MEEKER | For the first time, the Meeker Cowboys competed at the Top of the Rockies, which is the toughest tournament in the state of Colorado. Out of 33 teams, only one other 2A team was there, John Mall, there were no 3A teams, it was a mixture of 4A and 5A, plus a 6A from New Mexico.
The ranking guru Tim Yount said Meeker was “making some noise.”
After day one the Cowboys had 11 wrestlers still in it, Zeik Gianineti at 106 pounds, Bo Muxlow (113), Trae Kennedy (120), Clay Crawford (126), Abe Maupin (138), Connor Blunt (152), Cade Blunt (160), Kelton Turner (170), Hayden Shults (182), Judd Harvey (220), and Tanner Musser (HWT). In the team scores they were in fourth place behind Pomona, Ponderosa, Pueblo East and Monarch.
Abe Maupin 
Judd Harvey
Abe Maupin and Judd Harvey competed at the Top of the Rockies tournament last weekend. The team placed seventh overall, just three points from the fifth place spot. | COURTESY PHOTO
“Most everybody won a match and we had four placers,” commented head coach JC Watt.
Top honors this weekend went to Connor and Turner who both placed third. Connor lost to Daniel Cardenas, the number one 152 in the nation, in the semifinals and Turner lost to Bronco Hartson of Roosevelt. Both won their next matches to move to the consolation finals. Blunt once again met Rock from Brighton and beat him for the second time that day in a 11-4 decision, and Turner pinned the number one 5A 170 pounder Karter Johnson from Ponderosa in 1 minute and 42 seconds.
Cade and Musser both took fourth place. Cade lost in the semifinals to Dante Hutchings in a 7-0 decision, then lost his second match to Kenney of Grand Junction putting him in for fifth/sixth place match which he won in a 9-5 decision over Josh Horsely of Roosevelt. Musser moved to the consolation rounds after a quarterfinal loss to Angelo Falise in a 3-1 decision in a match that could have gone either way. Musser then fought his way through the consolation bracket and finally took fifth by pinning Daniel Duarte of Pueblo East.
Tanner Mauser 
Kelton Turner
In the end with 114 points, the Meeker Cowboys took seventh place and were only 3 points from a fifth place finish, the other 2A team scored a total of 3 points.
“All the coaches are super proud of how our boys wrestled, it was a very good showing,” wrapped up Watt.
This week the teams dueled against Grand Valley on Tuesday, Palisade on Wednesday and then this Saturday the JV will be in Grand Junction and varsity in Center for a tournament that will look very similar to regionals.
By TIFFANY JEHOREK – Special to the Herald Times
