Meeker, MHS Football, Sports

Meeker gridders lose non-league opener to Rye by one point, 17-16

Cowboy senior Devon Pontine caught three passes from sophomore quarterback Logan Hughes against the Thunderbolts in Rye last week, including a two-point conversion. Pontine also carried the ball once and had 10 tackles on defense. Pontine and the Cowboys will play against the Roaring Fork Rams in Carbondale on Friday.
Cowboy senior Devon Pontine caught three passes from sophomore quarterback Logan Hughes against the Thunderbolts in Rye last week, including a two-point conversion. Pontine also carried the ball once and had 10 tackles on defense. Pontine and the Cowboys will play against the Roaring Fork Rams in Carbondale on Friday.
MEEKER I The Meeker High School football team opened the season in southeastern Colorado, and although the Cowboys lost 17-16 to the Rye Thunderbolts in a non-league contest, the coaching staff is excited about the team’s potential.
The Cowboys will play closer to home Friday but will be on the road once again as they travel to Carbondale, where they take on the 2A Roaring Fork Rams.

“We are a young team and, for a lot of our guys, the game in Rye was the first varsity game where they played a lot of minutes,” Meeker head coach Shane Phelan said of his team. “Some of our inexperience showed a little, but we’re really excited. We hope to learn from our mistakes and fix a few things, but we think the future is promising for these guys.”
The Thunderbolts were the only team to score in the first quarter, but Meeker answered with two touchdowns in the second to lead 16-7 at halftime.
The Cowboys would be unable to put up any points on the score board in the second half.
Cowboy senior T.J. Shelton scored on a 30-yard run for the Cowboys and junior Casey Turner scored the two-point conversion, to put Meeker ahead 8-7.
Meeker played tough defense and got the ball back with approximately three minutes to play in the first half. The Cowboys took advantage of the clock and sophomore quarterback Logan Hughes snuck in for a touchdown from one yard out.
Hughes connected with senior Devon Pontine for the two-point conversion and the Cowboys took a 16-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Thunderbolts pulled within two points after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter, and an interception in the fourth quarter allowed the Thunderbolts to kick the winning field goal with 4:20 left to play.
“We had a ton of opportunities but were not able to consistently move the football,” coach Phelan said. “Rye was a good opponent and I think if we see them again later in the year, we will be able to compete with them.”
Hughes, who started his first varsity game, completed 10 of 22 passing attempts and rushed for 22 yards, including a touchdown. Shelton carried the ball 18 times for 149 yards, one for a touchdown, and he caught two passes for 18 yards. Pontine caught three passes, Hunter Garcia and Sheridan Harvey each caught two passes and Cole Brown had a great sideline catch for 15 yards.
Shelton and Turner led the defense with 15 tackles each, and Turner also recovered a fumble. Senior Robby Jensen played well, recording 12 tackles, Pontine had 10, Harvey had eight and Chase Rule finished the game with seven tackles as well as having intercepted a pass.
The Cowboys will now prepare for the trip to Carbondale.
“This will be their season opener in front of their home crowd, so it will be a good test for us,” Phelan said of the upcoming game against the Roaring Fork Rams.

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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.
  • 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
  • Read part three of the story of M.T. Streeter in this week’s edition of History Lessons! Find it in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
  • Meeker FFA Chapter members competed at the District Leadership Development Event in Craig, Colorado, this month. Top row from left to right: Eva Scritchfield, Charlie Rogers, Alan Rivera, Trent Sanders, Koy Weber, Orion Musser, Said Rodriguez, Carlos Carrillo, Aidan Tapia, Hayden Garcia, Tristan Rollins, Mathew Willey, Quentin Simpson. Middle row: Sidney Keetch, Aurora Stallings, Sydnie Ross, Ava Nay, Lili Piper, Leah Wood. Bottom Row: Jaicee Simmons, Kailynn Watson, Cody Richardson, Kayla Castillo, Braydin Raley, Autumn Stallings, Aimee Shults, Emily Hamm. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
  • Choose-your-own-adventure…. Hear from our Editor in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
  • A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
  • Black Sulphur Tavern held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new business at 364 Seventh St. The space has been renovated with several TVs and games and provides a fun, friendly atmosphere to watch your favorite sports team and enjoy a burger and wings. Owners Frank Maestas and Pat Maestas are pictured with their new staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives Stephanie Hanson, Trudy Burri and Margie Joy. Follow Black Sulphur Tavern on Facebook. Their hours are Wednesday and Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 1 a.m., Saturday 11-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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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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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
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