All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Registration for Niwot Youth Sports fall flag football season is now underway according to NYS Football Director Pat Longseth. The league is looking for boys and girls ages five to 12 who are interested in developing their football skills in a no-pad, non-contact environment. The $99 registration fee includes an NFL reversible, team identified color jersey, flags and mouth guard. Players can register at niwotyouthsports.org. Returning participants will see some changes to the program. Under Long...
SOFTBALL Nicki Blue (Niwot) finished her season with a 10-12 win-loss mark for South Carolina, which ended the season with a 34-25 record. Blue was the losing pitcher in a 9-0 loss to fourth-ranked Arizona, allowing six runs in 5.2 innings, as Arizona scored four times in the sixth inning when the South Carolina leftfielder lost a ball in the sun for a run-scoring double. South Carolina was ranked number 24 at the time and lost in the Regional final. Blue tied for fifth all-time in South...
Though the official start of the 2017-18 high school football season is another two months away, Niwot’s new head football coach Jeremy Lanter has had his team hard at work for weeks. In May, Lanter held 90-minute practices on Thursday nights for current players and students interested in joining the team. Less than a week after school ended, those Cougars upperclassmen welcomed 45 incoming freshmen to a three-day clinic aimed at acquainting the newcomers with Niwot football culture. During t...
Dark clouds gathered on the horizon as students, families, and friends gathered at Niwot High School to celebrate the graduation of the Class of 2017. Typically, graduation is held outdoors on the football field east of the school. But this year stormy weather drove the event inside. Teacher Jason Watkins, who has been at NHS for 20 years, said this was his first indoor graduation. Fortunately, the change in venue didn’t detract from the significance of the day for the more than 280 students w...
Tommy Stager, student-athlete from Niwot High School, has been named the recipient of the MaxPreps Male Athlete of the Year Award, presented in conjunction with the United States Marines Corps. The presentation will be made during the Senior Talent Show at Niwot High School on May 25 at 7 p.m. by special guest presenter Rulon Gardner, American Gold Medal Wrestler who competed in the 2000 Olympic Games, and U.S. Marine SGT Daniel Fitzgerald. MaxPreps, which is the online source for high school sports news, results and statistics, has teamed up...
On a boys track team that sometimes struggled to fill its highlight reel this season, Niwot senior Alex Oelsner often provided the missing footage. As the team’s leading thrower, Oelsner amassed several top 10 finishes in shot put this year, including fourth in the Northern Conference championships held May 5. He also competed in discus for the team, and even ran in the sprints from time to time. His season-best shot put attempt of 48 feet 10 inches at the Holy Family Tiger Tornado I...
Walk into Niwot Market and you’ll see artist Tom Studholme hard at work. Studholme, who created a mural in the store, has been commissioned by Bert Steele to do a painting honoring a cousin of his children, Jay Knaus. Steele said the painting has a lot of meaning for him. “It is a tribute to Jay Knaus, who passed away last year. He was a very good football player. He played for Longmont High School. He [had] many concussions as a player.” The painting, which shows Knaus catching a footb...
Dylan Hollingsworth, former Niwot High School football coach, was given a one-year deferred sentence March 23, 2017, on misdemeanor charges in a plea bargain approved by the Boulder County Court. Hollingsworth was accused of choking a 17-year-old student and kneeing him in the groin on Oct. 27, 2016, during a PE class, resulting in charges of second- and third-degree assault. As part of the plea agreement, those charges were dismissed and Hollingsworth entered a plea of guilty to misdemeanor harassment and criminal mischief charges. Conditions...
Daisha Agho, who has coached Berthoud volleyball for the past eight years, has been named the new Niwot High volleyball coach. Under Agho, Berthoud finished with a record of 21-6 last season, advancing to the state Class 4A tournament. There the Spartans beat Windsor before being eliminated by eventual state champion Lewis-Palmer. Berthoud finished 16-11 in 2015 following a 20-7 mark in 2014, and has made it to state in three of the last four years. Agho, who lives in Firestone with her husband...
Gabe Hultquist, a 15-year-old sophomore at Niwot High School, is becoming yet another successful Irish dancer out of the Moriarty-Moffitt School of Irish Dance in Longmont. In competitions, Gabe said he typically goes hard shoe in the first round, soft shoe in the second, and hard shoe in the final round. The different styles are judged mostly on the height of jumps, with form keeping the knees as straight as possible and the arms down to the sides. “I like my third round the best because I g...
