All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Bo Gardner's first career postseason goal came at an opportune time for the Niwot High School boys soccer team. Stuck in a 1-1 deadlock with Pueblo Centennial late in the second half, Gardner received an assist from fellow senior Josh Ary and netted the game-winner in Niwot's Class 4A first-round state playoff game on Oct. 26. "It was definitely one of the top goals in my career," Gardner said. Gardner, who scored five goals in the regular season, gave all the credit to Ary for setting him up...
After battling COVID-19 earlier in the month, Niwot High School cross country senior Olivia Alessandrini was unsure how well she’d run at regionals on Oct. 19. Her stamina was still in recovery mode, and because the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada is no easy course, she wasn’t exactly confident heading into the meet. Regardless, Alessandrini embraced the challenge and completed the 5,000-meter race with a personal best time (at altitude) of 17 minutes, 49 seconds. Alessandrini’s confi...
The Niwot High volleyball team likely doesn't come back to beat Frederick without senior Julia Dadey. After dropping the match's first two sets, Niwot's back row, which included Dadey, was the spark that got the Cougars going en route to reverse-sweeping (20-25, 17-25, 25-15, 25-16, 15-8) the Golden Eagles on Oct. 10. "There were four or five (plays) that Julia Dadey got on her horse and ran from sideline to sideline picking up balls," Niiwot head coach Tony Engel said following the match....
While the Niwot High boys tennis team didn't bring home any hardware, two of its lines did come close at the Class 4A boys tennis individual tournament. No. 3 singles player Charlie Kirtland, a sophomore, and the Cougars' No. 1 doubles team of senior Kyle Davidson and junior Sebastian Moy both reached the semifinals on Oct. 13. before bowing out. Following their losses, each line won in the playback tournament semifinals but fell in the third-place match. Three of Niwot's other five lines also...
Four-year varsity player Jett Feiner is wrapping up his Niwot High School boys soccer career on an impressive scoring surge. Through Oct. 8, the senior owns a career-high six goals to go along with five assists. Half of Feiner's six scores came via his first high school hat trick in a 9-1 blowout of Severance on Sept. 26. Besides being more aggressive in shooting the ball, Feiner shared that nothing major has changed regarding his role on the field. "I try to do everything while I'm out there,"...
All seven of Niwot's lines took care of business at the Class 4A Region 5 boys tennis individual tournament held Oct. 4-5. Playing host to teams from Dawson, Longmont, Frederick, Mountain View and Riverdale Ridge high schools, the Cougars took first in all three singles matches as well as all of the four doubles matches. Each of those seven Niwot teams is now set to compete at the 4A individual state tournament, which is set for Oct. 12-14 at Pueblo City Park. Niwot senior LiChen Liao qualified...
Kyle Davidson is enjoying a successful final chapter of his Niwot High boys tennis career with his partner Sebastian Moy. The Cougars senior won six of his last seven regular season No. 1 doubles matches, according to MaxPreps, and continued that momentum with a dominant 6-1, 6-0, match victory in the first round of the Class 4A team state championships on Sept. 27. Despite feeling under the weather, Davidson still had enough strength to help Niwot advance past George Washington High School. "I...
For the second straight season, Niwot High School was eliminated in the Class 4A boys tennis state tournament quarterfinals. This year, it was No. 2 seed Colorado Academy that delivered a 6-1 defeat of the No. 7 Cougars on Friday, Sept. 30. Niwot's lone victory came courtesy of sophomore Oskar Hansen at No. 2 singles. In the No. 1 singles match, Niwot senior LiChen Liao, who forfeited his first-round match two days prior due to a sprained ankle, lost in a third-set tiebreaker. Each of the...
One rough day is all it takes to destroy a golfer's state championship hopes. Emmett Shell learned that lesson last year when he missed the state cut at regionals despite qualifying the prior season. Now another year wiser, the Niwot High School golfer wasn't about to squander another opportunity to compete at the state tournament. Playing cautiously, Shell shot a 2-over-par 74 at the 4A Region 3 meet on Sept. 21 to finish sixth individually, well within the state cut. "This was meaningful in...
