All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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The lengthy bus drive south to Pueblo West High School on Aug. 18 was well worth it for the Niwot boys soccer team after senior goalkeeper Matt Hansen pulled off a miraculous 50-yard game-winning goal on a penalty kick. That's right, the goalkeeper. With just seconds left and the score tied 2-2, Cougar head coach Stephen Dimit called upon Hansen to take the penalty kick. Dimit's decision took into account that Hansen doubles as Niwot football's placekicker, making him no stranger to long distanc...
In what could have been considered a transitional season following the graduation of eight seniors, the Niwot boys soccer team continued its winning ways last fall and reached the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs. Last season was fun, said seventh-year head coach Stephen Dimit, but the Cougars are now setting the bar a little higher. "This is a hungry year," Dimit said. "They had a lot of fun last year, but I think they also really want to build on what they started. That's a great...
Niwot Youth Sports (NYS) is hosting a series of events to raise money for the Monarch Improvement Project. NYS, which was originally formed in 1972 as Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Boys Baseball, Inc, is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing exceptional recreational and competitive sports experiences for kids ages 4 to 18 in the Niwot-Gunbarrel area. These programs, which include baseball, softball, basketball, flag football & soccer, provide children with the opportunity to participate i...
Last week we wrote about Niwot native Royce Johnson and how in 1974 he made land available to the Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Boys Baseball, Inc., a non-profit organization now known as Niwot Youth Sports, as a site for "temporary" ballfields. The "temporary" Johnson Fields were used continuously for over 20 years until homes were built on Christopher Court in the Johnson Valley Subdivision in 1994. Ultimately, land that Johnson had donated to Boulder County for a park known as Left Hand Valley...
For the first time in its 50-year history, Niwot High School will be able to host a varsity football game at the school this fall. "We should have it ready by the end of August," Athletic Director Joe Brown said. The grass turf on what has until now been used solely as a practice field by the NHS varsity has been removed, and work has begun on installation of new artificial turf. Last summer, lights were installed at the field, and the artificial turf will allow the school to host football and s...
A trio of Niwot girls volleyball players and one boys soccer star received CHSAA All-State honors following the conclusion of the fall 2021 season. On the soccer pitch, Niwot senior attacker Azael Marrufo was by far the Cougars' most frequent scorer in 2021. A first team All-State selection, Marrufo scored 18 goals and eight assists in the Cougars' 17 games. Head Coach Stephen Dimit said Marrufo's season was particularly impressive due to his knack for scoring in big situations. Marrufo netted a...
If you weren't in your seat when the horn sounded to start Niwot's game against Regis-Groff (9-7) in the first round of the Class 4A soccer playoffs, then you probably missed all of the scoring. Just seconds into the Oct. 28th game, senior forward Azael Marrufo took a kick-off pass from Mason Wright and sent it past the Fusion's keeper, giving the 19th-seeded Cougars a 1-0 lead before many spectators realized what was happening. "It was amazing," Maruffo said of the game-winning goal, his...
When Niwot and Skyline get together in boys soccer, a close game typically follows. That proved true once again on Oct. 22 when the two teams settled on a 1-1 draw. Niwot will now enter the 4A state playoffs as the No. 19 seed and will face No. 14 Regis Groff in Denver on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. It will mark the third consecutive season these schools have met in the playoffs-the Cougars beat the Fusion 2-1 in last season's quarterfinals matchup in April. Regis Groff finished 9-6 this year an...
Senior Jacob Elston scored twice, while three of his teammates also found the back of the net as the Niwot boys soccer team posted a 5-0 victory over Mountain View at home on Sept. 23. It was the fourth straight win for the Cougars, who improved to 6-2 on the year, and remain undefeated in Longs Peak League play. "It's really good to start to see a variety of guys show up," sixth-year head coach Stephen Dimit said. "We're still a team working on things, and we're working the patterns...
Games are often won or lost in the red zone and that proved true in Niwot football's season opener at Greeley Central on Aug. 27. The Cougar defense didn't budge much all night to secure the team's first win, 21-14. With less than two minutes remaining in the game and Greeley Central down a touchdown, senior Craig Wright intercepted a Wildcat pass to put the game on ice. Wright's statement play was a fitting end to a defensive masterpiece. "Defense comes down to guts -- no guts no glory on the...
