| Coaches’ Corner February 2012 |
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| Written by Bruce Warren |
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Coaches’ Corner Niwot Boys Basketball After losing half of its season-opening roster, Niwot has regrouped, entering the last nine games of the regular season with a 7-7 record and a chance to make the playoffs. “The kids have adjusted well,” Coach Travis Maron said. “When we lost the three guys to injuries, initially it was really tough on everybody. They’re thinking, ‘What are we gonna do?’” The Cougars lost senior Chris Gurule after the first game due to conflicts with his soccer schedule. Then the injuries came. Cody Heiman broke his wrist. Alex Kinnison suffered a dislocated kneecap. Max McCaddon suffered a hand injury. Only McCaddon has an outside chance of returning this season. “Cody was probably our best player,” Maron said. “Max was a big energy guy. And Alex, although he’s only a sophomore, was the heart and soul of the team. “When we came back from Christmas break, we talked about how this is a great opportunity for everybody. They had a collective responsibility to believe in themselves. We had to come up with a whole new chemistry and get used to playing together.” The Cougars beat cross-town rival Skyline Jan. 21 to start the last 10 games of the regular season. “We told them the last 10 games are critical to getting to the post-season,” Maron said. Henry Sebesta and Michael Ogez, both seniors, are the two veterans who remain in the lineup. “Henry’s been steady, averaging close to 20 points and eight rebounds per game,” Maron said. “Michael has been steady.” Jordan Keeler, Nate Merriman and Forrest Lee have moved into the starting lineup to stay as well. All three are juniors. Merriman has battled through injuries to pick up much of the slack. Lee spent some time on JV before moving up to varsity for good. Keeler was the 10th man on the varsity squad at the start of the season as a swing-man.
“We’re excited to see what we can do,” Maron said. Six of the last nine games are at home. “We’ve tried to get the community more involved. It really helps our team.” Maron publicly thanked the fans, including the students, for their support after the Skyline game. “I’m proud of our perseverance, our heart, our attitude,” he said. “They’re starting to believe in themselves.” Niwot High Wrestling Coach Scott Sanchez is encouraged by the performance of his squad this winter. Senior Nick Stager is 27-2 on the season wrestling at 138 pounds, and ranked No. 4 in the state by On the Mat. Several other wrestlers have had impressive performances lately, including Joey Lambert at 132 pounds, Marcus Cano at 126 pounds, Colin Frank at 120 pounds, and Nate Shipley at 195 pounds. Sanchez noted that Lambert has great balance and can scramble. “He’s learning how to wrestle in good position now,” Sanchez said. Cano has been more aggressive lately, according to Sanchez. “He was kind of tentative to start the season, but he’s been more aggressive on his attacks.” Frank and Shipley are both seniors. Sanchez noted that Frank is having success because his specific techniques are working for him. Shipley started the season slowly, but has worked his way up to close to a .500 record. “He’s really turned it on the last few weeks,” Sanchez said. “Morgan Schoep at 152 has been using his length to win some matches,” Sanchez said. “To look at him, you’d think he was a basketball player.” David Voss at 160 pounds has battled injuries. “When he’s in the lineup, he can wrestle pretty well,” Sanchez said. “Damien O’Hare at 170 is wrestling pretty well too.” Sean Harrison (182) and Brandon Slepicka (220) were also cited by Sanchez. Speaking of Harrison, Sanchez said, “He’s a junior and he’s starting to learn some things.” Slepicka is only a sophomore. “He has some good movement for his size,” Sanchez said. Niwot lost wrestler Clay Robinson for the season. Robinson, who wrestled at 106, suffered an elbow injury. “He’s a tough loss,” Sanchez said as the Cougars have no other wrestlers on the squad at that weight. Niwot Girls Basketball Coach Clark Burton was excited about a win over cross-town rival Skyline Jan. 21. “It was a pretty exciting end of game,” Burton said as the Cougars trailed most of the game before a late rally game them the victory. A 3-pointer from Kayla Blick with 25 seconds to go proved to be the winning points as Niwot prevailed, 57-53. “The girls had a lot of fun. Callie Henson and Anna Dunnell played really well, leading the team.” Henson scored 16 points, while Dunnell added 11. Both are sophomores. “It’s been a little bit of a rough go since the Christmas break,” Burton said. “It took us a little too long to get our legs back under us. Too many turnovers and giving up too many offensive rebounds has been a problem.” Several players earned praise from Burton, in addition to Henson and Dunnell. “Kimmy Trauner has done a good job pacing us at the point,” he said. “Every night it’s somebody different who’s our go-to person. Jane Olson, Sara Bishop, Kayla Blick – we’ve had a number of different people leading us in scoring. Hopefully we’ll have a good second half of the season.”
Team members have impressed Burton with their efforts in the classroom. “Academically, we’re doing great,” he said. “We have a 3.6 team GPA across all levels. We’re doing things the right way.” Burton also expressed appreciation for the support the team has received from the community, including the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, which has played as a pep band at two recent games. “The girls and the coaches really appreciate it.” Niwot Girls Swimming
“Cate Rose is doing very well,” Heller said. “She continues to hit her best times in the 500 Free and 200 Free.” “Victoria Jepson and Lauren FitzGibbons continue to work hard and are very close to making state times,” Heller said. Jepson hopes to qualify in the 200Y IM and the 100Y Butterfly, while FitzGibbons is aiming for the 100Y Butterfly and the 100Y Breaststroke. “At BOCO, the top 24 swimmers get to swim finals,” Heller said. Niwot’s Anna Beeck tied for 24th in the 100Y Butterfly, and had to have a swim-off to determine the last qualifier. “She won it and improved her personal best by three seconds at 10:30 p.m. on Friday night.” Beeck finished 24th at the finals on Saturday. “They continue to amaze me,” Heller said of her swimmers. “Our divers are becoming more well-rounded. We’re looking forward to conference |
| Last Updated on Tuesday, 31 January 2012 18:04 |
Alex Janzen, a senior, has been valuable off the bench, and Josh Heape, a junior, moved up to the varsity squad from the JV as the seventh man. 
Burton was also pleased with the team’s community service efforts, and the academic effort. “We led the school coat drive, and the school won the award from the Boulder Valley Rotary Club for most coats per student,” he said. “We led the charge on that. We also did some bell ringing for the Salvation Army and we did Adopt-A-Family through the OUR Center, hopefully bringing some extra joy and fun to people’s Christmas.”
The Niwot girls won the All-City meet shortly after returning from winter break, with several swimmers winning individual events, including Kylie Pillard (200Y Freestyle), Hannah Driscoll (50Y Freestyle and 100Y Breaststroke), and Zoie Jordan (100Y Freestyle). 
The 200Y Freestyle Relay of Kate Beasely, Driscoll, FitzGibbons and Courtney Kempf, and the 400Y Freestyle Relay of Sarah Szakas, Sarah Martinez, Pillard and Cate Rose, also took first place honors.