It wouldn't be a stretch to describe Manan Gangwar as an eternal optimist. Despite taking some lumps early in his Niwot High School boys tennis career, the senior has remained positive throughout it all and even values those difficult times. "When you lose a lot, it helps you gain a new perspective, which is why losing is really important," Gangwar said. "You just know what to do better next time." Gangwar is now giving out lumps far more than he's taking them. Through Sept. 17, his varsity matc...
Very few high school student-athletes take their work more seriously than Niwot volleyball senior Lizzy Kaus. Prior to the season, Cougars head coach Tony Engel described the work ethic of his middle blocker, saying she "comes to work with a hard hat on every day," and locks in on getting better. An improved Kaus finally got to reap the benefit of her efforts on Sept. 5 when she helped Niwot to a season-opening sweep of Silver Creek High School. The third-year varsity player contributed four...
Six years after his older brother Jason scored 13 goals for Niwot High School in 2017, Josh Rodriguez is currently enjoying his own stellar senior season for the Cougars boys soccer team. The younger Rodriguez owns six of Niwot's eight goals scored, plus a pair of assists through three games. He credited his early success to his teammates, who together have the Cougars off to an undefeated start. "I've known a lot of them for a while, so the chemistry is there," Rodriguez said. "It's obviously...
Switching high schools often comes with its challenges but for Jenna Hobson, her transition from Boulder to Niwot High School was made easier thanks to a "welcoming" softball program. Now in the midst of her third and final varsity softball season at Niwot, the senior looks back fondly on her time with the Cougars. "We've been talking about senior night the whole season," Hobson said. "I'm so sad to leave everyone. They're my best friends. You don't know them and then they're the people that...
While it hasn't come simply by chance, Tony Engel enjoys a luxury that not every high school head coach possesses. For the third consecutive year, over 75 students tried out for Engel's Niwot High School girls volleyball program, giving him more than enough talent to replace the six seniors he lost following last season. The only downside is that Engel was forced to make cuts with roughly 50 total roster spots available within Niwot's varsity, junior varsity, C and D teams. "This year was by...
Walker Bounds was met with a "dream opportunity" when Niwot High School Athletic Director Joe Brown reached out to him regarding the school's vacant boys basketball head coaching position. The 2016 Niwot graduate played three varsity seasons for the Cougars and has long seen the program's potential for success. "Being a Niwot kid, growing up in Niwot and being around the program my whole life, it just meant a little more in the sense that it felt like I was coming home," Bounds said. "It was...
Although challenging, Sawyer Bennett learned a lot about his golf game while navigating the monstrous RainDance National Resort & Golf in Windsor on Aug. 15. The Niwot High School sophomore admitted that he was plagued by "careless mistakes" but he nonetheless held his head high after shooting a seven-over-par-72 on the longest course in North America. His 79 strokes placed him in a five-way tie for 10th individually at the Second Annual Resurrection Christian Invitational. "It's a test of your...
After appearing in only a handful of Niwot High School boys tennis varsity matches last season, Pavi Soni enters his senior year as an improved player and one who should contribute frequently for the Cougars. Soni, along with Lauritz Strazenbach, started at No. 3 doubles in Niwot's season opener at Frederick High School on Aug. 10. The duo made quick work of their Golden Eagle opponents with a 6-0, 6-0 victory. While Soni admitted that his challengers were far less experienced, the clean sweep w...
About five years after hearing his name called in the 2018 MLB draft, 26-year-old Gunbarrel native Kyle Leahy made his big league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on July 7. The right-handed pitcher's first call-up didn't last long, but Leahy can officially consider himself one of just over 20,000 players who've ever reached the game's highest level. Leahy's first MLB appearance came on the road against the Chicago White Sox. With the Cards up 7-6 following a go-ahead two-run home run by Nolan...
The Niwot High boys tennis team kicked off its new campaign with a clean 7-0 sweep of Frederick High School on Aug. 10. In his first match since taking over Niwot's No. 1 singles spot, senior LiChen Liao defeated his opponent, 6-1, 6-1, while sophomores Oskar Hansen and Charlie Kirtland won the No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches, respectively, 6-0, 6-0. Niwot's doubles teams found similar success on the Golden Eagles' home court. Junior Sebastian Moy and senior Kyle Davidson took the No. 1 doubles...