Just about four months separate the Niwot Cougars from the heartbreak they endured in the Class 4A boys state soccer semifinals, bumped from fall to spring in the 2020-2021 school year. That is all in the past, though, with a new core of Cougars greeted with the chance to mold their own history. Head coach Stephen Dimit will be tasked with replacing the production of eight graduated seniors that accounted for nearly two-thirds of the goals scored last season. Fortunately for Dimit, the players...
With both the Niwot girls and boys track and field teams taking first place in the 4A state meet, it was no surprise that the All-State teams were drenched in Niwot green. Eleven girls and four boys received the recognition, which was based upon state meet results. Leading the list for the girls was senior Lucca Fulkerson, and for the boys junior Zane Bergen, who each won Athlete of the Year honors. Head Coach Maurice Henriques led the historic season and was named Coach of the Year. In girls...
The past year has been challenging for prospective college athletes, particularly those who missed their junior seasons of competition in the spring of 2020. But for 15 Niwot High athletes, the arduous journey through the virtual recruiting process came to a satisfying end at the school's Letter of Intent signing ceremony on May 3. "This is probably the hardest year in the history of college athletics to have an opportunity to play at the collegiate level," Niwot High athletics and activities...
Niwot's quest for a 4A boys soccer state title came to an abrupt end on April 28, at the hands of the eventual champions, the Windsor Wizards. The Cougars' defense didn't have an answer for Windsor senior John Burnett who scored both Wizards' goals in their 2-1 victory. Niwot senior Keegan Stobbe netted the Cougars' lone goal in their lowest offensive output since a March 20 loss to Skyview. Despite the outcome, there was a lot to be proud of this season for head coach Stephen Dimit. In...
For the second time in four seasons, the 11-1 Niwot boys soccer team is back in the 4A state semifinals. The three-seeded Cougars clawed past Coronado and Regis Groff to arrange a date with No. 2 seed Windsor on April 28. In Niwot's state quarterfinals matchup against the 11-seeded Regis Groff Fusion on April 24, senior Ismael Dominguez scored the game winning goal with 58 seconds left in regulation, giving Niwot a hard-fought 2-1 victory. "I kept telling the guys I want a ring this year,"...
Cruising to a 7-0 victory at Severance High School on April 8, the Niwot boys soccer team secured a perfect 9-0 record to win the 3A/4A Longs Peak League. “They worked so hard for this,” said head coach Stephen Dimit. “They prepared all year long however they could to get ready to do this. To win the league and to win it as dominantly as we did, that's big.” The win over Severance came on the heels of a 6-0 win over Roosevelt on April 5 and a 10-0 win over Mountain View on April 6. In Niwot’s final six games of the season, the Cougars o...
The wins keep coming for the 6-1 Niwot boys soccer team which has now won five in a row and holds a one game lead in the 3A/4A Longs Peak League through April 4. Led by head coach Stephen Dimit, Niwot is in the midst of playing six games in 10 days against league opponents. The Cougars' third game of the stretch came at home against Frederick on April 3. Timely goals paired with strong defense helped Niwot shut out the Warriors (4-1), 4-0. Senior Aidan Martin opened the scoring at the 35:56 mark...
Flaunting a 3-1 record through March 29, the Niwot boys soccer team has shown dominance on both sides of the ball. Through four games, the Cougars have outscored opponents 27-4 including back-to-back 10-goal outputs in wins over Berthoud on March 23 and Riverdale Ridge on March 25. Prior to Niwot's 10-1 win over Riverdale Ridge, the Cougs' nine seniors were honored on the Niwot pitch. Both Ashton Campie and Aidan Martin relished their senior day as they each scored three goals. "He (Martin) can...
Led by senior Keegan Stobbe and junior Azael Marrufo, the Niwot boys soccer team went 1-1 in its first week of games. The Cougars opened with a convincing 6-1 win over Fort Morgan on March 18 before dropping a narrow 2-1 contest against Skyview on March 20. Stobbe scored a pair of goals and four other Cougars found the back of the net once against Fort Morgan, including Marrufo, Tavan Karbassi, Ismael Dominguez and Jett Feiner. Junior Jacob Elston assisted on two of the goals, while Stobbe,...
Just months before the pandemic hit, the Niwot boys soccer team completed its fall 2019 season with a shining 11-6 record and second place finish in the 4A Northern League. Pending a possible snow cancellation, the Cougars will return to the pitch on March 18, 499 days after losing to Golden in the second round of the 2019 4A playoffs. Several impact players from that 2019 team will give it another shot in 2021. Fifth-year head coach Stephen Dimit will enjoy nine seniors on his 23-man roster including Aidan Martin, Keegan Stobbe, Ismael Domingu...
