“It was a good win for us and a nice way to start the playoffs,” head coach Shane Phelan said of the win against the Thunder Hawks.
The Cowboys received the opening kickoff and would be the first team to score, but not on the first drive. The Cowboys made it to the eight-yard line but could not get in the end zone. However, the Cowboy defense held the Thunder Hawks and forced them to punt, which, because of the wind, only made it to the 14 yard line.
Senior quarterback Jake Phelan ran in Meeker’s first touchdown and T.J. Shelton added the two-point conversion to give the Cowboys an 8-0 lead.
Meeker took a 14-0 lead after senior Robby Jensen blocked a punt and Shelton rushed for his first touchdown of the day.
The Thunder Hawks answered quickly with two big pass plays, one for a touchdown, plus an extra point, making the score 14-7.
Hunter Garcia returned the kickoff to the 45-yard line, and, two plays later, Phelan connected with Shelton for a 21-yard touchdown. However, the Thunder Hawks would score again with 11 seconds to play in the first half and pull within six, at 20-14.
“Our offense kind of carried us; they kept the pressure on them and it helped us on defense,” coach Phelan said. “Our defense struggled at times but made big stops when they needed to.”
One of those stops was was after Ellicott received the kickoff to start the second half. That forced the Thunder Hawks to punt, giving the ball to Meeker at mid field.
Phelan took the snap and ran down his team’s sideline, to the cheers of the hometown crowd, only to be silenced when the touchdown was called back because of a penalty. But the crowd cheered again as Phelan handed the ball off to Shelton, who broke outside and ran 50-yards in front of the visiting team’s bench, for another touchdown.
The Thunder Hawks scored with 2:20 left to play in the third quarter, making the score 26-21, but another return to mid field by Garcia put the Cowboys in good field position to score quickly.
Phelan completed a pass to senior Raul Lopez, who broke a tackle and high-stepped into the end zone. Casey Turner ran in the two-point conversion and Meeker led 32-21, with one quarter to play.
Phelan and Shelton would each score again in the fourth quarter, and Meeker’s defense shut out the Thunder Hawks in the final eight minutes to give the Cowboys a 44-21 first-round victory.
Shelton carried the ball 25 times and rushed for 262 yards and three touchdowns,and he made one reception for a touchdown. Phelan completed four of 10 passes for 74 yards, two touchdowns and he ran for 89 yards.
“That’s a testament to the guys up front, working hard,” coach Phelan said of offensive linemen Noah Overton, Jake Henderson, Kash Atwood, Tyler Ilgen and Chase Rule. “A lot of kids, did a lot of good things.”
Raul Lopez and senior Dillon Frantz led the team on defense, with 12 and 11 tackles, respectfully, and seniors Matt Frantz and Ruben Roybal each recovered fumbles.
The Cowboys now advance to the quarterfinals of the 1A state playoffs. They will play host to the Rye Thunderbolts—which Meeker beat 26-14 earlier this season—this Saturday in Starbuck Stadium.
“The teams have changed a lot over the course of the season,” coach Phelan said. “When you get to this time of the year, they are all good teams. They have the leading rusher in the state, one of the top quarterbacks and a really good receiver. Their only losses are to us and Buena Vista.”
The kickoff Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
“We are excited and looking forward to performing in front of another large hometown crowd,” he added.