Niwot High Athletic Director Chase McBride announced Wednesday that Jeremy Lanter, an assistant coach and math teacher at Berthoud High School, has been hired as head coach of the Niwot football program. Lanter replaces Dylan Hollingsworth, who was suspended from teaching and coaching after an incident involving a student in a weight training class. An assault charge against Hollingsworth is pending. Lanter has served as the defensive coordinator at Berthoud for the past several years, and was on the staff there when McBride was the athletic di...
Late last year, Boy Scout Troop 161 held their last Court of Honor for the fall. This year’s event had a room full of heavy hearts. David Louwers, a member of the troop who was tragically killed in a plane crash last June, was posthumously given the rank of Eagle Scout. His parents — Robert and Christina Louwers — were in attendance as David’s name was added to the plaque with the other names of the troop’s Eagle Scouts over the years. He was also given the Spirit of the Eagle Award, which is...
People tend to feel strongly about New Year’s resolutions. They either never make them (“I don’t need any improvement” one gentleman told me), or they make them religiously every year and keep track of their progress on spreadsheets—like my friend Jamie, who’s on the fast track to becoming a career novelist at 29 years of age. While the New Year might seem like an arbitrary marker to some, the turning of the calendar page can act as a kind of reset button for those good intentions that fell l...
HOCKEY One of the country’s top collegiate hockey players, Andrew Sturtz of Penn State, is the nephew of Niwot residents Brad and Jane Langdon. Sturtz is from Buffalo, NY, and is currently a sophomore forward for the Nittany Lions. As a freshman, he led the team in goals with 18, which was the fifth-most in the country by a freshman. The performance earned him the freshman of the year award. His first goal for Penn State was named the NCAA’s No. 1 Play of the Week on Oct. 23, 2015, coming agains...
When former Denver Bronco Matt McChesney shows up at your high school, people tend to notice. McChesney, a former lineman for the Denver Broncos among other pro teams, returned to Niwot High School, his alma mater, to announce the selection of NHS senior Alex Oelsner to the Blue-Grey High School All-American football squad Dec. 2. McChesney, a 2000 NHS grad, now owns and operates Six Zero Strength and Fitness in Denver, a gym that caters to high school and college athletes who want to play at...
BASEBALL Sean Ratliff (Niwot) began his professional coaching career as hitting coach for the Kingsport Mets in 2015. In 2016 Ratliff moved up to the Brooklyn Cyclones, the short-season Class A affiliate of the Mets. And this fall he coached in the Instructional League, where his prize pupil, Tim Tebow, homered on the first pitch he saw. Ratliff was drafted by the Mets out of Stanford University, where he starred in the College World Series. He worked his way up to Class AA in the Mets organization, and appeared in several spring training...
It was an extraordinary game that should have been ordinary. With nothing at stake but pride, there didn’t seem to be much need for drama at last weekend’s Grand Junction vs. Niwot season finale. But when off-field incidents stunned both teams last week, a game that should have been ordinary became anything but. On Wednesday, Nov. 2, a Grand Junction High junior and member of the football team killed himself on school grounds shortly after school ended for the day. In the immediate aft...
On Nov. 4, Niwot High School head football coach Dylan Hollingsworth, 43, was arrested for assaulting a student during a weight lifting class the prior week. According to a media release from the Boulder County Sheriff’s office, Hollingsworth turned himself in to the Boulder County jail last Friday morning, and was booked on charges of second degree assault, a class four felony, and third degree assault, a class one misdemeanor. He was subsequently released on bond, and faces a hearing in B...
On Saturday, Oct. 29, Niwot celebrated Halloween with another parade during the Great Pumpkin Party. Hundreds of children came dressed in costumes from super heroes, princesses and pirates, to Harry Potter characters. Parents also came in costume and some families dressed up in matching costumes. Excited children ran from business to business in downtown Niwot and Cottonwood Square to trick-or-treat for candy, as well as visiting the animals at the petting zoo and walking in the parade....
Niwot Head Coach Dylan Hollingsworth is pretty sure he knows what went wrong last Thursday night. “Loveland showed up to play a game and we did not,” he stated bluntly. “We have a lot of things to fix this week.” There was no single culprit in the Cougars’ meltdown against the 8th-ranked Loveland Indians. Pressed all night by a speedy Loveland defensive line, the Cougars’ offense struggled to make first downs or even move the ball out of their own territory. On the other side of the ball, Niwot...
Both student sections were loud and rocking last Friday night, as the Niwot football team hosted cross-town rival Skyline at Everly-Montgomery Field, the Longmont venue that serves at the home stadium for both teams. Coming into the game, these programs found themselves in similar, if unfamiliar territory. Both have returned to Class 4A after two years in 3A. Both have second-year head coaches. And both are experiencing their first winning seasons in years. But just one of them would win on...
