CORTEZ – While most of the presents have been unwrapped and the leftovers from holiday meals still sit in the fridge, the 2025 high school sports year offered plenty of joy for players, coaches, fans and communities to share. Looking back at the last 12 months, there are plenty of moments worth revisiting as we highlight some of the best from Montezuma-Cortez, Mancos, Dolores and Dove Creek athletics.
Dolores enjoyed extra excitement this past year, particularly during the autumn months, when DHS posted strong seasons in volleyball, cross-country and football.
The Bears volleyball team won its first San Juan Basin League title in six years, clinching the crown on the final day of the regular season. First-year head coach Brianna Wyatt’s group piled up 25 wins – a program best – and claimed the regional tournament title on its way to advancing to the 2A state championship field.
The black-and-red cross-country pack added another high-water mark to its recent success under head coach Angie Lowe. The Bears claimed 11th place at the state championships in the boys competition, a program best, after a regular season filled with multiple team and individual titles.
On the gridiron, Dolores earned its first .500 season in 15 years under head coach Travis Rantz, coming within inches of the postseason in one of the state’s toughest leagues.
In addition, the girls and boys track and field teams each took second in the SJBL championships while sending multiple individuals and relays to the 2A state meet last spring.
The Panthers made it two seasons in the past three years with a trip to the 3A state championship tournament last spring, shortly after head coach Jake Huff’s squad won the Intermountain League crown with an unbeaten league record. M-CHS added a school-best 23 wins to its résumé as it dominated at the plate and on the mound.
The M-CHS baseball surge in recent years has matched the rise of the Panthers basketball programs, where both the boys and girls teams had solid seasons in their reclassification as 4A teams. The boys capped a 17-win season with their highest Intermountain League finish (runner-up), while the girls advanced to the state playoffs for the second straight year.
The Panthers scored 49 goals on their way to a 9-2-3 record, a second-place IML finish and an opportunity to host a 3A state tournament match as part of a special season on the pitch. The postseason berth marked the third time in four years that M-CHS earned a spot in the field of 32.
Another winning season for the Bluejays wrapped up with a 7-4 mark and the program’s 11th straight state tournament appearance – the longest active streak among any program in the eight-man class. Meanwhile, M-CHS added its third winning season in four years on the football field to continue its recent run of success.
The Panthers announced their presence on the state scene in their first year as a varsity program with plenty of podium finishers all season, including a trio of state qualifiers under head coach James Snyder. On the boys side, area wrestling programs earned several other all-state honors, with four Mancos and Dove Creek athletes placing in the top six in their respective weight divisions at Ball Arena last winter.
Mancos posted its best showing – a fifth-place finish at the state championships in the 2A/3A coed division – to headline performances by Four Corners programs, including Dolores taking ninth in 2A cheer and M-CHS finishing 10th in 3A cheer.
The Panthers continued their stretch of strong state performances by earning fourth in the 2A state competition, moving up multiple spots after their finals performance for one of the school’s best finishes in recent years.
The DC boys posted a 16-win season and narrowly missed a league championship under head coach Teresa Martin, while the Bulldogs girls team compiled its eighth straight winning season under head coach Julie Kibel with an 18-win campaign. Both teams advanced to the 2A postseason in their first year in the larger class.
The Panthers took the court with visions of continuing their upward trend and delivered. M-CHS posted its first double-digit win season and playoff appearance in four years. Last spring also provided strong marks on the track, as M-CHS sent a collection of athletes to the 3A state meet in sprints, relays and field events. On the links, the Panthers qualified three golfers, with Amita Crowley and Afton Unrein making the 3A girls state field in the spring, while Zye Kuenzler earned a spot in the boys championships this fall.
