All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 1 - 50 of 73
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...
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...
Coach Aimee Hites was happy with the way her Niwot boys tennis squad finished out the regular season, and even happier with the Cougars' No. 7 seed for the state playoffs. "I really like our seed," Hites said. "I'm happy to be on the other side of Kent Denver," which is the No. 1 seed in Class 4A. In the final week of the regular season, the Cougars lost to Kent Denver, 5-2, with Niwot wins coming from LiChen Liao at No. 1 singles and Charlie Kirtland at No. 3 singles. Niwot followed with...
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...
By most standards, Niwot Boys Tennis is off to a strong start, but when you are used to competing at the top levels of the sport, sometimes it’s hard to keep it in perspective. The Niwot Cougars are off to a 4-2 start, and 4-0 in league play. “It’s been a little rough,” according to Head Coach Aimee Hites, who was speaking of recent losses to Colorado Academy and Cheyenne Mountain. The Cougars lost both matches by a score of 4-3, to two of Colorado’s top prep tennis programs at any level. “We were up 3-0 against Cheyenne Mountain,” Hites said,...
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...
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 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...
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,"...
Non-league opening losses to Fairview High School and Valor Christian High School ought to have flushed out any early season jitters for perennially strong Niwot High School girls varsity tennis. Going into the season's first conference match against Skyline High School at home this week, coach Aimee Hites is confident her team will have what it takes to compete. It begins with numbers and Niwot saw 60 girls come out for tennis this spring. That's the most ever, according to the long-time Niwot...
Digesting his No. 2 singles state individuals tournament semifinals loss hasn't been easy, but Niwot boys tennis junior LiChen Liao is surrounded by a support system which should help him return next season with a vengeance. Liao, who won the No. 2 singles title last year, said that his No. 1 singles teammate, senior Luke Weber, was there for him following his 6-1, 6-2 loss to Kent Denver's Will Moldenhauer at City Park in Pueblo on Oct. 14. Weber had a similar experience last season when he...
Admittedly, LiChen Liao wasn't pleased with the results in the Class 4A boys individual state tennis tournament. He had won the No. 2 singles title last year and his goal was, of course, to defend that title his junior season. But with a 6-1, 6-2 loss to Kent Denver's Will Moldenhauer, Liao's repeat attempt fell short in the semifinals at City Park in Pueblo on Oct. 14. The Niwot High School No. 2 singles player remained proud, though, knowing his full effort was given. "Obviously, I was hoping...
The face of Niwot High School boys tennis picked up his final piece of high school hardware on Oct. 15 in the state individuals tournament. Senior Luke Weber cruised through the Class 4A No. 1 singles bracket, defeating Cheyenne Mountain’s Andrew Ballenger in the first round (6-1, 6-0), Evergreen’s Sam Billups in the second round (6-0, 6-0) and D’Evelyn’s Aswaanth Karuppasamy (6-4, 6-2) to advance to the finals. Unfortunately for Weber, he was met by defending No. 1 singles state champion Nathan Gold of Kent Denver, who picked up the 6,0, 6-0 f...
After suffering a second-round loss to Kent Denver in the state dual tournament, the Niwot boys tennis team still has an opportunity to secure some hardware in the Class 4A individual state championships. Niwot hosted regionals on Oct. 6 and six of its seven lines took first, meaning they will be the No. 1 seeds from Region 5 at the "individuals" state tournament. The Cougars' No. 2 doubles team of junior Kyle Davidson and senior Ryan Gray took third place and will enter as an alternate. Head...
While Niwot boys tennis head coach Aimee Hites believed her No. 8 seed Cougars were capable, drawing No. 1 Kent Denver in the second round of the Class 4A state dual tournament was a challenge. Niwot (10-5, 8-0 4A Region 5) traveled to Kent Denver, a private co-ed school in Cherry Hills known for its tennis programs, on Oct. 1 for the second round of the state team tournament. After a hard-fought match ended with Niwot on the short end of a 4-3 final score, the Sun Devils moved on in the...
The stage is set for Luke Weber's grand finale. Two years after winning the No. 3 singles state title and leading the Niwot boys tennis team to an overall state championship in 2020, Weber is focused on creating some similar magic during his senior season. The now-No. 1 singles star's first test will come on Sept. 28 when No. 9-seeded Grand Junction comes to No. 8 Niwot for the first round of the Class 4A state tournament. "It's been a long journey, just playing all four yours going to state,"...
Only one season removed from winning it all in 2020, the Niwot High School boys tennis team is back in the Class 4A state tournament with high aspirations. Niwot, which finished third in State last year, finished the regular season 9-4 (8-0 4A Region 5). The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) announced on Sept. 23 that Niwot will enter this season's new-look championship as the No. 8 seed. Head coach Aimee Hites' Cougars just barely earned themselves a first round home meet...
Being a freshman on varsity comes with its challenges. Instead of typically facing opponents of a similar age in middle school, there's a chance that someone four years older stands on the opposite side of the court. Charlie Kirtland is currently experiencing the ups and downs of being a freshman on the Niwot High School boys tennis team. He entered the season looking to claim Niwot's No. 3 singles spot and after impressing in his varsity debut against Dawson School in mid-August, he hasn't...