The last time the Niwot Cougars football team went 3-0 to start the season, Brad Pitt was still married…to Jennifer Aniston. Which is to say, it’s been a long time. Going into Friday night’s Homecoming game against Mountain View, the Cougars were hoping to preserve their undefeated season for just a little bit longer. Alas, like many a Hollywood marriage, it was not meant to be. Despite jumping out to an early lead, Niwot fell to the Mountain Lions 42-22. Costly mistakes and a potent Mount...
Students at Niwot High School have been enjoying a week of fun leading up to homecoming this weekend. Monday was Class Day for the assembly, freshmen wore white, sophomores wore black, juniors wore green, and seniors wore camo. Tuesday was Tie-Dye Day and Wednesday students wore pink. Thursday will be “Stocks, Crocs, and Socks,” and Friday is Mardi Gras day, the theme of Saturday’s dance. From 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, a free BBQ will be held at the lower athletic field during the soccer and softball games. The parade through downtown Niwot...
For Niwot Coach Dylan Hollingsworth and his son, sophomore running back Jeremy Hollingsworth, returning to the Colorado mountains was enjoyable, right up until game time, when it was all business. “We saw a lot of people, a lot of smiling faces,” Coach Hollingsworth said as the Cougars travelled to Frisco to face his former team, Summit County. “Once it was game time, we went to work.” The Cougars came away with a hard-fought 17-14 victory, making the bus ride home a happy one. Hollingsworth coached Summit County for several years before coming...
Longtime fans of the Niwot Cougars football team might have felt a strange sense of déjà vu during Thursday night’s season opener against the Adams City Eagles. The last time these two teams met, during the opening weekend of the 2011 season, the result was eerily similar. The Cougars, relying on a strong running game, scored multiple rushing touchdowns en route to a convincing 34-14 victory. But fans hope that’s where the 2011 parallels end. That victory was later forfeited due to an ineli...
The Niwot Cougars football team kicked-off their 2016 campaign on Thursday night with a 34-14 victory over the Adams City Eagles at Everly-Montgomery Field in Longmont. It was the Cougar's first season opening win since 2013. It was a bittersweet night for the Cougars, who lost teammate David Louwers in a plane crash last June. Before the game, Head Coach Dylan Hollingsworth led the crowd in a moment of silence to honor his “passion for life and his love of football.” Members of the Louwers fam...
BASEBALL For Niwot Youth Sports’ (NYS) Director of Recreational Baseball Tim Rudden, the 2016 season was “just a lot of fun.” “We had great support from the parents and sponsors, and we got lucky with the weather,” Rudden said. The NYS baseball program, which has been continuously active since the late 1960s, wrapped up its 2016 season mid-July. The program, which fields both competitive and recreational teams, is composed of the T-Ball/Coach Pitch league for players ages four to eight, an...
FOOTBALL Former Niwot High Football Coach Ron Tesone has been hired to teach and coach at Central of Grand Junction this fall. Tesone will teach business classes and serve as an assistant football coach. He spent many years teaching and coaching at Niwot before moving to Silver Creek for the past few years. Tesone also served as an assistant football coach at Boulder High. Former Niwot High Football Coach Paul “Tiny” Koehler is back for another season as an assistant coach at Fort Lewis College. Koehler will coach running backs. TRACK Ryan Tes...
The Niwot High School football team is holding its third annual Cougar Classic Golf Tournament on Monday, August 8. Head Coach Dylan Hollingsworth said all the proceeds from the event go toward the football team. Right now, equipment is the team’s biggest issue and Hollingsworth is “trying to get everything in shape.” “We use that money for all sorts of things,” Hollingsworth said of the fundraiser. “We had to replace a significant amount of equipment in the last year. I always tell people that...
With only five Thursdays left in the season, Rock & Rails is enlisting a noteworthy lineup to end the summer with a bang. Headliners such as Chris Daniels and the Kings with Freddi, The Hazel Miller Band, and Face are expected to attract plenty of fans to Niwot’s popular summer concert series. Since its inception in 2006, Rock & Rails has grown to be one of Niwot’s most well-known summer events, with locals and visitors alike filling Whistle Stop Park every Thursday evening. Attendance has bee...
The sun was out with temperatures near 90 degrees, and it was a wonderful setting for the annual 4th of July Parade in Niwot. In addition to the annual Pancake Breakfast, hosted by Bert Steele of Niwot Market and the Niwot Community Association (NCA), and all the wonderful decorations for the kids, bikes and dogs provided by the NCA, this year’s parade was bigger and better than ever. Pat Murphy, ever the volunteer pancake breakfast champ, said there was no final tally yet of the amount r...