Niwot boys basketball has had its share of drama over the past four seasons, but one moment in an unremarkable C-team game two years ago has always stayed with senior Hayden Morford, starting forward for the 2021 Cougars. "We were playing, I believe it was Centaurus, and I got called for a pushing foul after blocking a kid out on defense towards the end of the game," Morford recalled. "And Sam [Dutkin], after I got called for the foul, said 'I'm sorry, this is not soccer,' and proceeds to get a...
Ashton Campie is passionate about the non-American version of "football," so when the 2020 high school boys soccer season was postponed until spring 2021, the otherwise idle midfielder decided to try out his kicking skills on the gridiron. In the end, both Campie and the Cougars got more than they bargained for, and now the athletic senior has a new appreciation for teamwork and dedication. "I was doing cross country, and then football started up just when cross country ended, and one of the...
Direct impacts of COVID-19 have officially reached the fall with the Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) announcing its rearranged 2020-21 athletics and activities calendar. Instead of traditional fall, winter and spring sports seasons, CHSAA will now hold A, B, C and D seasons that will extend through June. Most notably, football, volleyball and boys soccer will move their usual fall slate to the early-March Season C. Boys tennis, golf, softball and cross country are continuing...
This week we are highlighting seniors from the Niwot boys track and girls soccer teams. Boys Track Harrison Bartlett, Sprints What are your plans after graduation? My plans for after graduation are to attend the University of Montana, and join the Army ROTC program (Unsure if I am running due to not having race times from senior season to qualify me for their program). Before it was canceled, what were you looking forward to most about the 2020 season? Before the season was cancelled, I was...
By the time she reached high school, senior keeper Quinn Gossett thought her soccer playing days were well behind her, but an impulsive decision to try out for the Niwot girls team as a ninth-grader resurrected a long buried passion for the game, even if it took a few days to surface. "I stopped playing in fourth grade, and I really don't know why," Gossett said, recalling her return to the sport at the invitation of former Cougar junior varsity coach Jeremy Drake. "On that first day of tryouts...
A world put on pause can be a difficult time for some, but for Niwot High School head boys soccer coach Stephen Dimit, the absence of spring sports only means new possibilities. His new podcast, “Make Your Mindset,” aims to mentor high school athletes during their time off the field. His first episode dropped March 31 and featured Oregon State University men’s soccer player Joel Walker. Dimit plans on releasing weekly episodes with guests ranging from college athletes to coaches and local sports-minded friends. “A lot of the people that we...
The Niwot boys soccer team found themselves on the wrong side of a quick start and some fortuitous bounces against Golden on Nov. 5, and the resulting 3-0 loss brought an unhappy end to the Cougars' playoff run that started so optimistically just three days before. "We just needed to weather that first storm," head coach Steve Dimit said afterwards. "We've been doing a pretty good job of that all season, but this was one we did not weather." The Demons outworked Niwot's defense for their first...
Emotions were high on Niwot's bench after its shutout win over No.18 seed Regis Groff in the first round of the Class 4A soccer playoffs, and now head coach Stephen Dimit hopes to use that energy to carry his team through a deep postseason run. "The relief came when we qualified, and now we're excited to be moving on," he said following the No. 15 Cougars' rousing 2-0 victory over the Fusion at Everly-Montgomery Field on Nov. 2. "I feel pretty good. We can play with anybody." His team's...
It's 6 p.m. on a Friday night in late October, and the unseasonably warm afternoon is quickly giving way to an autumnal chill as the sun slips behind Longs Peak to the west. At Everly Montgomery Field in Longmont, Niwot High Game Manager Sue Prahl grips her handheld radio as she scans the grounds, looking for the game's officials, or "black and whites," as she calls them, due to their striped uniforms. There's still an hour to go before kickoff in the upcoming football game between Niwot and...
The Niwot boys soccer team extended its win streak to eight with a 4-0 victory over the visiting Northridge Grizzlies (5-8-1) on Oct. 17. With the win, the Cougars improved to 10-4 on the season, and moved into a position to compete for the Northern League title, a prospect that seemed implausible just a month ago when the team was 2-4. "We just had to iron some things out and work on some teamwork," head coach Steve Dimit said after the shutout, the Cougars' sixth of the year. "We weren't...
