MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboys boys wrestling team opened their 2025–26 season at the CMU Duals this past weekend, putting together strong individual performances across the lineup and gaining valuable early-season experience as they prepare for a two-day tournament in Montrose.
Head coach Stryker Lane said the program’s focus at this stage isn’t centered on wins or losses, but steady growth.
“We are just focused on improvement. Not trying to think about results right now,” Lane said. “We saw some areas that need work and more reinforcement. Conditioning always needs work early in the season. It’s just a good weekend to get back into the rhythm of the season—the early mornings, long trips, and weight management.”
Lane said the CMU Duals provided exactly the kind of tests the Cowboys needed.
“Hopefully they learn that they are as good as anyone they wrestle and compete with high expectations,” he said. “These early duals are good tests. They help us learn if we are in the right weight class or not and show us other areas that might need work. I was impressed with the cohesiveness of the team. We always need to work on getting off the bottom, hand fighting, and baseline defense. But they belong out there.”
Meeker opened the day against Montrose, falling behind early due to forfeits at 106 and 113 before Montrose extended its lead at 120. The Cowboys answered at 132 when Eli Rundberg earned a 6–3 decision, followed by junior Koy Weber’s 6–1 win at 138 to tighten the margin. Senior Holton Harvey tied the dual 12–12 with a decision at 144, but Montrose responded with two wins at 157 to pull ahead. Seniors Drake Jones and Orion Musser closed the dual with back-to-back first-period pins, but with no wrestlers available at 215 or heavyweight, Meeker fell 36–24.
In their second dual of the day against Grand Valley, the Cowboys put together a strong stretch of individual victories. Richardson tied the early score with a forfeit win at 120 pounds before Rundberg dropped a close match at 132. Weber and Harvey followed with back-to-back decisions at 138 and 144, sparking momentum through the middle weights. Cooper Maupin, Rollins, Jones and Musser each delivered key wins to close out the dual, helping lift Meeker to a solid team victory 40-24.
The Cowboys then faced Norwood, falling behind 6–0 before Rundberg earned a 12–10 decision at 125. Weber followed with a 9–2 win at 138, and Harvey added a 10–2 decision at 144. Maupin and Jones collected wins by forfeit at 157 and 175, but Norwood controlled the final matches to hand Meeker a 47–28 loss.
In one of their strongest showings of the day, Meeker battled Eagle Valley to a 36–36 tie. Rundberg started the scoring surge with a major decision at 126 before Weber and Harvey added wins at 138 and 144. After Eagle Valley regained the lead with wins at 150 and 157, Rollins, Jones and Musser powered Meeker back by sweeping the 165, 175 and 190-pound matches.
The Cowboys closed the day against North Fork, starting strong with a forfeit win for Rundberg at 126, an 11–1 major from Weber at 138, and Harvey’s decision at 144. North Fork claimed the next three bouts before Jones added a 9–2 decision at 175. Meeker dropped the final upper-weight matches, finishing on the short end of a 60–21 score.
Several of Meeker’s returning leaders said the opener gave them a strong mental boost heading into Montrose.
Orion Musser said sticking to fundamentals helped him settle in quickly.
“I believe that it was a for sure confidence booster coming out this weekend strong,” Musser said. “This early season I’ve been trying to stick to the basics and putting everything together that we do at practice. My mindset has improved since last year, and I’ve been working on staying on my feet and getting out from bottom. This weekend in Montrose I want to see how this year’s competition stacks up and how I handle those more challenging matches.”
Senior Drake Jones said he liked how he opened the season and how he supported the guys around him.
“At CMU, I liked how much confidence and aggression I wrestled with, and I like how I kept it simple since it was our first event of the season,” Jones said. “I’ve been helping my less-experienced teammates by showing them moves that work for me and keeping them motivated in the training room. This year I am most confident in my strength and grit.”
He said Montrose will be a chance to open up his scoring options. “This weekend, I would like to show more technique and try out some new moves to know what I can do.”
Junior Koy Weber credited his offseason commitment for his fast start. “Some of the things that lead to early season success for me is wrestling in the offseason,” Weber said. “It helps me stay in good shape, better my technique, and overall just learn more about wrestling and get better.”
He added that stamina is crucial at his weight class. “I think a huge part of being a successful middle weight is not just your technique but your conditioning and being able to go hard all six minutes. My coaches condition us very well to be able to go all match and beat good guys purely by outworking them.”
Weber said facing top-tier opponents in Montrose will benefit the entire lineup. “I am looking forward to Montrose because we will be able to face some of the best guys in the state,” he said. “The confidence of the team should be really good. We all had a great opening weekend and were able to put our skills to the test and get in better shape.”
Meeker now shifts its focus to the week ahead as the Cowboys travel to Cedaredge on Thursday, Dec. 11, for a triangular dual against Cedaredge and Buena Vista beginning at 5:00 p.m., before heading into two full days of competition at the Montrose tournament on Dec. 12–13. With a demanding stretch on deck and valuable early mat time behind them, the Cowboys aim to keep building rhythm, sharpening technique and strengthening their lineup as they move deeper into the first month of the season.