All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Building a culture of respect among his employees, to say nothing of rehabilitating an historic building in Niwot and turning it into a terrific restaurant – 1914 House – are just a few of the many accomplishments of Nick Mastronardi. A former Wall Street trader for Goldman Sachs in Manhattan, Mastronardi moved west to Colorado, and seven years ago, created a fascinating new life in Niwot. "I snowboard now," he said. "I love spending time with my wife and four children and five gra...
In his professional life as an award-winning National Geographic photographer/film director and co-founder of the non-profit SeaLegacy, Niwotian Andy Mann is on the road and in the water 200 days a year. His time away is a mix of adventurous photography expeditions, public speaking, and marine conservation efforts. The things he has seen and done are big - life-altering and world-changing - like being at this year's United Nations General Assembly where he was part of a team that compelled 68...
Niwot High School's Key Club will be hosting a haunted house at the former Niwot Feed Store from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, during Niwot's Great Pumpkin Party. The haunted house is one of several events happening at the Great Pumpkin Party, including trick or treating at businesses in Niwot, and a parade at 11:30 a.m., which will form up at the parking lot near Niwot Liquor at the intersection of Niwot Road and Second Avenue. Niwot High School's Key Club is an International,...
The Niwot High School soccer season is ending dominantly as the Cougars have just one game left on their schedule. Niwot won both games last week, beating the Frederick Golden Eagles Tuesday, Oct. 10, 1-0, and the Fort Morgan Mustangs 3-0 on Thursday, Oct. 12. Niwot's goaltenders combined for a shutout week allowing zero goals while the offense put up numbers. Niwot's game against Frederick High School was close until Niwot closed the game out in the second half, with Miles Verbeck scoring the...
With the varsity teams making their final preparations for the state cross country championship season, the spotlight shone on Niwot High School's junior varsity runners on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at the Hawk JV Championships. Once again, the girls' and boys' teams showed there are plenty of reasons to expect other runners from Colorado to be chasing the Cougars for years to come. Led by three freshmen, the Class 4A Niwot girls took the first three places over the Adams County Regional Park course...
The Niwot High School football team played the George Washington High School Patriots Thursday, Oct. 12, losing in a close, one-point game that ended in heartbreak. Niwot lost 34-33, dropping the team to a 3-4 record. The Cougars had a staggering 393 yards on the ground, more than the Patriots' 288 total yards for the game but were plagued by their five turnovers. Niwot started the game on offense, but on the first play of the drive, quarterback Chad Volf's pass was intercepted. Niwot's defense...
Before Tuesday's game against Frederick High School, the Cougars had eight sweeps in the book and were on a four-game win streak. But the Cougars didn't play like themselves against the Golden Eagles. The lineup uncharacteristically found themselves on the wrong side of a 2-0 score after two sets, and things weren't looking positive. By true grit and determination, the Cougars had an underdog win 3-2 (20-25, 17-25, 25-15, 25-16, 15-8) after taking the final three sets. The problem didn't lie...
When you invite nine bands from across the St. Vrain Valley School District and beyond to perform what are traditionally their football game halftime shows, the turnout of parents, students, fans and athletes can fill the stands at Everly-Montgomery Field at Longmont High School. Wednesday, Oct. 4, bands from Erie, Frederick, Longmont, Lyons, Mead, Niwot, Silver Creek, Skyline and even Roosevelt high schools put on quite a show for their fans. Though the event is not a contest, many of the...
"When I was a freshman at Niwot High School," Sara Hallock said, "it was all online learning because of Covid. We had to learn everything through books and articles. Once we got to in-person learning, I was shown the sound board and almost immediately fell in love with it. As the years went on, I learned more and more about being a sound engineer and how good I was at it." In the intervening years, Hallock has perfected her craft as a sound engineer. Jason Watkins, who selected Hallock as Arts S...
