Cowboys finish regular season with four wins

Shepherd is pictured using a “Meeker Cradle” to score back points in the Meeker dual meet tournament Saturday.

MEEKER I Ranked No. 2 in 2A by On the Mat, the Meeker Cowboys wrestling team finished the regular season with four dual meet wins and will enter arguably the toughest 2A regional tournament (Region 1) in the state, since it features the Cowboys and the defending state champion and No. 1 ranked Paonia Eagles.
The Cowboys defeated Rifle 50-18 in Rifle, then hosted a dual meet tournament Saturday, where they defeated Hayden (57-9), Coal Ridge (59-18) and Basalt (72-6). The Cowboys only lost two matches in each of the first three duals and a forfeit was the only points Basalt received. Meeker won 42 matches, 19 by pin fall in the duals and eight Cowboys won all of their matches.
Sheridan Harvey (106), Tristin Pelloni (113), Aaron Cochran (132), J.C. Henderson (138), Casey Turner (145), Dillan Frantz (152), Anthony Watt (JV, 145), T.J. Shelton (170) and Tyler Ilgen (285) all won their final matches of the regular season in the Meeker tournament.
“We are wrestling aggressively and with a lot of confidence right now,” head coach J.C. Watt said of his team’s progress.

Henderson uses his right leg and left arm to control his Rifle opponent, while using his right arm and left leg to balance his opponent upside down and score back points. The top four wrestlers in each weight will qualify for the 2014 Colorado State Wrestling Championships in the Pepsi Center the following week.

Kylloe Goedert (126) and Devon Pontine (160), won all but one match each and Chase Rule, who moved up two weights, won two and lost two.
The Cowboys will fill 12 of 14 weights in the Region 1, state-qualifying tournament this weekend at Grand Junction High School. Fans unable to attend can follow the action online at www.trackwrestling.com.

Meeker senior wrestlers Aaron Cochran, Calvin Shepherd and J.C. Henderson (above) return to their team after the coin flip in Rifle. The three seniors will lead the No. 2 ranked Cowboys into the state-qualifying regional tournament at Grand Junction High School starting Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m.

The top four placers in each weight at the regional tournament, will qualify for the 2014 Colorado State Wrestling Championships, held in the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver Feb. 20-22. Coach Watt hopes to qualify at least 10 for state and with a few breaks, he believes all his wrestlers could qualify.

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