MEEKER | Last Thursday, the Meeker Cowboys boys’ wrestling team hosted Rifle High School for their first home dual of the season. The highly energized evening ended in victory for the Cowboys.
The dual began with a forfeit at the 106-pound weight class, giving the Bears an early 6-0 lead. However, Eli Rundberg quickly leveled the score at 113 pounds, defeating Ayden Piatt and tying the match 6-6. Rundberg’s win set the tone for teammates Holton Harvey, Aiden Buckler, and Koy Weber, who all secured victories and propelled the Cowboys to a 23-6 lead.
Despite a loss by Cooper Maupin to Jiraiya Straw at 138 pounds, which made the score 12-23, senior Clay Crawford claimed a victory at 144 pounds to extend the lead to 29-12.
At 150 pounds, Tristain Rollins fell to Blake Shaffer, narrowing the Cowboys’ advantage to 29-18. Orion Musser responded with a win in the next match, pushing the score to 32-18. Drake Jones then lost to Issac Valencia at 160 pounds, bringing the score to 32-24. Senior Cade Blunt solidified the Cowboys’ lead at 170 pounds, securing a win and making it 38-24. Although Rifle High School won the final two matches, the Cowboys held on to win the duel with a final score of 38-36.
The next day, the Cowboys traveled to Vernal, Utah, for the Tournament of Champions. The team brought nine wrestlers, with four placing in the tournament. Holton Harvey and Aiden Buckler secured sixth place in the second chance tournament, while Clay Crawford took second place and Cade Blunt claimed first in the main tournament. The team finished 11th out of 32 teams with a total of 78.5 points.
In his championship match, Blunt faced Sam Thornhill of Rock Springs High School. Blunt started strong with a takedown in the first period, leading 3-0. Thornhill tied the score in the second period but Blunt regained the lead with an escape, making it 4-3. In the third period, Blunt escaped from the bottom position and added another takedown, sealing an 8-4 victory.
Head Coach Stryker Lane praised the team’s performance from this past weekend.
“We had a good weekend at the TOC. Everyone got good competition and learned some areas that needed work. Our two seniors really stepped up for us,” Lane said.
This Thursday, the Cowboys will travel to Glenwood Springs for a dual with Glenwood Springs High School at 6:00 p.m. On Saturday, they will compete in a tournament at North Fork High School. Coach Lane emphasized the importance of the upcoming tournament.
“We know where we need to work. North Fork is a great opportunity to gauge where we stack up against the Western Slope’s 2A schools,” Lane stated. Good luck to the Cowboys this weekend.
Defending state champion Cade Blunt follows a long list of distinguished Meeker wrestlers who won the Tournament of Champions last Saturday in Vernal, Utah, most recently Judd Harvey and his brother Connor Blunt. Blunt, wrestling at 175 lbs, came out strong against a tough Rock Springs wrestler winning the match by decision 8-4. Other notable placings include Clay Crawford who took second and in Meeker’s girls wrestling first ever appearance Ruth LeBlanc took third, Aurora Stallings fifth and Emma Ford sixth.