The 2023 Niwot Trot 5K, which began and ended at Whistle Stop Park Oct. 1, brought a record number of participants, some running, some walking, and some with strollers. Aimee Morin, one of the main organizers, said the event was well attended, and was a huge success. "We had a record number of participants, just over 600," Morin said. "It was a perfectly cool, sunny morning and everyone brought happy smiles and great energy, making it a memorable and successful event for our community." The...
Last Tuesday, in front of a crowd of parents, students and other onlookers, the Niwot High School girls softball team played the final game of the regular season, coming away with a dramatic win. The Cougars run-ruled the Roosevelt High School Rough Riders by a score of 11-1, a victory that was all the more satisfying because it was against a team that they endured a heartbreaking, 1-0 loss against earlier in the season. Head Coach Bobby Matthews said, "I am very impressed with how the team has...
Go ahead and take some time off. You’ve earned it. But don’t expect the rest of your team to stop running while you do -- they won’t. With several of their top runners, including Addison Ritzenhein and Rocco Culpepper, taking well-deserved breaks after impressive individual and team efforts the previous week at the Desert Twilight Festival in Arizona, the Niwot boys and girls cross country teams traveled to the Western Slope on Thursday, Oct. 5, and continued their dominance with team victories at the Warrior Lincoln Park Classic in Grand...
After one day of the 2023 4A Boys State Golf Tournament, Niwot's Emmett Shell was flying high on the leaderboard. The senior overcame some challenging weather and the difficulty of The Bridges Golf & Country Club in Montrose to notch a 1-over par 72, just two shots off the lead. If not for a missed, three-foot par putt on his 13th hole of the day and an out of bounds drive on his closing hole, Shell may have found himself in truly rarified air. "Emmett may have had the best day of his high...
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,"...
With the final push toward the end of the season, Niwot High School's volleyball team had to make some unexpected lineup changes. But this would not be the first time the group had shuffled positions. Going into the season, some players wanted to take a shot at a new place on the court. "Well, you know, actually, we've got a couple kids that have decided that they want to try some different positions," Head Coach Tony Engel said. "So Brooke Caquelin and Eloise VanSelus, who's a sophomore as...
Niwot High School boys soccer is dominating opponents as the team closes in on the playoffs. The Cougars played two games this past week, facing off against Thompson Valley High School and Mountain View High School. Niwot won both games, beating Thompson Valley 3-0 on Tuesday and achieving a dominant 10-0 victory over Mountain View on Thursday. Niwot is now 7-3-1 on the season with just three games left. Niwot's win on Tuesday against the Thompson Valley Eagles was crucial as they were coming...
The Niwot High School football team is currently split on the year with a 3-3 record after a 42-14 loss against the Frederick Golden Eagles. Niwot was competitive in the first half of the game, and only down by seven points at the half with a score of 21-14 in favor of Frederick. The Cougars struggled in the second half, however, as their defense stopped making big plays, and their offense began to lose momentum. Niwot started the game on defense where they were quick to make a stop. On the...
If you tread on Niwot trails regularly, this year you're likely to have frequently sighted some fun small critters – crayfish and Woodhouse's toads. The word "fish" in "crayfish" speaks volumes as to why they drew the most attention when whatever body of water they crawled out from wasn't even in sight. Media reports of the "invasive Rusty Crayfish" in Colorado hit the headlines just as the numbers of Niwot crayfish sightings hit a high. Boulder County Senior Wildlife Biologist Mac Kobza e...
“Music,” Abby White says, “is important to so many aspects of life. It uses so many different parts of your brain in different ways than you would get from academics. And that has really helped me in my academic success. And I think it’s just good for your soul. “Music makes us happier. And it’s something that you can really work hard on. It’s difficult, but it gives you such a sense of accomplishment when you’re able to perform something at a high-level or like get through a hard passage....
