Meeker, Meeker Sports, MHS Football, School, Sports

Meeker jumps on Rangely early to take 46-0 victory

Meeker team captains, from left, Ever Olivas, Colton Brown, Tyrel Gerloff and Jarett Waldref take the field prior to the start of Friday’s rivalry game against Rangely.
Meeker team captains, from left, Ever Olivas, Colton Brown, Tyrel Gerloff and Jarett Waldref take the field prior to the start of Friday’s rivalry game against Rangely.
MEEKER I Cowboy head football coach Shane Phelan said he does not script the first 15 plays for his team.
If he did, it would have been difficult for him to script them any better last Friday. After the first 15 plays against county rival Rangely, Meeker led 30-0.
Meeker shut down and shut out the Panthers 46-0 in the Rio Blanco County championship game, played in Starbuck Stadium, to remain undefeated in league play, with Hayden on the schedule for Friday.
Meeker took control immediately, as senior Brock Campbell returned the opening kickoff 85 yards in 14 seconds. Senior running back Mitch Jacob added the two-point conversion and Meeker led 8-0.
“I was happy with how our return team set the tone on the opening kickoff,” Phelan said.
The return fired up the Cowboy defense, which forced the Panthers to punt after three plays, only to have senior Ever Olivas block the punt and give his team the ball 27 yards from their end zone.
On Meeker’s second offensive play of the game, senior quarterback Colton Brown connected with Campbell for a 27-yard touchdown pass, with less than three minutes played in the first quarter.
The Cowboy defense forced the Panthers to punt again after three downs and started with good field position, on the Panther’s 44-yard line. Meeker ran five plays before Brown connected with senior Nate Bradfield on the sixth play, for a 34-yard touchdown. Jacob again added the extra point and Meeker led 22-0, with more than five minutes to play in the first quarter.
The Panthers made their first, first down of the game on their next drive, followed by a second, but were unable to make a third, even going for it on fourth down.
“We were focused,” Phelan said of his defense. “We talked of some things we wanted to accomplish on defense, then we went out and executed them.”
The Cowboys also executed well on offense, using seven plays to get into the end zone for a fourth time. After passes to Campbell and junior Cole Steiner and runs by Jacob and senior fullback Tyrell Gerloff, Brown scored after running untouched for a 15-yard touchdown. Gerloff added the two-point conversion and Meeker led 30-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Phelan credited his offensive linemen including: Jarett Waldref, Olivas, Ryan Wix, Jake Nieslanik, Justin Hardy, Spencer Madison and Charley Adams for opening holes and protecting the quarterback.
“It doesn’t happen without the guys up front,” Phelan said of his team’s offensive production.
The Cowboys continued to hold the Panthers, while adding points of their own. Campbell scored on a 10-yard sweep and Gerloff added the two-point conversion, to make the score 38-0.
The Panthers made two first downs on their next possession, but could not sustain the drive with a third, giving the ball back to Meeker on downs.
The Cowboys continued to run and pass over the Panthers, topping off the drive with a 65-yard touchdown run by Brown. Brown completed a pass to Campbell for the two-point conversion and Meeker’s final score.
The second half went quick as the clock was not stopped, since the Cowboys led by more than 40 points and neither team scored in the second half.
Christopher Ruckman was injured late in the game and has been hospitalized in Grand Junction with a kidney injury.
“We’ll keep Christopher in our thoughts and prayers,” Phelan said.
The Cowboys will play in Hayden Friday at 7:30 p.m.

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
  • The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
  • 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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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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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
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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