MEEKER | After a grueling start to the season, facing some of the toughest teams in the state, the Cowboys took on 2A Gunnison on their turf and came home with a big win. Final score 25-12.
“The boys played really well defensively,” commented head coach Andy Coryell.
Tristin Rollins and Cade Blunt led with 22 total tackles on the evening. Rollins added a fumble recovery and Tyler Sanders grabbed an interception.
“We still had a few hiccups on offense but found a way in the fourth quarter to put together two long drives that ended in points, and the win made for a little shorter ride home,” said Coryell.
Cade Mills led with three touchdowns and Blunt added another.
It was a ground game with Blunt leading the charge with 117 yards, Clay Crawford had 89 and Mills 68.
Crawford commented, “The season has definitely had its ups and downs but having a group of boys who don’t give up is all I could ask for. We’re getting better and better every week and I’m excited to see how this season continues. We have some league games coming up and I believe we will do very well.”
Blunt echoed his teammate’s sentiment. “This year has definitely been a learning experience, losing the size and experience that we had last year has been tough,” said Blunt. “Coach Coryell said it best, ‘This team right here is outweighed in a lot of ways, you guys handle adversity better than any other team I’ve had.’ As one of the seniors and one of the leaders for this younger team I have really just been trying to push everyone on the team. Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. I feel like that has been the mentality not only for me but the whole team. With this team being young we make lots of mistakes, so I really try and make sure that everyone keeps their head up whenever things get hard.”
This weekend the boys are headed to Moab before their bye weekend and then straight into league play.
Moab came to town last year for the first-ever matchup of the two teams and Coryell is looking to hand them the same kind of loss.
“They didn’t lose any seniors off last year’s team, so they’re much improved,” commented Coryell. “We’re looking forward to another good challenge.”
Game time is 7 p.m.
By TIFFANY JEHOREK
