BOBBY GUTIERREZ PHOTO
MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboys had their last regular season away game for the year at Paonia. The Eagles have traditionally been the toughest league opponent the Cowboys face. “Paonia is always a tough environment to play in, tough hard-nosed kids, well-coached, and we are very excited for the win,” commented head coach Shane Phelan.
A Paonia shutout, final score of 34-0, Meeker was balanced once again through the air and on the ground. The Cowboys had 458 total offensive yards. “Our running and passing game kept the Paonia defense off-balance,” said Phelan.
The Eagles typically have a strong aggressive running game, but their young quarterback likes to throw. “The pass rush, secondary were able to cover the receivers and slow down their offense,” commented Phelan. Senior Tevin Pelloni, No. 22, led the team in tackles with 11 for the evening and followed by juniors Colby Clatterbaugh and Jeremy Woodward with a combined 17.
Meeker continues to hold steady in the fifth spot for the class 1A state ranking. Above them in the number one spot sits Holyoke and number two Limon. Those two teams will face each other on Nov. 1. Holyoke is currently undefeated along with Strasburg at number three and Florence at four. None of the three undefeated teams above Meeker will be facing each other in their two remaining regular-season games.
The next two games for the Cowboys are on home turf, first up are the Olathe Pirates. “It’s always good to take on yet another tough league opponent at home; our schedule continues to get harder as the season progresses, happy to be at home” said Phelan. Traditionally Olathe has been a running team, but like Paonia they have a young quarterback who likes to throw. The Cowboys will need their strong defensive secondary to keep the Pirates contained. The game is this Friday, 7 p.m. at Starbuck Stadium.
By TIFFANY JEHOREK | Special to the Herald Times
