Meeker, Meeker Sports, MHS Football, Sports

Meeker gridders kick off season with 26-14 win; will play Rams on Friday

sptphMeekerFootballRunning-TJ
Meeker junior Robby Jensen (52) blocks defenders for his running back classmate T.J. Shelton during the season opener against the Rye Thunderbolts in Starbuck Stadium on Saturday. Shelton rushed for 142 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown on the second play of the game. The Cowboys host the 2A Roaring Fork Rams at Starbuck Stadium this Friday at 7 p.m.
MEEKER I The Meeker High School Cowboys opened the football season by defeating the Rye Thunderbolts, 26-14, on Saturday afternoon.
Meeker’s defense was solid, shutting out the Thunderbolts for three quarters. Its offense exploded early, scoring all their points in the first half.
Meeker will host the 2A Roaring Fork Rams in Starbuck Stadium on Friday evening, with the kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
“I was especially happy with our defensive performance,” head coach Shane Phelan said.
The Cowboy defense began making its coach happy after the opening kickoff as they kept the Thunderbolts from scoring with a goal-line stand.
Senior quarterback Jake Phelan, who missed most of last year because of a broken leg, started his team on the one-yard line and handed the ball off to junior running back T.J. Shelton, who gained a couple of yards on the first hand off, then sprinted 97-yards for a touchdown on the second.
“Our fast guy was faster than their fast guy,” Coach Phelan said of Shelton winning the foot race to the end zone.
Phelan ran in for the two-point conversion and the Cowboys took an early 8-0 lead.
Meeker’s defense held Rye again and the Cowboys scored again, this time on a 40-yard touchdown run by Raul Lopez, giving Meeker a 14-0 lead.
The Cowboys stopped the Thunderbolts again but turned the ball over with an interception. The defense held again and the Cowboys marched down the field, ending with a 28-yard touchdown run by Phelan late in the second quarter.
The Cowboy defense forced the Thunderbolts to punt again and junior Tristin Pelloni gave his team great field position with a 49-yard return. Meeker drove down the field and scored its final touchdown on a six-yard pass from Phelan to junior Devon Pontine.
Meeker led 26-0 at halftime then didn’t score again. They did allow Rye to score two touchdowns late in the game against the younger Cowboys substitutes, who were gaining experience.
“I was not pleased with how we came out in the second half and didn’t execute, but overall it was a good effort,” Coach Phelan said. “We did a lot of good things and we have a lot of things to improve on.
Shelton rushed 14 times for 142 yards and Phelan rushed for 86 yards while completing six passes, divided evenly to Lopez, Pontine and Pelloni for 83 yards.
Pontine led the defense with 17 tackles, four of them unassisted. Lopez was in on 14 tackles, sophomore Casey Turner got in on 13 and Shelton finished with nine.
Coach Phelan said his team remains healthy and that the team is are looking forward to playing the Rams on Friday.
“Roaring Fork has a good bunch of kids with a good coach, and they really put it to us last year,” he said. “We hope to compete better this year.”
Meeker’s JV team will play its first game of the season on Tuesday in Steamboat Springs.

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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Cowboy Carson Klinzmann on the mound for Meeker at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction last Saturday. Meeker took on the 4A Rifle Bears, losing 11-1, and the Basalt Longhorns, losing 7-3. Read the recap online at ht1885.com.
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