MEEKER I In the most physical game of the year, the Cowboys came out on the short end against Cedaredge. Cedaredge is enjoying one of its best seasons with their drop in classification to Class A.
They got after Meeker with big runs and long passes. Meeker has given up only three plays over 50 yards this season; two came in this game. The Cowboys have allowed 12 plays over 20 yards this year, while countering with 23.
Leading tacklers were Aaron Cochran, Fernando Olivas, J.R. Crawford, Tala Atoafa and Nate Walsh, with six stops each. J.C. Henderson and Willis Begay chipped in with four tackles. Missed tackles hurt the Black-Gold defensive unit in this game.
Jake Phelan took a physical beating at QB but kept coming back and making big plays. He threw for more than 100 yards, and more than 200 total rush and pass yardage. Phelan also got off a quick kick for 50 yards during the contest. T.J. Shelton led the Cowboys in rushing with 12 attempts for 47 yards.
Overall the Black and Gold accounted for 14 first downs and 260 total yards. The offensive line lost three starters in the first half, and the entire second half had backups at three key positions. Nakoma Bailey, Kash Atwood and Adrian Shroyer filled into this unit, and line coach Brandon Aven shored up this unit fairly well. Noah Overton and Devon Pontine played the entire game. Other offensive linemen seeing action were Joe Newman, Austin Brown and Ricky Jeffrey. In the second half the offensive line was manned by four freshmen. Other men who contributed to the offense were Dylan Mobley, Tristin Pelloni, Matt Fantz, Dillon Frantz and Sebastian Clarke.
Alex Smith and Scott Smith each had three catches. Alex has 24 for the season, which ties him for 15th on the all-time reception list. His 270 yards receiving also puts him in the top 20 for a year.
The Black and Gold have a fairly balanced attack, with the fullback position contributing 625 yards on 102 attempts, 14.5 per game; the tailback position chips in 567 yards on 84 rushing opportunities, averaging 12.0 attempts per game. The QB position has run 96 times for 310 yards, averaging 13.7 carries a game. The BB position has rushed 14 times for 37 yards, an average of two attempts per game.
The defensive line has contributed more than 200 tackles this season, an outstanding total. They are averaging 28.5 stops per game. The main core of this unit are the Smith twins, J.R. Crawford and Fernando Olivas. The inside linebacker positions have totaled 90 tackles this year and our secondary has 192 tackles.
Did you know? The Black and Gold has played 35 different players in a varsity game this season. Our six seniors have been backed by 29 men. 69 percent of our plays are being manned by underclassmen. A good team total and goal would be 50 percent or more by seniors, followed by a 35 percent junior contribution and 15 percent for sophomores.
