Seth Romsa

Another fantastic year of Powell sports has come to a close for the Powell schools, with a ton of programs making an impact.

Finishing out the spring, the Panther girls’ soccer team continued to show its improvement, winning the first trophy in school history while also making the first state semifinal appearance in the 22-year history of the program.

That program is expected to continue growing, as several more Panthers coming in from the middle school program, along with only two graduating starters, should see the team hopefully take that next step next year.

Strong performances also came on the track, but unfortunately both the boys and girls teams were unable to defend their team titles from a year ago.

That snapped a three-year stretch for the girls, while the boys were unable to repeat.

Despite those teams being unable to defend their titles, the teams showed a lot of fight as countless records were broken on both the boys and girls sides.

Both of those teams will return an abundance of talent in areas while graduating key points in different areas, but really strong middle school teams are expected to help the programs hopefully not miss a beat and continue moving forward next season.

The other team on the pitch this year was the Panther boys, who unfortunately had injuries pile up, including now three-time All-State selection Chance Franks being sidelined the final three weeks of the season.

Despite that, the Panthers continued to battle, qualifying for the state tournament yet again and even battling against one of the top teams in Wyoming in the first round at the state tournament.

That team will graduate several key athletes including Franks, as they hope to continue rebuilding after several years of success, but I know the team will find its own success throughout.

Overall, the programs at Powell High School are relatively strong despite an important outgoing senior class, as I expect most of these kids will get out and be active this summer whether that be running on their own on the road, track or grass, or getting stronger through programs at the high school.

Camps are expected to be abundant, with one of those beginning just next weekend with a PHS wrestling camp starting on Friday, May 31.

I anticipate that most of these programs continue to grow as the middle school brings up strong athletes who have been able to contribute in different sports from the get-go in recent years.

Now that I have completed my third year covering most of these kids, this senior class is tough to say goodbye to but I know each of them will find success at the next level whether that be academically or athletically.

This has been the biggest senior signing class I have been a part of since I got here, and I feel that those numbers will continue to grow in the coming years with kids heading to the next level to compete.

Heading into this summer, there is an abundance of opportunities for people to get out and get active, and I have a feeling it will be a great summer to do that.

Whether that is just going to a Powell Pioneers game, or going for a 30 minute walk at night, it’s good to get out in the community and be active.

There are also going to be a number of sporting events this summer that don’t happen often. Some are coming in the form of my favorite sport, soccer, with the European Championships (EUROs) and Copa America starting in a couple of weeks, before the Olympics will kick off in late July and last into early August.

Many of these high level athletes will be on the world’s stage this summer, with several either closing out their careers at their respective continental championships or at the Olympics in Paris.

If there are any activities going on this summer don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing seth@powelltribune.com — covering everything local is fun and a good way to stay involved.