Duals Tournament in Lander Oct. 7-8. The girls finished the tournament with one loss to Mountain View High, and a notable win against #1 ranked Lyman High. 

“I am really proud of what the team accomplished,” senior Sydney Spomer said. “We beat Lyman in four sets and we learned what we are capable of.”

The volleyball team will make their next appearance as the #1 seed in 3A at the 2022 Regional Tournament.

The girls swim and dive team added to their perfect record after a dual with Sheridan on Oct. 7. The Lady Panthers put up 102 points as the 4A team fell behind them with 81 points. The highlights of the meet included junior Emma Brence qualifying for state in the eleven-dive competition and senior Kami Jensen scoring 360 points which ranks her fifth on the Wall of Fame for eleven dives.

“This was our first competition with 4A Sheridan in more than seven years,” head coach Bob Smartt said. “Sheridan has very strong divers, and we are thankful that they wanted to do an 11-dive competition.”

Following their win over Sheridan, the girls prevailed at the Buffalo invitational rounding up 375.5 points while the Cody Filles trailed behind scoring 314 points. Senior Emma Mitchell won both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard breaststroke. Senior Grace Sapp won the 100-yard backstroke and junior Kik Hayono won the 100-yard freestyle. 

“I believe we performed well,” Hayono said. “A lot of girls put in a lot of effort, and we were able to achieve our goals for the week which were to beat Sheridan and win the Buffalo invite.”

On the course, the PHS cross-country runners performed well on Oct. 7 at the Pinnacle Bank Invitational. Sophomores Kinley Cooley and Kenna Jacobsen led the girls team to second place finish. Senior Daniel Merritt and freshman Korbyn Warren paved the way for the boys team to finish in fifth place.

Cooley improved her time of 19:38.46 which holds the number one spot on the hall of fame. Jacobsen secured a sixth-place spot on the wall of fame with a time of 20:07.24. 

“[Making the wall of fame] felt really accomplishing,” Jacobsen said. “I didn’t even know it was possible to make it close to those times. I believe [our team] can go far and be tough competition at the state meet.”