MEEKER | The Meeker High School girls wrestling team traveled to Thornton, Colorado, over the weekend to compete in the Skyview Invitational, facing a strong field from across the Front Range.
Despite the level of competition, the Cowboys responded with grit and determination throughout the day. Every Meeker wrestler earned at least one victory, highlighting the team’s continued growth and depth as the season progresses.
“All of these girls are tough, and I’m really proud of their effort level,” head coach Barny LeBlanc said.
Junior Ruth LeBlanc led the Cowboys with a second-place finish at 170 pounds, battling through a challenging bracket and showing consistency against high-level opponents. LeBlanc said the result reinforced both confidence and motivation moving forward.
“Placing second showed me that I have lots of room for improvement and lots of opportunity to get better, but also lots of reason for confidence in my God-given abilities,” she said.
Sophomore Ellie Ford also posted a strong performance, placing fourth at 155 pounds and continuing her steady development.
“They both hustled well and had moments of dictating their position in matches,” coach LeBlanc said. “They won a lot of the hand-fighting positions.”
Beyond the podium finishes, the tournament served as a valuable measuring stick for Meeker, with wrestlers gaining experience in close matches and learning to compete through adversity against unfamiliar opponents.
“They did a great job of wrestling with intensity and heart,” LeBlanc said. “These ladies are always giving 110 percent. We’re going to be working on dominating the tie.”
Ruth LeBlanc said mental growth was a key takeaway from the weekend, especially in tight matches.
“Confidence and mental growth are extremely important in close matches,” she said. “You have to push through to win the next position, even when that means doing hard work that isn’t fun.”
LeBlanc also emphasized carrying momentum into the Cowboys’ upcoming duals against championship-caliber teams.
“Taking momentum from Skyview into the duals is about being confident in my shot and handfight and not being afraid to finish hard shots,” she said. “I’m excited for the opportunity that wrestling some of these bigger teams provides to get better and learn.”
From a coaching perspective, Barny LeBlanc said seeing every wrestler leave the mat with at least one win was a major positive.
“It’s encouraging and fun to see these ladies improving,” he said.
With the Skyview Invitational complete, the Cowboys now turn their attention to an upcoming dual in Rangely on Tuesday, Jan. 20, where they will face the defending Colorado state champion D51 Phoenix girls wrestling team and Utah state champion Uinta High School.
“It’s pretty tough, as they have a lot of state placers,” Barny LeBlanc said. “But it will be great experience to wrestle a couple of tough teams and to know that we can hang with them.”
Ruth LeBlanc said her focus heading into the duals will be controlling the pace and position of matches.
“The biggest adjustments I plan on making are to control the tie and decide where we wrestle,” she said. “When I do that, I can be dominant in my shots.”
As a team leader, LeBlanc said her role extends beyond her own matches.
“The biggest thing I can do is be an example by working hard in practice and reminding my teammates of the training we’ve done to get here,” she said. “We can win every match, and if we don’t win, we will learn.”
Barny LeBlanc said weekends like Skyview continue to reinforce the direction of the program as it progresses through its second season.
“It’s good to see continued improvement by all of our wrestlers,” he said. “It’s exciting to see where they’re headed.”
Ruth LeBlanc echoed that optimism.
“All of my teammates have so much heart, and I know they are capable of so much,” she said. “We have work to do, but I’m confident in where we’re going. The next couple of weeks are going to be fun.”
With confidence and momentum from Skyview, the Cowboys are ready to take on the challenges ahead. Best of luck to the team this week as they continue their strong season best of luck to the team this week, and as always, go Cowboys!
Ruth LeBlanc of Meeker High School stands proudly on the podium after earning a second-place finish at the Skybiew Invitational. Her performance highlighted her skill, determination and leadership as part of the Cowboys girls wrestling program.