High school marching bands from all the St. Vrain Valley District high schools will come together Wednesday, Oct. 4, not to compete against each other, but to showcase their 2023 field shows in support of everyone's dedication to the art form. This annual event is considered to be the highlight of the marching band season by students, staff, family, and friends. Unlike many other opportunities where high school marching bands perform, this performance is entirely dedicated to audience members...
The Niwot girls softball team faced some challenges after coming off of a strong homecoming week of play. Two days after an exciting win against the Severance High School Silver Knights, the Cougars traveled north on Sept. 25 to play the same team a second time in an away game that was a make up for a rainout earlier in the season. The emotional and challenging game saw the Cougars fall behind early before rallying back to tie the score in the top of the 7th inning. Neither team was able to...
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...
As Niwot High School golf Coach Ed Weaver prepared his two 4A state tournament qualifiers, Emmett Shell and Drew Stapp, to step into the limelight for their biggest event of the season on Oct. 2 and 3 in Montrose, he was also gazing optimistically into the future following his underclassmen’s dominant showing at last week’s Niwot JV (Junior Varsity) Invitational. The Cougars were stingy hosts at the Twin Peaks Golf Course, grabbing the top two team finishes and five of the top six individual rounds in the event, which featured 128 golfers on 34...
The Niwot High School cross country team showed Friday evening, Sept. 29, that Colorado isn’t the only state where the Cougars’ dominance will be felt in 2023. Coach Kelly Christiansen led his team into the Arizona desert, and the Cougars ran away with both the boys’ and girls’ coveted Sweepstakes titles in the Desert Twilight Cross Country Festival in Mesa, AZ. The event, one of the premier invitationals in the country, included 248 teams and nearly 6,000 athletes from five states. Thirty-one different races were held during the evening...
The Niwot High School girls volleyball team went back to its usual routine after last week's match against the most competitive team in the conference. The Cougars swept Northridge High School (25-9, 25-11, 25-20) and Fort Morgan High School (25-12, 25-16, 25-10) after a tough loss to Thompson Valley High School last week. Such success was of little surprise to head coach Tony Engel, who was confident in the Cougars' serving abilities and discipline. On Thursday's game against Fort Morgan, the...
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...
Niwot High School football lost for just the second time this season, as the Thompson Valley High School Eagles overtook the Cougars 44-14 Sept. 29. Niwot is now 3-2 on the year at the season's midpoint, still with good odds of competing for a playoff berth. Niwot started the game on defense as Thompson Valley was able to return the opening kickoff over 90 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles kept their momentum going with a two-point conversion that gave them an 8-0 lead. The Cougars struggled to...
Niwot High School boys soccer split their games this week, crushing Severance in a 9-1 victory while falling just short of Skyline in a 2-1 loss. Niwot is now 5-3-1 on the year. The Cougars have a +11 goal differential this season, as they have dominated in their easier games and played close against top-ranked teams. Niwot’s victory against Severance was a dominant one. Niwot knocked down four goals in the first half, with most coming back-to-back in the earlier minutes. Severance was able to g...
Fall came to Niwot a day early on Friday, Sept. 22, with Niwot's annual homecoming parade. The parade followed the usual route, winding past Niwot Elementary School, where students greeted the parade, then down Niwot Road past Cottonwood Square and onto Second Avenue. Parents and other community members eagerly waited for the event. Brady Toothaker, the parent of a junior at the high school, was excited to cheer the teams on. "We come because we just love how they get all the sports teams out...
Left Hand Valley Courier writers Jack Carlough, Kristin Alger and the now-retired Mary Wolbach Lopert were each honored at the 145th annual Colorado Press Association Better News Awards Dinner in Denver on Sept. 23. Lopert, one of the seven founders of the Courier who retired in 2022 after 25 years with the paper, took second place in the Class 5 Editorial's Best Humorous Column Writing category for her piece, "It's A Laughing Matter: 21 Ways You Know You Live in a Small Town." The column was...
