CORTEZ – The Panthers football program has a good thing going, and even before his first day on the job, their new head coach had a hand in it.
Bryce Waggoner steps into a role where plenty of the Panthers already know his system and expectations – after all, he coached plenty of the Panthers during their middle school playing days. With over 50 student-athletes suited up for the opening weeks of practice, M-CHS enters the 2026 campaign with ambitions to continue their run of winning seasons – which the Panthers extended to three in their last four years with a 5-4 mark last autumn.
“We’ve got a lot of solid upperclassmen, especially on defense,” said Waggoner, “so we’re feeling really confident.”
Junior defensive lineman Zane Coffey and senior linebacker Maleko Esquibel return as two of the key cogs in a physical defensive front for the orange-and-black. Under the guidance of Dane Guttridge – Waggoner’s defensive coordinator – M-CHS hopes to continue to dictate the line of scrimmage, much like they did in each of the Panthers five wins last year, where they allowed two or fewer scores in each.
Kirby Case continues to handle duties on the other side of the ball as the OC, where he’ll see senior Cody Case operate in his second full season as the starting quarterback.
“With all the experience that we have on the coaching staff, I’m wanting to help make sure everything runs like a machine,” Waggoner said.
Case and junior Kendrick MacPherson, the team’s top returning tailback, will lean on an offensive line that returns several key contributors from a season ago.
“Our O-line has a lot of size, and they’ve been really solid through the summer camps,” Waggoner lauded.
Heading into the team’s season and home opener against Ignacio on Aug. 21, Waggoner is excited for the challenge of transferring his know-how from the junior high level to the varsity scene. Waggoner’s middle school team won a league title last fall, so he’s already developed rapport and a winning mindset for the incoming freshmen.
“We’ve seen the younger guys stepping up – they’re not afraid to come in and make an impact – and the upperclassmen have been able to lead them,” Waggoner added.
His teams enjoyed plenty of success moving the ball for CMS, but he then added, “Some of the things that we ran in middle school may need to change a bit – high school’s a totally different level.”
Along with the coaching change, M-CHS shifts leagues this season, departing the Intermountain League and joining IML co-members Gunnison and Pagosa Springs in the 2A Western Slope League (named League A by CHSAA), alongside Delta, Basalt, Aspen and Coal Ridge.
After opening at home, M-CHS heads to Cedaredge (Aug. 28) before a trip to defending 2A state champion Wellington (Sept. 5) and then the WSL opener at Pagosa Springs (Sept. 11). The Panthers return home to take on Coal Ridge (Sept. 18), then visit Gunnison (Sept. 25) before entering October with home contests against Aspen (Oct. 2) and Basalt (Oct. 16). The regular season concludes on Oct. 23 with a trip to Delta.
“We’re wanting to continue building a strong foundation,” Waggoner said, “and that comes from everybody being on board and keeping each other accountable.”
