Cowboys lose duals, wrestle well in Paonia

MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboy wrestling team lost three dual meets last week but according to their coach, they “wrestled well” in the Screamin’ Eagle tournament, held last Saturday in Paonia. The Cowboys wrestled Moffat County, Tuesday and will host the Palisade Bulldogs Friday, starting at 6 p.m.
“We didn’t wrestle well in the duals,” Meeker head coach J.C. Watt said about dual meet losses to Grand Valley, Hotchkiss and Norwood. Against the Cardinals, both teams won four matches but Grand Valley won the dual 35-33. Meeker only won three matches against Hotchkiss, losing the dual 21-40, then only won three against Norwood, losing 23-39 to them.
Jacob Pelloni won all three of his dual meet matches, including two by pin. Tannen Kennedy won the two he wrestled, Jake Shelton won two of three, while James Amick and Ridge Williams each won one.
“We had several kids wrestle well in the tournament,” coach Watt said. “James (Amick) and Ridge (Williams) both had five matches.”
Amick won four of his five matches, including three by pin fall, and he needed overtime to win the consolation championship in the 160-pound bracket. Williams had two pins and a win to finish fourth in the 195-pound bracket.
Kennedy was Meeker’s only champion in the Screamin’ Eagle. The 138-pound junior pinned his first two opponents, then won by technical fall (more than 12 points) in the semifinals to advance him to the championship match against last year’s state runner-up, Sackett Chesnik from Paonia. Chesnik defeated Kennedy the first two times they wrestled this year but Kennedy would win 4-3 in their third meeting of the season.
Pelloni recorded three pins on his way into the championship match and finished second in the 120-pound bracket, for Meeker’s only other placer
“Jacob had wrestled the Palisade kid before and he wrestled better this time, he just didn’t come out on top,” coach Watt said.
The Cowboys will host 4A Palisade Friday, starting at 6 p.m.