Niwot High School senior Hayden Baldwin performs in the NHS Marching Band and two of the high school choirs: Tenor/Bass Choir and Evenstar. “Out of the two,” Baldwin said, “by far my favorite has been Tenor/Bass choir.” Baldwin, Arts Student of the Week, appreciates the community he has found at the high school. “Despite not being an advanced group,” he said, “the community in that class is amazing and super fun to be around. The community and people in Orchestra and for the most part the band...
This year, Niwot Elementary School has hired six new teachers due primarily to the recent retirements of previous teachers, all of whom worked at the elementary school for at least well over a decade. In addition to Hanna Sandhoff, Lyndsey Moauro, and Nina Starks, who were profiled (https://www.lhvc.com/story/2023/09/13/education/new-teachers-at-niwot-elementary-2023/8339.html) in an the September 13 issue of the Left Hand Valley Courier, there are three more new teachers at Niwot Elementary thi...
The capabilities of the Niwot Cougar girls softball team were on full display during homecoming week. The week's schedule kicked off with a win against the Northridge High School team that Niwot hadn't prevailed against since the 2021 season. Their matchup with Northridge earlier in the season resulted in a hard fought 5-4 loss but last Tuesday, the Cougars prevailed 8-4. Seniors Autumn Rutherford and Anne Booth continued to show their strength at the plate, going 4-4 and 3-4, respectively. The...
Niwot High School's volleyball team is proof statistics and records do not tell the complete story. Before Wednesday night's game on Sept. 20, Niwot had a split record. Facing Severance High School with three wins and three losses, a victory would be a nice way to start fresh. And with a 3-0 sweep of the Silver Knights, the Cougars did just that. Walking in with a record that tied Severance High's record at the time, the numbers would suggest a close match. But when broken down, head coach Tony...
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...
Don't blame the Niwot High School Cougars for wanting more from their performance in last week's 4A Region 3 golf tournament at Greeley's Boomerang Links Golf Course. But compared with their results from a year ago, the Cougars can take pride in qualifying two players for next week's 4A State Tournament. Coming off a disappointing showing a year ago at the regional event, senior Emmett Shell earned his way back into the state competition after his one-year hiatus. Shell cruised to a two-over...
In any sport, a bye week can be a curse or a blessing. If momentum is running high, a bye can be a buzz killer. But on the other hand, a week without competition can be a blessing when long weeks of practice and competition have taken a physical and mental toll. For the Niwot High School gymnastics team, this week's bye may be the blessing Coach Marisa Purcell and her team need. After hosting their final home meet of the season on Wednesday evening, Sept. 20, in an event that saw their top...
The Niwot High School baseball program has been around for 50 years, and it's been 25 years since the Cougars began a run of five state Class 4A titles in eight years. Saturday, Sept. 23, as part of Niwot High's homecoming week, former players and coaches gathered at the baseball field for a barbeque hosted by NHS Baseball Coach Ken Rosales, and Niwot Baseball, Inc. Approximately 45 alumni, current and former coaches, spouses and fans gathered to see the newly refurbished infield, and take some...
Niwot High School football came out of a bye week with a 29-15 victory against the Eagle Valley Devils for their homecoming game, only the second varsity football game played on the Cougars' home field. Niwot took the lead on the first play of the game, and never looked back as they posted their third win of the season, giving the Cougars a 3-1 record heading into the middle of the season. Niwot started the game off with a bang, scoring on a 90-yard kickoff return by Eric Dillion, giving Niwot...
Niwot High School boys soccer was able to bounce back from a tough week with a win at home against the Roosevelt High School Rough Riders this past Tuesday, Sept. 19. The Cougars dominated in their win as they easily got past Roosevelt with a 3-0 victory. Niwot had more trouble on Thursday, Sept. 21, as they fell to the Northridge High School Grizzlies, 2-1 at Northridge. Niwot is now 4-2-2 on the year, an impressive start given their strength of schedule. Niwot's Tuesday match with Roosevelt wa...