The stage is set for both Zoe Cameron and her Niwot High School softball team to make some noise on the diamond this fall. Now entering her fourth varsity season, Cameron is one of multiple seniors eyeing a big final year, including power-hitting pitcher Anne Booth and shortstop-centerfielder Autumn Rutherford. Niwot certainly boasts a few accomplished bats and Cameron hopes to provide another steady thump in an already dangerous Cougars' lineup. "This season, I really want to look at my...
The Niwot High School boys tennis team hasn't forgotten how last season ended. After putting together a 9-4 regular season, including an 8-0 match record in the Class 4A Region 5 League, head coach Aimee Irwin was surprised when Niwot was seeded No. 8 in the state tournament, with an early match against the No. 1 seed. The Cougars, disappointed by their low seeding, were then edged 4-3 by eventual 4A state champion Kent Denver in the quarterfinals. Minus the now-graduated Luke Weber, most of...
Addison Engel understands that her upcoming senior season could be a little different compared to her previous three years with the Cougars. After graduating six impact seniors from last year's 21-9 club, the Niwot High girls volleyball team has a considerably younger roster entering this fall, making the veteran Engel a crucial piece to this transitional period. "Our Niwot team, in general, is on the younger side, whereas in the past we've been on the older side," Engel said. "We graduated six...
This summer has been all about football for Niwot High School incoming senior Mats Lehan. On top of Niwot's offseason morning workouts, the wide receiver/free safety spent time training at Jenkins Elite, a Denver-area camp focused on developing high school players. Plus, Lehan attended prospect camps at both the University of San Diego and Colorado School of Mines with the goal of getting noticed by college coaches. "They were a lot of fun," Lehan said of his experience at the prospects camps....
Finding success on the big stage isn’t anything new for Elise Cranny, but this year’s trip to the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships was particularly special. Beyond securing her third straight 5,000-meter national title and her first in the 10,000, the 2014 Niwot High School grad was perhaps most pleased when she utilized an energized mindset to produce a pair of gold medals. “Overall, it was probably one of the proudest I’ve (been) leaving a meet,” said Cranny, who placed 13th in the 5K at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. “More so than that o...
Now entering her senior season, Sarah Bitterman is working once again to prove both to herself and to her Niwot High School softball coaches that she can contribute at the varsity level. Bitterman was used sparingly as a pinch hitter last season but made the most of her limited opportunities, going 4-for-11 at the plate with three RBIs. She is now using her final high school summer to sharpen her swing while also becoming a more solid defender. "I like to hit a lot, so I've been trying to streng...
Clocking the fastest times is far from the ultimate goal at REAL Training. Under longtime director and founder Maurice Henriques, the track and field club's primary focus is helping young athletes develop character and a work ethic that can be used throughout life. Henriques, often referred to as "Coach Mo," is using this summer to instill those values into his REAL athletes, who hail from high schools across the Front Range, including Niwot. "REAL" is an acronym for Responsibility, Education, A...
Niwot resident Emerson Scott may be the perfect example of how one can accomplish more when enjoyment is prioritized over results. As the saying goes, work becomes play, and for Scott, his "play" resulted in a pair of national titles at the USA Gymnastics National Trampoline and Tumbling Championships in late June. Scott teamed up with Seattle's Toby Scott to win the open 22+ skill/age category synchronized trampoline before earning gold again in the individual trampoline event. The 22-year-old...
Following a busy yet fruitful start to his summer, Kye Toothaker's two weeks of down time is now complete as his junior cross country season at Niwot High School looms not far in the future. His time away was certainly well-deserved, though, after he competed in both the CHSAA track and field state championships and the Nike Outdoor Nationals in June. Results-wise, Toothaker helped Niwot win the Class 4A 800-meter relay - along with Rocco Culpepper, Ryder Keeton and Carlos Kipkorir - before...
Joining the Niwot High boys team last fall was one of the best decisions Josh Ary has made regarding his thriving soccer career. Then a junior, Ary was playing academy soccer before committing to play for his high school. Not only did Ary lead the Cougars in total points (32) en route to winning the Longs Peak League, but he also revived his love for the game along the way. "I think it just challenged me more on a technical level," defender Ary said. "It was also just the environment. It was a...
