MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboys boys wrestling team traveled to Grand Junction this past weekend to compete in the Warrior Classic, facing a deep field of competition from across the region.
Junior Koy Weber led Meeker’s efforts at 138 pounds, finishing fifth overall. Weber opened the tournament with a dominant 17-0 technical fall over Kennan McCloud of Grand Junction, followed by a 4-1 decision against Cormac Loughlin of Rocky Mountain. He advanced to the semifinals with a first-period pin of Ronin Killsback from Denver East before falling 8-4 to Josiah Gonzales of Fort Lupton. After a 6-2 loss to Loughlin in the consolation semifinals, Weber rebounded to claim fifth place with a 4-1 decision over Jiraiya Straw of Rifle.
Weber said the weekend helped reinforce his conditioning and pace against high-level competition.
“One thing I think I did well was keep a good pace during the matches and be able to go hard all three periods,” Weber said. “The Warrior really helped me realize I can push the pace on really good kids the entire match, not just with technique but with conditioning.”
He also noted areas for growth, particularly mentally.
“After I lost my semifinal, I didn’t bounce back the way I needed to and didn’t compete my best,” Weber said. “I also learned how much my energy and food intake matters. Not eating enough after weigh-ins really affected my energy late in matches.”
At 144 pounds, freshman Kael Overton opened with a win by injury default over Jaeger Nay of North Fork before dropping a 9-4 decision to Rhett Kempton of Grand Junction. Overton battled back in the consolation bracket with a pin of Tucker Collier (Rifle) and a 17-2 technical fall over Judah Thiessen (Durango) before his run ended with a loss to Rusty Snyder of Montezuma-Cortez.
Sophomore Cooper Maupin (150) was defeated in the opening round by Ryker Williams of North Sevier but responded with three straight consolation wins, pinning Caeson Jenkins (Coal Ridge) and Jack DeLoera (Legend), and earning a technical fall over Adrian Morales (Farmington), before falling to Max Pogline of Falcon.
At 165 pounds, sophomore Jaxen Mills picked up early wins over Carter Karpilo of Canon City and Luca Del Cid of Basalt before losses to Jackson McDaniel of Falcon and Devin Gonzalez of Pagosa Springs ended his tournament.
Junior Orion Musser (175) dropped his opening match to Jacob Snodgrass of Palisade but rallied with consolation wins over Andy Weipert (Green River) and Scott Maxfield (Cedaredge) before falling to Brody Chivers of Uintah.
Senior Drake Jones (190) was pinned by Amtorres Vargas of Central-GJ in the opening round but answered with victories over Cohen Calver (Grand Junction) and Samuel Kennedy (Steamboat Springs) before a 10-2 major decision loss to Michael Kemmis of Palisade.
Head coach Stryker Lane said the tournament provided valuable development for the Cowboys.
“I’m happy with our performance — everyone got better,” Lane said. “Getting off the bottom still needs work, and we need to move our feet better defensively when opponents shoot.”
Lane added the team’s immediate focus will be recovery.
“Our focus this week is getting rested up and healthy before the long stretch through January and February,” he said. “And just believing in ourselves against higher levels of competition.”
The Warrior Classic closed out Meeker’s December competition, giving the Cowboys valuable mat time and experience as they prepare for a demanding stretch of tournaments beginning Jan. 3 at West Grand in Kremmling.
Meeker junior Koy Weber celebrates his fifth-place finish at the Warrior Classic, standing on the podium after a strong performance at 138 pounds.