MEEKER | The Meeker High School football team returned to the road to begin league play Friday night, traveling to Cedaredge to take on the Cedaredge Bruins.
The Cowboys battled through weather delays to earn a 22-13 victory, extending their winning streak to four games. Despite the challenging conditions, Meeker showed poise on both sides of the ball to secure the road win.
Junior quarterback #11 Cade Mills led the offense, rushing for 139 yards and a touchdown while completing his only pass attempt for 33 yards. Senior #10 Tristin Rollins added 93 rushing yards, and junior #5 Said Rodriguez contributed 33 rushing yards. Senior #25 Samuel Conrado had 26 rushing yards and a 33-yard reception.
Reflecting on the team’s approach during the weather-delayed game, Mills said, “The rhythm was most definitely disrupted, but our coaches helped coach us through it.”
Rollins added, “Just keep our minds right and try to think about football the whole time and how to get better through the second half.”
On defense, junior #4 Tucker Chinn led the Cowboys with eight tackles. Sophomore #52 Jonah Christenson and junior #33 Johnny Allmon each had nine tackles, with Allmon recording one for loss. Rollins and Conrado each tallied six tackles, helping contain the Bruins’ offense.
Chinn also commented on the team’s defensive resilience and handling of the long lightning delays. “Our defense was able to get some stops and turnovers when we needed it, which helped to turn the tide of the game and put us in the right spot. After the second lightning delay, which lasted over an hour and a half, we knew we had to come out of it on top because it was crucial to win the game.”
The Cowboys’ offense dominated the ground game, totaling 289 rushing yards compared to Cedaredge’s 50. Meeker finished with 322 yards of total offense, including 33 through the air, while Cedaredge managed 102 total yards.
Special teams also contributed, with freshman #8 Lawson Anderson recorded four tackles and helped maintain field position.
After the game, head coach Andy Coryell praised his team’s focus and resilience despite the weather delays. “I thought the kids did really well Friday. It’s hard to stop and start through those lightning delays and stay focused. Really happy with how they buckled down at the end. It has been a few weeks since we played in a tight one, which can only help us later,” Coryell said.
Looking ahead, Coryell said the bye week will be used to fine-tune the team’s execution. “We’ll spend this bye week working on our stuff. There’s no shortage of things we can improve on,” he added.
The Cowboys will return home for their next game on Friday, Oct. 17, hosting North Fork at Starbuck Stadium.