Lex Bullen doesn't much like talking about herself. The 2023 Niwot High School grad instead prefers giving credit to the countless number of individuals who've helped her reach impressive heights as a runner. After moving from Stargate Charter School in Thornton to Niwot High prior to her sophomore year, Bullen helped the Cougars to three straight girls state titles in both track and cross country. Yet, she remains most fulfilled knowing that she benefited from a program that treated her as...
Although it has required some long hours, Niwot High alums Ryan Gonzales and Tyson Christensen are enjoying every minute of the Denver Nuggets' first NBA Finals trip in franchise history. No, neither Gonzales nor Christensen is suiting up for head coach Michael Malone, but both have been instrumental to the Nuggets' home-court success this postseason. Gonzales, a 2002 Niwot grad, works for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Nuggets, as a Senior Director and Producer of Broadcast...
Not many student-athletes nowadays are willing - or able - to take the path that Julian Lettow traveled throughout his time at Niwot High School. Besides opting out of his sophomore basketball season due to COVID-19 concerns, Lettow balanced academics with hoops, tennis and baseball for all four years, earning the increasingly rare distinction of being a three-sport athlete. The effort he put forth made receiving his diploma all the more satisfying. "I put a lot of work into these four years,"...
For the second consecutive spring, Alena Kasanicky, Mina O'Dell and Kate Jones are all set to represent Niwot High School at the Class 4A girls golf state championships, which runs May 30-31 at Thorncreek Golf Course in Thornton. Each member of Niwot's trio qualified for the state's big dance after putting up a strong showing at the 4A Region 3 tournament at The Fox Hill Club in Longmont on May 23. Kasanicky and O'Dell, a sophomore and a junior, respectively, carded an 86 while the senior Jones...
Despite being Colorado's most successful Class 4A girls track and field program over the past decade, Niwot High School had remarkably never produced a state title winner in shot put until May 19, 2023, when Jade West staked her claim to history. West's heave of 40 feet, 8.25 inches traveled a full 29 inches further than what the second-place thrower produced at the 4A state championships in Lakewood. In fact, observers reported that West had another throw that reached 42 feet at state, but it...
Three days of exceptional performances at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood gave the Niwot High School girls track and field team its fourth consecutive Class 4A state title on May 20. The Cougars took first in eight of the 19 events and finished with 154 total points, significantly more than any other team - boys or girls - throughout all five classifications. Mesa Ridge High was runner-up on the 4A girls side with 67 points. Madison Shults wrapped up her high school career by winning her second...
Stephen Codevilla, the younger brother of Niwot High School girls swimming great Mary Codevilla, is putting his own stamp on the Colorado swim scene with Silver Creek's boys team. At the Class 4A boys swim and dive state championships on May 13, Codevilla impressed in multiple individual and relay events, ultimately guiding his Raptors to their second straight team runner-up trophy. The Niwot High junior's best individual result came in the 100-yard backstroke, which took place immediately...
Stephen Codevilla, Joshua Dowlin and Hudson Kammerer were three of the biggest contributors, but the Silver Creek High School boys swim and dive team had help from its entire roster en route to finishing second at the Class 4A state championships on May 13. Silver Creek, which holds athletes from multiple St. Vrain Valley schools including Niwot and Silver Creek high schools, was runner-up to Cheyenne Mountain for the second consecutive season after winning the 2021 state title. "I love my...
The Cougars likely aren't fighting for a state regionals berth without Jed Kilpatrick having arguably the best season of his Niwot High School baseball career. Through May 12, the senior shortstop owns career-highs in batting average (.472), on-base percentage (.548) and fielding percentage (.932) while leading Niwot to 12 wins, the program's most since 2014. Kilpatrick believes that Niwot's emergence is due in large part to an improved culture built by a still fairly young group of Cougars....
As one of eight seniors on the Niwot High School girls soccer team, Tiffany Yie said it was an exciting yet difficult experience playing her final two games for the Cougars, although winning both made things at least a little easier. "A lot of the games were really special for me because this year I really cherished each game rather than like, 'Oh, I still have another year, it doesn't really matter what happens,'" said Yie, who tallied a goal and two assists in Niwot's senior day win over...
