Year in Review – Sports

• Meeker II won the 8-10 Recreation League championship last week after four wins in Craig. Playing on the 2012 championship team were Branden Steinacher and John Hampton Hightower, Liam Deming, Colton Wille, Zach Eskelson, Estevan Earreno, Elijah Deming and Tanner Ridgeway, Zagar Brown, Carter Strate, Josh McCourt and coaches Jason Hightower and Brett Steinacher.
• The Rangely summer baseball team won the fifth annual Rangely Invitational last weekend after five tournament wins. Playing on the championship team were Kelton Elam, Chas Byerly, Jesse Powell, Chad Bolding, coach Paul Fortunato, Lucas Heinle, Kasey Denny, Cameron Enterline, Kody Denny, Bryson Palcios, Gabe Garcia, Toby Gasper, Dakota Marley and coach Gary Denny.
• Two Meeker youth baseball teams won their age brackets in the season-ending recreation league tournaments last week and one of Meeker’s two 11-12-year-old teams capped off an undefeated season with a championship on their home field. Meeker’s I and II 8-10 teams played in Craig and Meeker II returned with a team title. Playing for the undefeated team this season were Logan Hughes, Eli Newman, Trapper Merrifield, Tristan Wille, Noah Mayerle, Dylan Sloan, CJ Wangnild, Cody Follman, Kale Burke and Doak Mantle. The team was coached by Brian Merrifield.
• The Rangely Hurricanes seasonal swimming team entered the season with four consecutive seasonal club state championship titles for small teams. The Hurricanes are 23 strong this season and started the season with a home win and meets in Ouray and Grand Junctions. The team will swim in Powell, Wyo., this weekend.
• Rangely seniors JoD Stults, Colton Coombs, Chas Byerly, Toby Gasper, Bryson Palacios, Drew Collins and Gabe Garcia, flexed their muscles this year in the 8-man football league.
• Meeker’s 11-12 year old girls’ softball team won the Valley Youth League championship last week by coming back through the loser’s bracket and beat New Castle twice in a row to win the team title. Playing for the champions were Kassie Luce, Michaela Jones, Jasmine Patterson, Taylor Dodds, Kristin Luce, Megan Shelton and Gracie Bradfield, coach Janae Shelton, Kascia Cochran, Mikayla Cardile, Carissa Smith, Tori Lasker, coach Sammy Patterson, Savana May, Shelbi Blazon, Sierra Williams and coach Rick Dodds.
• The Rangely Hurricanes won their fifth consecutive state championship for the small team division at the Scottie Aschermann Memorial Seasonal Club Championship meet last weekend. The theme for the meet was Summer Club Olympics and the Hurricanes returned with 13 gold medals, five silvers and four bronze medals and many other top 10 places. Swimming for the Hurricanes at the state meet in back were Patrick Scoggins, Andrew Morton, William Scoggins, Geli Brown and Korrynn Wenzel, Corbin Lucero, Timothy and Mary Scoggins.
• Only one day and 18 holes were played to determine the men and women golf club champions in Meeker last Saturday, instead of the normal two-day, 36-hole format played in the past. “We wanted to get more players in, and it’s hard for some to play two days in a row, so we went to one day,” J.C. Watt said. The idea did draw more, as 22 played Saturday last, nine more than the year before. Watt, the defending men’s club champion, won again this year beating Pat Hughes by one stroke.
• The Rangely Panthers lit up their new scoreboard at Yeager Field during their 61-6 homecoming win over the Nucla Mustangs. The scoreboard and field are dedicated to Bernard Yeager. The field was first dedicated in his honor in 1986.