“We’ve been having a good turnout all summer,” Meeker head football coach Shane Phelan said from mid field, watching mostly high school but some middle school kids play.
Coach Phelan said kids have been gathering twice a week and several have been attending camps on their own this summer.
Meeker coaches Phelan, Andy Coryell and Darby Finley took 11 players to Grand Junction to play in the seven-on-seven tournament presented by the coaching staff of Colorado Mesa University last Saturday.
The Cowboys played six games, consisting of two 10-minute halves, starting at the 40 yard line, 20 yards to make a first and eight plays to score.
“It’s just touch but they wear helmets and mouth guards because it can get a little rough,” Coach Phelan said. “We played some big schools; Grand Junction, Fruita, Montrose and Rifle, so we got to see some good players. We did some things well and we have things to work on.”
“We lost most of our receivers, our quarterback and starting defensive backs to graduation,” Coach Phelan said. “We have some juniors who have been working hard for a long time and it is good to see them out there.”
Coach Phelan said several players attended a camp in Craig last week featuring several former Denver Broncos like Rick Upchurch and Ron Eggloff.
“Some went to a camp in Vail and others to one in Cheyenne earlier” Coach Phelan said of the extra effort players are putting in during the off season, in preparation for the season which will start the first day of school, Aug. 17.
“We will have a team camp Aug. 12-14, then host the annual Kickoff Classic golf tournament on Aug. 15,” Coach Phelan said.