Niwot High School's annual homecoming festivities are a joy to both witness, and be a part of. This year's theme is "A Night in New Orleans," more commonly known as Mardi Gras. Niwot's student council team, sponsored by counselor Leah Messinger, has been working hard planning events, choosing spirit week activities, and more. Wednesday's spirit day theme is "Western Wednesday." Western-style hats are welcome and encouraged. Wednesday's activities are "Senior Night" and two sports events held at...
This week's Arts Student of the Week, Natalie Fitches, is a percussionist who started out playing mallets and auxiliary instruments in her middle school band. Fitches joined the band in seventh grade, which put her a year behind her middle school peers. Although she found it very challenging, she took private lessons and had lots of help and support from her director. When Fitches moved to Niwot High School she joined the world of drumline. It was a big learning curve, she said, "But it felt...
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...
Karen Ragland, Niwot's St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) school board representative, joined the Niwot Community Association's (NCA) September board meeting to hold a conversation with members and the public about the banners on the football field fence, an upcoming bond measure, and property valuation and taxes. NCA board members have previously spoken with Niwot High School (NHS) principal Eric Rauschkolb about the advertising banners on the football field fence facing Niwot Road, which...
The recent incident of a black bear attacking and killing a goat in the Dry Creek-Meadowdale subdivision area of Niwot has Niwot residents concerned. Rob Gordon, a twenty-year Niwot resident and the friendly face behind the counter at Niwot Liquor on Second Avenue, had reported in July of last year as having seen eight bears at the intersection of Second Avenue and Franklin Street. Gordon was watering grass for the Niwot Business Association when he saw the bears. He turned to get his camera...
There are six new teachers and a new family liaison starting at Niwot High School this year, teaching a wide variety of different studies. According to Principal Eric Rauschkolb, these hirings are due to a large increase in Niwot High School's enrollment, This year, the school had 100 more students enrolled compared to last year, and the St. Vrain Valley School District has given NHS more staffing distribution. Three of the new teachers are familiar to the high school students because they have...
The Niwot High School girls softball team bounced back with two blowout wins, not letting a single defeat in last weekend's tournament throw them off course. Cougar pitching continued to get stronger through both games, the team's bats were also out in force, and both games ended in mercy-rule victories. "It was a good week for the team," said Coach Bobby Matthews. "Getting two run-rule victories was great. The way the team played Monday against cross-town rival Silver Creek in an 11-0 win was...
Not much went right for the Niwot Cougars a year ago at the Region 4 golf tournament. This time around, Coach Ed Weaver is hoping things take a different turn Thursday, Sept. 21 at Boomerang Links Golf Course in Greeley. The Cougars enter this year’s tournament ranked third in the region behind Windsor High School and Longs Peak League nemesis Riverdale Ridge High School and are looking to qualify a full contingent of golfers to the 4A state tournament on Oct. 2-3. But to ensure that, the Cougars will most likely need to find a way to do s...
GIRLS XC Look out Colorado, Niwot’s Addison Ritzenhein is a runaway freight train with no slowing down in sight. The sophomore picked up speed on the final downhill stretch and steamed through the finish line Saturday at the St. Vrain Cross Country Invitational, leaving all competitors far behind while crushing the girls’ course record along the way. In her second race of the season, Ritzenhein picked up her second victory, this time by a whopping 30 seconds over teammate and second-place finisher Olivia Alessandrini, who added the silver med...
Coming off a sweep of the top five places in the all-around competition at a three-team meet this past week in Thornton, the Niwot High School girls gymnastics team appears ready to test the deeper waters of 4A state competition -- especially considering that two of their top gymnasts were less than 100% and did not finish among that top tier. Once again behind the stellar performance of junior Maeve Flentie, the Cougars continued their meet-to-meet improvement, finishing with 175.40 points, their highest team total in their three early season...
