MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboys continued their strong push through the regular season Friday night, cruising to a 41-7 road win over the Olathe Pirates in league play.
The two teams previously met on Sept. 19 in Meeker for a nonconference matchup, when the Cowboys defeated the Pirates 51-8. This time, the Cowboys made the trip to Olathe — and once again left with a decisive victory winning the game 41-7.
With the win, Meeker extended its streak to six straight victories and improved to 6-2 overall and 3-0 in league play, holding first place in the 1A Western Slope League. As of Oct. 27, the Cowboys moved up from No. 10 to No. 8 in the CHSAA power index and are in position to host the first round of the Class 1A state playoffs.
Junior quarterback Cade Mills led the offense with a near-flawless performance, completing 3 of 4 passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns while adding 19 rushing yards. Meeker’s balanced attack totaled 305 yards of offense — 227 on the ground and 78 through the air.
“This week I owe it to the O-line working so hard to buy me time to make good reads and to let plays develop as the game went on,” Mills said. “The pass game has been really strong recently, and trying to spread out the passing to multiple people helps make big and explosive plays throughout the game. Our mindset is to keep pushing day by day and striving to become better with the few guaranteed practices we have left.”
Junior Tucker Chinn continued his standout season, recording 64 all-purpose yards, two touchdowns and a conversion. He also contributed five tackles on defense, helping to limit Olathe to just 152 total yards.
“I saw the open holes and tried to break free when I could, but it was all because of the great blocking by my O-line,” Chinn said. “Defensively, the goal was mostly to focus on improving that game and holding them to low scoring until the JV gets in, which is exactly what we did. We start in practice by bringing the energy every Monday on big weeks and just make sure to keep up that energy in practice — that way it’s easy to keep the hype during games.”
Junior Said Rodriguez made plays on both sides of the ball, rushing for 14 yards, catching a 25-yard pass, scoring a touchdown and adding a 40-yard interception return that set up another Meeker score.
Freshman Lawson Anderson showcased his growing role in the offense, hauling in a 40-yard touchdown reception from Mills. Anderson also handled kickoff duties, averaging 39.7 yards on seven kicks with a long of 50.
“You need to be physical to contribute in multiple roles, especially with the older guys,” Anderson said. “My confidence has grown because I contribute in multiple roles and my coaches and the upperclassmen help me in practice and games as much as they can. They’ll let me know who to block or what coverage we’re in so we’re all on the same page and do our best. The upperclassmen also taught me that preparing for a game has to start on Monday and go all the way until kickoff. I’ve also learned that we can’t take any plays off, even when we’re up big.”
On the ground, Trent Sanders broke free for a 53-yard run and finished with 63 rushing yards and a touchdown. He credited Meeker’s success to the group effort up front.
“I think for sure with our success it all starts up front with the line — they know their exact jobs and then just finish, which has led to our run game success tremendously,” Sanders said. “I think every guy on the team isn’t scared to block or be selfish. Our quarterback even gave me a massive pancake block that led to a touchdown for me, so another huge impact on the game is everyone being unselfish and willing to do what it takes to win.”
The Cowboys spread production across the roster, with eight players recording rushing yards.
Defensively, Meeker swarmed to the ball all night. Sophomore Jonah Christenson anchored the defense with nine tackles and a tackle for loss, while senior Augie Halstead added five tackles and two tackles for loss up front.
Christenson said the defense came in with a clear mission.
“The focus for the defense was to get as many tackles for loss as possible,” he said. “My mindset hasn’t really changed a ton since getting here — I try to remain humble in a group of old friends. Our defense is 100% focused on getting ready for playoffs. We know it will be a challenge, but we’re ready to take it head first. Grand Valley is a great use of reps and opportunities to grow and prepare.”
Head coach Andy Coryell praised his team’s focus and discipline following the win.
“I thought the kids played well and avoided any letdown after the North Fork game,” Coryell said. “Olathe is pretty young — I thought the early lead got them out of what they wanted to do. And now on to Grand Valley. I don’t know much about them yet, but we’ll keep cleaning things up and see how it goes.”
The Cowboys’ defense once again set the tone, controlling the line of scrimmage and keeping Olathe’s offense off balance throughout the night. The early lead allowed Meeker to build rhythm on both sides of the ball while giving younger players meaningful reps late in the game.
The Cowboys will close out the regular season at home Saturday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. against Grand Valley. The matchup will also serve as Senior Day at Starbuck Stadium as Meeker looks to cap off the regular season with a seventh straight victory and secure home-field advantage to open the Class 1A state playoffs.
Meeker High School football seniors pose for a team photo in September at Starbuck Stadium. From left to right: #10 Tristin Rollins, #28 Holton Harvey, #57 Dillon Pretti, #53 Augie Halstead, #25 Samuel Conrado, #52 Quintin Simpson (no longer on the team), #54 Ty Ivey, #9 Eric Petrocco and #50 Drake Jones. JARED HENDERSON PHOTO