Reaching the state regionals tournament would have been nice, but head coach John Miller couldn't have asked for much more out of Niwot High School's inaugural varsity boys volleyball season. Miller entered the campaign hoping to simply be competitive in Year 1, and his Cougars fulfilled that goal with an 11-12 overall record. Niwot's team, which includes student-athletes from across the St. Vrain Valley School District, also went 6-6 in the strong Northern 1 League following a four-set loss at...
Now out of contention in the Class 4A team state tournament, Niwot High School girls tennis is focused on qualifying its lines for the individual championships. Fellow Region 5 schools, Centaurus, Erie, Northridge, Silver Creek, Skyline, Standley Lake and Thornton, will be at Niwot High May 3-4 to compete for Individual State Tournament spots in the Regional Tournament. The top two lines earn a ticket to the State Tournament in each of the seven Regional events (1 through 3 singles and 1...
Recent University of Northern Colorado football signee Kaiden Box is doing something a little different during his final high school semester. The Skyline High School quarterback was looking for a sport to play this spring and with neither baseball nor track enticing him, he was convinced by fellow Skyline senior Erik West to join the inaugural Niwot High School varsity boys volleyball team. It didn't take Box long to learn the sport and he soon developed an immense respect for his new...
Although he thinks of himself as a defense-first catcher, Niwot High School baseball senior Diego Castro has made an equally large impact this season with his bat. The Cougar backstop sports a .429 batting average through April 23 with a team-leading 18 RBIs. Last year, he hit just .162 in a similar number of plate appearances. Castro credited an offseason of facing pitching machines that allowed him to see higher velocities and breaking balls. "Honestly, I think I'm just more comfortable, more...
Although he has his own personal goals, Jeremy Gillett is typically thinking about his team before anything else. On April 1, for example, the Niwot High School track and field senior shared that he took immense pride in representing his school as he competed on his home track at the NoCo Series #1 meet. Gillett ran in the 1,600-meter and as the race remained crowded up front entering the final stretch, his final push was motivated by a force greater than himself. "In that last 100 (meters), I...
Growing up in Niwot together, Lena Heilmann and her late sister Danielle developed a close relationship from a young age that held strong into their early adult years. The two spent their childhood summers together in Germany with extended family, and Lena said she even referred to Danielle, who was four years younger, as her "soulmate sister." After completing a double major at the University of Colorado Boulder in 2006 and a Masters in German Studies in 2008, Lena began her doctorate studies...
Graduating from Niwot High School in 2005 was only the start of Justin Rolando's educational journey. Four years at the University of Colorado Boulder and eight years at Caltech where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree, Rolando is now living in Boston working on the forefront of medical technology. His work is primarily focused on integrating engineering into the field of medicine for practical use. "We're trying to translate engineering and scientific ideas from..., we always call it from...
Scoring a meet-best 220 overall points was an added bonus for a Niwot High School track and field program hosting its first-ever home meet in school history on April 1. Aided by first-place finishes in six different events, the Cougar girls topped 23 other programs with 149 points. On the boys side, Lutheran High led the NoCo Series #1 meet with 76 points, just ahead of second-place Niwot with 71 points. It was a long day - and a busy week of preparation - for Niwot head coach Maurice...
Short-distance standout Kimora Northrup is still hunting for some more hardware in the final stage of her accomplished Niwot High School track and field career. Already an individual Class 4A state champion in both the 100 and 300-meter hurdles, the senior has her eyes set on winning gold again in both events to further cement an already strong Niwot legacy. Northrup, however, has been dealt some adversity early this season with knee problems limiting her to competing only in sprint relays in...
While it's not at the absolute forefront of his mind, Niwot High School track and field senior Freddie Ambrose is doing his best to cherish the final days of his prep career. "When I'm running with the other guys that I've been running with for four years, it's kind of like, 'Dang, this is one of the last times I'll ever be able to run with these guys when we're all racing for the same team,'" Ambrose said. Putting on a show at the state championships in May remains his highest priority,...
With several team state championships already in hand, there is still one thing left on longtime Niwot High School track and field head coach Maurice Henriques' to-do list that he has yet to accomplish: host a meet. On Saturday April 1, the 14-year coach's aspiration will finally happen with 25 schools (including Niwot) across the state scheduled to compete in the NoCo Series #1 meet at Niwot High School's on-campus track. Henriques pulled out all the stops in ensuring that his program's first...
