This past week, the Meeker High School boys golf team returned to the course, traveling to Montrose on Thursday, Aug. 20, to compete in the Montrose Tournament hosted by Montrose High School at Cobble Creek Golf Course. The Cowboys also competed Monday, Aug. 24, in Fruita at Adobe Creek National Golf Course in a tournament hosted by Fruita High School.
At Cobble Creek, the Cowboys finished 16th with a team score of 280 (+64).
Sophomore Teagan Smith led the Cowboys with an 87 (+15), followed by sophomore Sebastian Baumgart with a 91 (+19). Senior Brycen Peña and sophomore Dylan Rundberg each carded a 102 (+30), while sophomore David Cook finished with a 121 (+49).
Earlier in the week at Adobe Creek, Smith again led Meeker, improving by six strokes to shoot an 81 (+9). He finished 25th overall and was the top Class 2A golfer in the tournament.
The Cowboys finished 12th overall at Adobe Creek with a team score of 281 (+65).
Baumgart followed Smith with a 92 (+20), while Cook finished with a 108 (+36), Rundberg shot a 109 (+37) and junior Holt Pelloni carded a 120 (+48).
For first-year head coach Jason Back, the two tournaments provided another opportunity to see how his young team is developing as the season progresses.
Back said the Cowboys’ focus remains on improving the fundamentals, particularly the short game and putting.
The team has even added some extra motivation during practice, with Back joking that three-putting comes with a price.
“If you three-putt a green, it’s 15 pushups,” Back said.
Back said the goal is to help the Cowboys shave strokes from their scores by becoming more consistent around the greens and learning when to play strategically rather than simply relying on the driver.
The progress has been noticeable in the team’s results, moving from 16th at Cobble Creek to 12th at Adobe Creek.
Smith’s performance at Adobe Creek also provided another positive sign for the Cowboys. After shooting an 87 at Cobble Creek, the sophomore dropped six strokes to finish with an 81 and claim the top spot among Class 2A golfers.
The sophomore’s early-season consistency has made him one of the team’s leaders as the Cowboys continue to develop a roster made up primarily of younger golfers.
Back said Smith’s success is the result of the work he has put into his game.
“Teagan’s been working hard all summer,” Back said. “He spent a lot of time throughout the summer working on his game and trying to do better.”
Senior Brycen Peña has also noticed the progress among the younger golfers throughout the season.
“So far from our guys this season, I’ve seen improvement from last year, in all of our sophomores specifically,” Peña said. “I’ve also seen a bit of struggle, but our guys always keep each other up despite our struggles.”
Peña said one of the biggest improvements has been watching the younger players develop from the beginning of the season and gain confidence as they have gotten more tournament experience.
“I would say the biggest improvement I’ve seen from the younger guys has been watching them from the beginning and struggling to now making it to tournaments and doing quite well,” Peña said.
As the team’s only senior, Peña has taken on a leadership role both on and off the course.
“As the only senior, I play many roles, from helping in golf to giving some life advice and guidance as they go through school,” Peña said.
Peña said one of his biggest messages to the younger golfers has been to enjoy their time playing the sport and being in high school.
“The biggest thing I have been pushing for with all of our young players is to enjoy the season and high school, because it really does fly by,” Peña said. “Do well, but don’t let one bad practice, round or tournament ruin the sport for you.”
Peña is looking forward to Tuesday’s tournament in Rangely, where several of the Cowboys will face a challenging course and gain additional tournament experience.
“A big reason I’m looking forward to Rangely is that it really is a challenging course, as it’s going to be some of the guys’ first tournament,” Peña said. “But I also know it’s going to be a great course for learning things.”
As August comes to a close, Peña said his goal is to see the entire team continue to participate, learn and enjoy the season.
“As August comes to an end, I would really like to see our whole team participate in a tournament, but also for our guys to just learn and have fun,” Peña said.
For Peña, his final season is about more than his individual scores. He wants to see the team succeed while also recognizing his own growth throughout four seasons of high school golf.
“Seeing it be my final season is hard, but what would make it successful for me would be to see our team be successful, have fun, and be able to see my personal improvement over the past four seasons,” Peña said.
Peña also credited the people who have helped him develop throughout his high school career, including Back, assistant coach Amanda Back and former head coach Nick Burri.
“I would like to give a huge thanks to Jason Back, Amanda Back and Nick Burri,” Peña said. “Despite my growth over the past seasons, I’ve seen so much specifically this season, and I give it to them.”
Burri stepped down as head coach before the 2026 season, with Jason Back taking over the program. Peña said both Jason and Amanda Back have continued to support the team in different ways throughout the season.
“Jason has stepped up and done so much, as well as Amanda,” Peña said. “While we’re at tournaments, she’s back at the golf course supporting and watching, but also coaching the guys who didn’t make it.”
The Cowboys will continue their schedule Tuesday, Aug. 25, in Rangely before closing out the month at Rifle on Aug. 31at 10 a.m. With a young roster still gaining experience, Meeker will continue working toward greater consistency while building a foundation for the remainder of the season.
Meeker sophomore Teagan Smith drives the ball off the tee during the Adobe Creek tournament in Fruita on Aug. 24. Smith finished 25th overall and was the top Class 2A golfer with an 81 (+9). Jared Henderson PHOTO