The Niwot boys soccer team extended their winning streak to four with a 3-0 victory over Thompson Valley on Oct. 3. Junior Aidan Martin scored while most of the crowd was still finding their seats, and then senior Jared Osteen struck twice in the second half to deliver the Cougars’ second Northern League win of the week. “That’s some real good stuff,” Niwot head coach Stephen Dimit said, after noting that his team also has a four-game shutout streak. On Oct. 1, they beat Mountain View 3-0 in...
A strong upper class will help the Niwot Cougars boys soccer team vie for a Northern League championship. Led by head coach Stephen Dimit, the Cougars have the leadership and work ethic to make 2019 exciting. Finding consistency was something the Cougars struggled with last year. A talented, but young team produced a 9-7-1 record, good enough for fourth in the Northern League. Fortunately for the Cougars, they’ll be returning their leading scorer from last year, junior Keegan Stobbe, as well a...
It’s not a mid-life crisis, but Niwot Youth Sports is hoping to have a little work done after turning the big 5-0 earlier this year. In the coming weeks, the non-profit organization, formerly known as Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Recreation Association (GLVRA), plans to launch a capital campaign to fund some much-needed improvements to its largest field complex, Hangge Fields at Monarch Park, according to Executive Director Patrick Longseth. “We’re going to raise funds this year to put a build...
Editor’s note: Part I of this story can be found here. A memorable year for Niwot athletics turned into a memorable Letter of Intent signing day on May 22, as 12 athletes crowded onto the auditorium stage to make an official commitment to competing at the next level. Caleb Churchill, West Point Gymnast Caleb Churchill didn’t have a conventional high school athletic career, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t impressive. In his senior year alone, Churchill took second All-Around in the Colorad...
By his own admission, senior Marcus Chong is “not the most talkative person” on the Niwot boys basketball team, so when he received the 2019 SVVSD Sportsmanship Award on Jan. 30, he was a “little bit surprised.” For head coach Eric Hejl, however, the self-effacing guard was the natural choice for the honor. “Marcus is not really vocal, necessarily, but he’s a leader by example,” Hejl said. “He’s so consistent with it. He’s never said a word to an official, he’s there to help even opponents u...
If cold drizzle wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of Niwot soccer fans who traveled to see their team’s playoff match against No. 2 seed Skyview on Oct. 30, then the final 15 minutes of the second half surely was. Up 2-1 heading into the home stretch, the defense allowed two late goals and the upset victory that seemed within reach of the No. 18 seed Cougars suddenly slipped away. “I can’t say that we necessarily outplayed them,” head coach Steve Dimit said after the emotional 3-2 loss, the...
Niwot entered the 2018 boys soccer season with four first-time starters on the back line, but stopping goals turned out to be the least of their worries down the stretch, thanks to senior keeper Mario Munoz. Under Munoz's vocal tutelage, the untested Cougar defense was solid all year, especially against powerhouse offenses such as Air Academy and Legacy. They allowed just 18 goals in 17 games, and kept Niwot competitive even in their six losses, which were all by a single point. Munoz and the de...
The Niwot boys soccer team closed out an inconsistent regular season with a 2-1 loss to archrival Silver Creek on Oct. 16, but the way they lost was almost as painful as the final score, according to head coach Stephen Dimit. “We’re struggling,” he said after his team’s second straight defeat. “We’re creating chances to win the game, but we’re not finishing well and that’s been the story of the last week.” The Cougars certainly had their chances against the Raptors. In both the first and sec...
Niwot’s short-handed back line surrendered just one goal to Air Academy’s attack on Sept. 8, but sometimes it takes more than a strong defense to keep the ball out of the back of the net. A pair of miscues in their own penalty box doomed the Cougars in an otherwise impressive performance against the defending Class 4A state champions, proving that even minor mistakes against top programs can be costly, according to head coach Stephen Dimit. “We had a couple of unfortunate misplays of the ball,...
The Niwot boys soccer team rang in the 2018 season with a rousing home win over Brighton on Aug. 21. Led by senior Jonathan Jimenez-Flores’ first career hat trick, the Cougars scored six goals against the Bulldogs, a performance the forward hoped would set a tone for the year to come. “It was a really good start to the season,” Jimenez-Flores said. “We lost a lot of seniors from last year, and it’s a really young back line, so we did pretty good for the first game.” Jimenez-Flores ended the game...
