MEEKER | A year after launching the program last season, Meeker High School girls wrestling team returns to the mat with a clearer identity, seasoned athletes and a fresh group of newcomers ready to step in.
The Cowboys open their second season with something they didn’t have a year ago — experience.
After launching the program with a successful debut and four state qualifiers last winter, head coach Barney LeBlanc said the difference heading into year two is noticeable.
“It’s super exciting,” he said. “It’s really nice to not be starting at zero. We have some girls that have wrestled, and we have some up-and-coming girls that are freshmen that have wrestled in junior high. It’s nice to have some skill.”
Last season’s accomplishments set a strong foundation, but LeBlanc said the group has made its biggest strides in confidence since stepping off the state mats last February. Offseason competition helped accelerate that growth.
“They have increased their confidence,” he said. “This summer we went to the Western camp, and it was mostly duals, and that was really good mat time for them with zero pressure. They got better from that, and it’s just good for them to know that they can.”
LeBlanc said one of his own takeaways from the first year was learning “how to encourage them to be confident, but not proud,” and gaining a better understanding of what techniques and styles fit his wrestlers best. “Just what things their body type is better at implementing,” he said.
Preseason practices have focused on fundamentals and helping the first-year wrestlers adjust to the pace and expectations in the room.
“Just getting the basics revisited,” LeBlanc said. “The girls that are just starting, trying to get them up with how we do stuff and just making it fun. My goal is that they enjoy it. I hope that they do good, but I want them to not hate wrestling.”
The schedule features several key events, including a rare home opportunity for Rangely athletes in the co-op program.
“We’re going to have a dual with Phoenix girls and Vernal in Rangely, so some of the girls that are coming from Rangely will get to have a home duel,” LeBlanc said.
The Cowboys will also return to the Cañon City tournament and add a trip to the Front Range.
“We’re gonna go to one in Broomfield,” he said. “The girls on the other side of the hill are a little better than the Western Slope, I’d say. We’re gonna get some more mat time wrestling that style and those girls, and I think that’ll help us at state.”
For LeBlanc, success this season goes well beyond the win-loss record.
“My goal is just that they get better at wrestling and that they enjoy it,” he said. “If they win every match and they hate it, then I failed.” Wrestling, he added, teaches lessons in hard work and accountability that carry into life. “You can’t pass the buck on anybody else.”
As for what this year’s team can accomplish, LeBlanc sees plenty of potential.
“I’m pretty excited about their skills to start with,” he said.
After navigating injuries last season, he added another priority: “Just that they stay healthy and hopefully we have 11 healthy girls at the end.”
The Cowboys begin their 2025-2026 campaign on the road Dec. 6 when the team travels to a tournament at Soroco.
With a deeper roster, a year of experience behind them and a clearer sense of identity, Meeker enters its second season with momentum and measurable growth. If the team can stay healthy and continue building on the confidence forged over the offseason, the Cowboys are positioned to take another significant step forward on the state stage.