CORTEZ – The final score told just part of the story Friday night at Panther Stadium.
In the hour before kickoff, as the stands filled with family and friends, the moment began to sink in for 14 seniors preparing to run through the Panthers banner one last time. Amid misty eyes and embraces during the pregame Senior Night ceremony, Friday wasn’t a battle of four quarters – it was a culmination of four years.
After the 42-10 loss to Pagosa Springs, the embraces continued into the postgame huddle and parking lot. Sweat and tears marked the journey that brought this senior class – and the M-CHS program – to this point.
The Panthers are on the map. After years of building, M-CHS has become a consistent statewide threat – and this senior group played a major role.
As freshmen, the Class of ’26 witnessed one of the program’s greatest seasons. While most played subvarsity, the bar was set. Since then, M-CHS (4-4, 2-2 2A Intermountain League) is on the verge of its third winning season in four years – a 23-16 record in that span – after just one winning season in the previous two decades.
To secure that mark, the Panthers must beat rival Bayfield on Halloween night. But the program doesn’t appear headed for a screeching halt. Most of the offensive and defensive fronts against the Pirates were underclassmen, and M-CHS will return junior quarterback Cody Case and freshman Derius Madison – who filled in after Case was knocked out in the first half.
Pagosa Springs (5-3, 4-0 2A IML) scored on its first three possessions, including a pick-six, to build a 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Pirates senior Colton Lucero accounted for all six scores, including an 81-yard punt return in the third quarter that dashed any hopes of a Panther rally.
M-CHS got on the board when sophomore Nathan Brown drilled a 36-yard field goal in the final minute of the first half, capping one of several first-half threats. The Panthers moved the ball well between their own 30 and the Pirates’ red zone, but four turnovers ended scoring chances. Senior Parker Conrad, who rushed for more than 120 yards, finally gave the Panthers a touchdown, breaking free for a 46-yard score in the waning minutes.
The senior linebacking and secondary core of Conrad, Charlie Jensen, Wyatt Oliver, Rusty Snyder, Eli Slim and Isaac Dozal stayed busy trying to contain Pagosa’s ground attack. While they hemmed in Lucero at times, a few big runs – including conversions on third-and-13 and fourth-and-2 for touchdowns – spelled doom for the Panthers.
With playoff hopes fading, the M-CHS seniors still aim to finish the season with the same tenacity they showed in August 2022 – setting the stage for future success. The Panthers and Wolverines kick off at 7 p.m. Friday to close out the 2025 season.