If the Niwot football season opener didn’t quite go the way he had hoped, offensive coordinator Stan Matsunaka was unruffled after the 36-0 loss to George Washington on Friday night at All-City Stadium. Though the youthful team struggled to execute on both sides of the ball during the contest, it is evident that the Niwot football program made significant strides during the offseason. “I think the whole atmosphere this year is a lot different,” Matsunaka said. He served as head coach for the g...
There may not be a lot of familiar faces when the 2018 Niwot boys soccer team takes the field for the first time on Aug. 21, but that doesn’t have Head Coach Stephen Dimit too concerned. Though he lost half of his 2017 varsity roster to graduation, the third-year head coach replenished his stock from a “super-motivated” pool of underclassmen and seems ready to take the Cougars on another deep run in the Class 4A state tournament. “We have a collection of young players, and we’re going to start...
Baseball and softball games at Hangge Fields at Monarch Park were part of the Opening Day festivities for Niwot Youth Sports on Saturday May 5. The program, which has roots back to the Left Hand Men’s Club in 1969, provides baseball and softball programs for children in the Niwot-Gunbarrel area. According to Executive Director Pat Longseth, over 300 boys and girls are signed up for the baseball program, and approximately 120 girls are playing softball. . Longseth is himself a former player in th...
The Niwot boys track team is off to its best start in years, thanks in part to distance specialist Oskar Wells. At the season’s opening meet on March 10, Wells claimed his first-ever individual title with a victory in the 800M, finishing in 1:58.61, a new personal best. Since then, the soccer-player-turned-runner has won the 800M at two more local meets, the St. Vrain RE-1J meet on March 22 (1:58.69), and the Lyons Invitational (1:59.19) on March 31. He has also raced on several of the Niwot r...
Even on St. Patrick’s Day, it wasn’t hard to spot the green-clad Niwot athletes competing in the Windsor Invitational, as they were almost always out in front of the pack. On a sunny spring day, tailor made for running fast, both veterans and newcomers set new personal bests in many of the meet’s sprint events, helping both the boys and girls to their second top-ten finishes of the still-early season. “It’s a perfect day,” Niwot head coach Maurice Henriques said. Now in his eighth year, Henri...
Niwot senior Tyler Crall didn’t have much time to lament the end of his high school soccer career. Less than 48 hours after the Cougars’ semifinal loss to Centaurus in the Class 4A state playoffs on Nov. 8, the second-year varsity defenseman switched out his cleats for sneakers in preparation for the upcoming Niwot boys’ basketball season, which officially opened on Nov. 10. In 18 games with the Niwot soccer team this year, Crall had four goals on 13 shots, but made his bones as a member of th...
It’s hard to characterize 2017 as anything but a breakout season for Niwot forward Manual Tapia. After just two varsity appearances in 2016, the junior seemingly came out of nowhere to score a team-high 41 points and lead the Cougars to the Class 4A state semifinals for the first time since 2011. Of his 16 goals on the year, five were game winners, including the golden goals in Niwot’s Oct. 10 win over Silver Creek and in the quarterfinal match against Denver North in the final seconds of dou...
Despite playing their “best soccer in two years,” the Niwot boys soccer team almost got more than it could handle from a Longmont Trojans squad still vying for a playoff spot in the last game of the regular season. An overachieving Trojans’ defense repeatedly stymied Niwot’s relentless attack during the rare night game at Everly Montgomery Field last Wednesday, and the Cougars barely escaped with a 1-1 tie. “Score line aside, I was really happy with the way that we played for most of that game...
After an eight-day gap between games, the Niwot boys soccer team finally returned to the pitch last Thursday, but the Cougars didn’t exactly pick up where they left off. After back-to-back six-goal games against Green Mountain and Northridge, the Cougars mustered just two goals in 78 minutes against an underachieving Greeley Central team, and needed a late penalty kick from Jonathan Jimenez-Flores to finally dispatch the troublesome Wildcats 3-2. For Niwot head coach Stephen Dimit, the effects o...
The Niwot boys soccer team narrowly averted a tick in the loss column last week, instead settling for a tie in the first road trip of the season. Even with 100 minutes to do so, the Niwot offense couldn’t find the back of the net at Skyline. Fortunately, as they did so many times last year, Mario Munoz and the Cougars’ defense came to the rescue once again, keeping the deceptively fast Falcons out of the net as well. Nevertheless, Niwot head soccer coach Steve Dimit was less than pleased wit...