The Fourth of July is a special time in Niwot because it not only celebrates America’s freedom, but does so with the only parade in Boulder County for the holiday. Julie Breyer, third-grade teacher at Niwot Elementary School, is part of the Niwot Community Association (NCA) and has been the chair of the parade for the past three years. This will be the NCA’s fourth year orchestrating the parade (that will take place on Monday, July 4), although the parade has been around for many years. Bre...
Every year for the July 4 parade, a Grand Marshal is chosen by the Niwot Community Association from nominations. This year’s Grand Marshal isn’t just one person but an entire family that epitomizes the community of Niwot. The Slepicka family moved to Niwot in 1990, where Jerry and Marsha Slepicka built their own log house. Along with their kids, Vanessa (23), Brandon (20) and Jessie (20), they’ve grown roots in the community and call Niwot home. Jerry and Marsha Slepicka were both born and r...
A small plane crashed last Wednesday, June 15 in Creede, Colorado, killing the three people on board, including 17-year-old Niwot High School student David Louwers, of Longmont. The Cessna 320 plane, which was owned by Rocky Mountain Aerial Surveys of Longmont, went down Wednesday afternoon near the single-runway airport by the small mining town. According to the Associated Press, Mineral County coroner Charles Downing said a witness report stated the plane seemed to be having engine troubles...
There was be a candlelight vigil tonight at 8:30 p.m. on the football field at Niwot High School, to honor student and football player David Louwers. Louwers died in a plane crash in Southern Colorado on Wednesday, July 15. He was 17 years old and just completed his junior year at NHS. Please bring your own candle to the vigil and a picture of Louwers if you want....
A small plane crashed last Wednesday, June 15 in Creede, Colorado, killing the three people on board, including 17-year-old Niwot High School student David Louwers, of Longmont. The Cessna 320 plane, which was owned by Rocky Mountain Aerial Surveys of Longmont, went down Wednesday afternoon near the single-runway airport by the small mining town. According to the Associated Press, Mineral County coroner Charles Downing said a witness report stated the plane seemed to be having engine troubles and appeared to try to land at the airport. The...
Approaching the 18th hole on the final day of the State Tournament, Niwot High School’s Claire McPeak just needed to finish with a four-stroke par to finish five strokes under her first day score of 86. What McPeak didn’t expect was for the ever changing Colorado weather to take an abrupt turn, from a beautiful sunny day in Pueblo to a sudden rain storm mixed with quarter-inch hail. “Personally I don’t mind golfing in the rain, but it was the hail that got to me,” McPeak said after finishing with a five-stroke bogey on the final hole and recor...
On Tuesday, May 24, eight Niwot High School seniors signed to continue their sports careers at various colleges across the country. The Courier talked with them to find out more about where they’re going and their journey to get there. Walker Bounds Walker Bounds will be playing basketball at Lake Forest College in the fall. Before signing with Lake Forest, Bounds was considering Millikin University, Carthage College and Elmhurst College. He was looking for a smaller school, and after c...
The Niwot High School girls golf team is gearing up for its state meet, which takes place on Monday, May 23 and Tuesday, May 24 in Pueblo. The Cougars are sending two girls to play along with one one alternate, out of their total of nine players. Head Coach Dylan Hollingsworth is nearing the end of his first year coaching the team and is optimistic as to how the season has gone, although he had higher hopes for regionals. “It’s been going well,” Hollingsworth said of the season. “We got the third at regionals, and it was disappointing because...
The end of the school year is always full of emotion as graduating students say farewell and transition to the next phase of their lives. These final days are especially poignant for the three Niwot High School (NHS) teachers who will retire at the end of the school year. Tom Kajiwara: Physical Education In 2000, Tom Kajiwara was a stay-at-home dad when former NHS principal Dennis Daly invited him to join the football coaching staff. During that year a food science position opened up unexpectedl...
The Niwot High School football team is currently holding a fundraiser to raise money for new uniforms, funds for camp and new, safer helmets. The Cougar team is turning to technology for its fundraiser and using an online fundraising website in hopes of reaching more people. They ask for supporters to share the website with friends and family members on Facebook and Twitter to spread the word. With only a couple weeks left of the online fundraiser, the team hopes to reach its goal of $7,500, which shouldn’t be too difficult since they’re alm...
For youngsters in the area, Niwot Youth Sports (NYS) has brought a lifetime of memories and experiences since its beginnings with recreational baseball in the late 1960’s. A decade later, the organization was dubbed the Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Recreation Association, and basketball and girls softball were added. Today, NYS serves 450 children in baseball and softball, close to 300 in basketball and around 100 in flag football each year. NYS offers competitive and recreational versions of e...
