Panthers’ 2025 Season Sets the Foundation for Future Success

The Carolina Panthers reached the playoffs this year for the first time since the 2017 season. They also won the NFC South for the first time since they made the Super Bowl in 2015. The recent success from Charlotte Catholic’s hometown team has brought a lot of excitement to the school and the community. 

In their first round playoff game, the Panthers played the Los Angeles Rams at home. Fans highly anticipated this game, hoping the Panthers would advance. Specifically, the day before the game, administrators allowed students to wear their Panthers gear to school. All the hardcore Panthers fans wore their best jerseys and shirts.

Gray Donovan, a junior at Charlotte Catholic, said, “I loved that day, and I think we need to do more things like that at Catholic.” Students appreciated the opportunity to show off their gear and talk with other students about their attire, including jerseys. 

Many Charlotte Catholic students went to the playoff game. “I thought the performance and the atmosphere was amazing. It is just unfortunate that we couldn’t get it together in the end,” Gray said. The environment that the fans created stood out for various reasons. Everyone cheered loud and got involved in the game. “The playoff game related to the environment from the Super Bowl season because the whole fanbase showed up to watch,” Gray said. 

Credit: PFF 

Junior Jacob Ruminski said, “The atmosphere was amazing, and it felt alive for the entire game.” It is clear that Charlotte has the ability to show up for its team. It is only due to the disappointment from the previous seasons that the community has not been invested in the team recently. However, this playoff game showed the true passion of the Carolina community. 

This year was the Panthers’ best season since 2017. Jacob said, “They definitely exceeded my expectations by winning the division and making the playoffs.” Gray added, “I think we did well this year considering the last few years we have had. We just need to fix the little mental errors we make because that is one of the main reasons we lost important games.” 

While the Panthers finished 8-10, this season showed a lot of hope for the team in the future. The team has the potential to compete with the top teams in the league, and Charlotte has the enthusiasm to support them along the way. The future looks bright for the Panthers and their community.