MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboys opened their home schedule Friday with a 40-8 win over the Gunnison Cowboys, earning their first victory of the season.
Both teams entered the game with 0-2 records, with Gunnison looking for revenge after a 26-12 loss at Meeker last season. Meeker jumped out to a 40-0 lead by halftime, forcing a running clock in the second half.
Head Coach Andy Coryell said he liked that everyone on the team got playing time in front of their families. “Finally, we got to stay home, and everybody got minutes tonight. It was good for everybody,” he said.
Junior quarterback Cade Mills led the way with 194 total yards, rushing for 152 yards and a touchdown while throwing for 42 yards and adding two successful two-point conversions.
Mills reflected on the performance after the game that evening: “I would say it takes every play one at a time and having trust in my team and coaching. Breaking loose on some of the tackles felt good. I knew if I made one or two people miss we could get a few extra yards. The balance on offense was on point and we’ll keep working on this next week against Olathe. I was happy to see all the support we have gotten from the community in the stands, and I would like to thank everyone who made and supported us this last Friday.”
Junior running back Tucker Chinn powered the ground game with 102 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 54-yard score. He praised the offensive line and teammates: “On that 54-yarder, all that was left for me was to just beat the defenders down the open field. All my touchdowns were thanks to the guys up front. The offensive line did very well opening things up for the running game. They made the backs’ part of each play much easier. I love being able to both catch and run the ball. It is so much fun being able to contribute in different ways to this team. Going into this week’s matchup against Olathe, we are much more confident about our abilities and hope to keep the energy up as we go into these important league matchups.”
Junior Said Rodriguez added 61 rushing yards, a touchdown and two conversions, while freshman Liam Thompson had a 31-yard reception, the team’s longest of the night.
On defense, senior Augie Halstead led the Cowboys with five tackles, and juniors Carlos Carrillo and Wesley Thompson each recorded tackles for loss. Halstead said the defensive effort came down to everyone doing their job: “My approach was doing my job and contributing my part to the team. As long as everyone did their job and filled their gaps, we didn’t have much trouble and everyone obviously proved themselves on Friday. Throughout the week we worked hard on any possible situation Gunnison might have thrown at us, so everyone knew their responsibilities and there were no surprises. The younger guys have been a huge help this season, filling in where needed and giving it their all. It’s important to carry the momentum from last Friday night into this Friday and not let up after one win. Hopefully we can string a week of good practice together and come out strong again on Friday.”
Special teams were highlighted by junior Wyatt Ross, who kicked six times for 225 yards, and freshman Jake Grieser, who had a 25-yard kickoff return. Ross said he was nervous at first but found his rhythm quickly: “I mean it felt good, but at first I was kind of nervous and then as soon as I got that first kickoff I just went for it and had fun.”
After the game that evening, Head Coach Andy Coryell gave his overall thoughts on his team’s performance, starting with improvements that need to be made before their next game, players that stepped up for the Cowboys, and what their main focus will be in practice this week for a non-league game against the Olathe Pirates.
“We made plenty of mistakes. We got lots of stuff to work on on Monday. I think our front five guys, front seven if you count those tight ends, I thought were really, physical. I thought those front guys played great tonight. Like it always is, we’re going to try to get better on Monday, so we can stack that into Tuesday, we can’t see big pictures. We just see what’s in front of us.” stated Coryell.
Meeker rolled up 462 total yards while holding Gunnison to 87. The Cowboys scored five touchdowns and will look to carry momentum into their home game Friday against the Olathe Pirates, who enter 3-0 after a 20-16 win over Ignacio last week. Good luck to the Cowboys this week as they look to defend their home turf against the visiting Pirates and as always go Cowboys!
