MEEKER | Five Meeker Cowboys continued to work past the end of the regular season to compete at the NHSCA National Tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia, this past weekend. Reed Goedert, Clay Crawford, Abe Maupin, Cade Blunt and Judd Harvey all qualified for the 2023 Colorado State Championships, one of the criteria for attending the trip. They attended two practices a week to prepare for the tournament and were required to wrestle at the same weight, or lower, as they did at state.
Five Cowboys made the trip to the national tournament at Virginia Beach this year. | KURT BLUNT PHOTO
“In order to compete in this tournament and represent Meeker, these young men are held to a high standard,” commented Dr. Trevor Grant. “They are required to not only attend 5:15 AM practices, maintain the same grading standard of eligibility as the regular season, and maintain a behavioral code of conduct prior to the trip and while in attendance for the tournament.”
This is the third year that Dr. Trevor Grant and Dr. Justin Grant have sponsored this experience for Cowboys who qualify. They have taken between five and nine kids on the trip, along with volunteer Kurt Blunt.
“We have seen growth in the wrestlers both mentally and physically,” said Dr. Trevor Grant. “We had our best performance this year and it is attributed to their increased mental maturity and physical development. The athletes that have been there more than once are more familiar with the atmosphere, and seeing wrestlers from all over the entire country does not intimidate them anymore. This tournament allows them to see competition at a higher level than our regular season, and our wrestlers are leveling up to meet and exceed expectations.”
The goal is to be one of the top eight placers in the tournament and earn the distinction of being an All-American. Harvey wrestled his way to sixth place his freshman year and fourth place his sophomore year and received the honor of All-American.
“Winning matches and progressing in this tournament is no easy task,” commented Dr. Trevor Grant. “Simply walking into a gym with 59 wrestling mats and competitors from all over the country forces them to develop/utilize a winning mindset. It takes a certain level of mental tenacity to step into that atmosphere and compete at your personal highest level.” The tournament is a three-day, double elimination tournament. All wrestlers get matches Friday and Saturday, and Sunday are the placing matches. The tournament is broken up by class.
Goedert, a junior, was the only member of the group making his first appearance at the tournament. After taking a hiatus from wrestling since his seventh grade year, he qualified for state. Tournaments such as these often come down to seeding in the beginning. Goedert pulled a tough draw in his first match and second, unable to secure a win, but gaining some valuable mat time.
“Reed did not let the level of competition deter him from going out and battling,” said Dr. Trevor Grant. “It would have been easy for Reed to let the level of competition deter him from giving everything he has. Given that this season was Reed’s first time back to wrestling after taking a couple years off, we are proud of his growth and willingness to step up to the plate.”
Crawford had by far the largest bracket for the Cowboys, with 121 kids, all wrestling to be on top of the podium. In the opening round he drew Blair Academy student–a boarding school that focuses on wrestling–who went on to win the tournament. In 2022, Crawford was unable to get a win. This year in his second match, he won a 5-0 decision match over a wrestler from Rhode Island. His third opponent was a good matchup, with Crawford winning for the second time. In his fourth match it was down to the final minutes before Crawford fell 3-1.
“Clay had a very tough draw right out the gate in his 128 man bracket,” commented Dr. Trevor Grant. “Clay wrestled well, and then demonstrated great character in bouncing back from the (first) loss to compete at a high level. Clay was able to recover and beat two other very solid opponents before ending his tournament.”
Maupin was the only senior to make the trip. Another Cowboy with a very large bracket, Maupin would have had to win seven matches to take first place. In his opening round, he won in sudden victory with a two-point takedown. His second match of the day, “was a tough one in the round of 32,” according to Blunt. This moved Maupin into the consolation rounds on Saturday. Maupin came Saturday ready to battle, winning once more before falling to another wellmatched wrestler. Overall he improved over 2022, where he went 0-2, to a 2-2 record this year.
“Abe had a great win on the first day of the tournament, in which he overcame an illegal slam and then battled through and won the match in overtime,” commented Dr. Trevor Grant. “Abe also overcame another formidable opponent on the second day of competition. He demonstrated a large amount of character growth and development from last season until now. His mental growth is a great example of why we believe wrestling equips these athletes for success in life outside of the mat.”
Maupin will be wrestling next year at Colorado State University – Pueblo.
Cade had received a sixth place preseeding according to MatScouts. This is Cade’s second year attending NHSCA, last year he won one match.
“It doesn’t get any easier than his first match,” said Blunt.
Cade went on to win two additional matches and qualify for the quarterfinals Saturday morning where he suffered his first loss of the tournament. In the blood round, Cade took his opponent for the full ride winning 6-0, and earning his first All-American status. Cade was the first of two Cowboys that earned a trip to the mat on Sunday, where he took eighth place.
“Cade competed tremendously well,” began Dr. Trevor Grant. “In his second appearance in this tournament progressed from a full 64 man bracket down to the quarterfinals in which he dropped a match to the wrestler who would go on to finish third in the tournament. After his loss Cade battled back in another close match to secure his All-American placing status. One moment that I was particularly proud of Cade, is when he was losing in the consolation semifinals and wrestled with heart all the way through the end of the match. He achieved an escape in the last seconds of the match when most people would have accepted the final score and waited for time to expire. That demonstrated an internal drive to never give up. That is a character trait that will carry him in life beyond wrestling.”
Harvey also received a MatScout preseeding, putting him at the top of the bracket.
“That is a lot of pressure,” commented Harvey, “but it won’t change the way I wrestle.”
Pinning his way to the quarterfinals, this is Harvey’s second time making the championship quarters. Last year he lost his opening match and fought back Saturday, winning six matches and making it to the consolation championship. In his quarters, his opponent took a break in the last minute due to injury, gained back some of his steam and Harvey lost by decision. In his second match on Saturday, the blood round, Harvey won 2-1 after a 20 minute contested call by Dr. Trevor Grant. With this win he earned his third All-American title to add to his two regional and two state titles. Harvey finished his tournament in seventh place from a bracket of 64.
“Judd wrestled very well in a highly competitive bracket,” said Dr. Trevor Grant. “Progressing into the Junior and Senior level brackets makes the tournament very competitive. At that point nearly every wrestler is intending to wrestle in college, and is either signed or trying to earn a scholarship. As a returning All-American, Judd faced the trial of extra pressure. He overcame a close loss in the quarterfinals. He then wrestled through the consolation side to end the tournament as a three time All-American. In his final match Judd completely outworked his opponent, making the opposing wrestler give up. That is a very dominant way to wrap up the tournament for Judd.”
“The state of Colorado had 73 participants in the tournament from all divisions”, said Dr. Trevor Grant, “with 10 Colorado wrestlers placing top eight to become high school All-Americans. It speaks highly of the character development and tenacity of our Meeker wrestlers to produce two out of those 10 All-Americans.”
“This opportunity creates many opportunities for the athletes that are fortunate to participate,” wrapped up Dr. Trevor Grant. “Wrestling in a tournament of this caliber mentally prepares them to compete in our regular season tournaments with less anxiety. It also gets them exposure to how they truly measure up at the national level. For those interested in utilizing wrestling as a tool to further their education beyond highschool, it also creates an avenue for college recruiting. The athletes, other coaches, and myself would like to extend a very special thank you to our community for the tremendous support you have given our student athletes. I believe these young men represented the town of Meeker exceptionally well both on and off the mat.
By TIFFANY JEHOREK – Special to the Herald Times