Multi-talented is perhaps the best way to describe Gabe Martinez. In addition to becoming an Eagle Scout in February, the Longmont Christian School senior has taken on both baseball and tennis during his prep career. Because LCS doesn't support a boys tennis team, Martinez joined the Niwot High program during his freshman year. Cougar head coach Aimee Hites has utilized Martinez, a doubles player, in a swing role this season, which has him practicing with varsity but playing most of his matches...
In about one month's time, the Niwot boys tennis team will be squaring off against Colorado's top talent in the state championships. Head coach Aimee Hites' Cougars got a taste of that level of play on Sept. 8 when defending Class 4A co-champions Cheyenne Mountain visited campus. Disappointment soon arose, though, as Niwot, which placed third in state last year, mustered little success in a 5-2 loss to the Red-Tailed Hawks. Senior Luke Weber won the No. 1 singles match (6-1, 6-2) and junior LiCh...
It was a successful Homecoming week for Niwot High School. Football won on its home turf, volleyball swept Silver Creek, boys tennis went 1-1, softball got a win and for cross country, both the girls and boys teams cruised to first place in the RE-1J District Meet. The cross country boys were led by four seniors who finished from third place to sixth in the order of Jeremy Gillett, Frederick Ambrose, Stefan Haug and Carlos Kipkorir. And even though the first and second place individual finishers...
Coming off a third-place finish in the Boulder High Panther Invitational on Aug. 26, the Niwot boys tennis team returned to Class 4A Region 5 play on Aug. 30 at Mountain View. The Cougars arrived in Loveland with a perfect 4-0 league record and it was preserved upon leaving as all seven matches ended in a sweep. Senior Luke Weber didn’t lose a point in his No. 1 singles match and in the four doubles matches, only one total point went in favor of Mountain View. Senior Ryan Gray and junior Kyle Davidson led the No. 1 doubles, sophomore Rex W...
While Niwot boys tennis head coach Aimee Hites expects senior and No. 1 singles player Luke Weber to finish top three in Class 4A, it’s her No. 1 doubles team of freshman Oskar Hansen and sophomore Sebastian Moy that has amazed her the most. The Cougars’ young duo is already among the strongest in recent program history, Hites believes. “Our one-doubles is probably the best one-doubles team I've ever coached, so that's exciting,” Hites said. “They're winning the majority of their matches.” Per MaxPreps, Hansen and Moy are 2-1 through Aug...
Niwot Boys Tennis Coach Aimee Hites returns with high expectations for her youthful but experienced squad. "Our goal is to win state," Hites said. "We're super young, and super talented." The Cougars started off with a 7-0 win over Frederick High School Aug. 11, and have already seemingly picked up a second victory by forfeit as Skyline High's team reported only three players out for tennis for this week's match. Things will get tougher with Alexander Dawson School on Aug. 18, followed by Class...
Live theater returns to the Niwot High stage starting on Nov. 5 with the premiere of "Peter and the Starcatcher," a semi-musical reimagining of the Peter Pan story that explores his life before Neverland. Bringing the title character to life is senior Ethan Rauschkolb, a veteran of the NHS stage who said he is thrilled to be back in front of a live audience. "Opening is November 5th, and we're super excited about it," he said of the upcoming production, the first non-virtual one in more than 18...
Behind a title-winning performance from LiChen Liao at No. 2 singles, the Niwot boys tennis team finished third overall at the 2021 Class 4A state tennis championships, held at Pueblo's City Park on Oct. 14-16. Liao efficiently dispatched his three early round opponents in straight sets, before facing Owen Duffy of George Washington in the Saturday morning final. There, the sophomore said, he let Duffy do most of the work. "The way my opponent played today fit my game more, because he was...
The Niwot boys tennis team punched its ticket to the Class 4A state championships with a rousing team win at the 2021 Region 5 tournament, held at the home courts on Oct. 6-7. Led by junior Luke Weber at No. 1 singles, five of the Cougars' seven lines claimed individual titles, which was good for 87 points and first place in the team standings, as well as five top seeds at the upcoming state tournament at Pueblo's City Park, Oct. 14-16. Afterwards, Weber said that he is excited to battle for a...
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...
By his own admission, Niwot class of 2021 salutatorian James Magee doesn't have the best sense of time management, but he managed to overcome that shortcoming in high school with a good mindset toward his work, his classes, and his school experience in general. The Courier caught up with him on graduation eve to talk about his time as a Cougar and what the next four years have in store as he heads to the University of British Columbia to study math or computer science. LHVC: Obviously, you've...
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...
Reeves Moor has been passionate about basketball since the age of eight, but, for complicated reasons, he decided to take up tennis instead after moving from Chicago to Niwot before his sophomore year. That paid off in a state championship during his senior season, but Moor still missed his time on the hardwood. So in January, he dusted off his sneakers and joined up as a "rookie" senior for Niwot basketball. "I came back this year because of COVID, and it was a new chance," he said. "I grew up...
School volunteer Lydia Moy looks at every opportunity and raises it up a notch. "Your job is not to do 10,000 cutout Valentines for second grade, your job is to spread the love," Moy said. Moy has been spreading the love for 14 years in elementary, middle and now high school. She's a realtor who used to work with emerging markets in finance, which she said helped her think about the big picture, "I'm a long term person." That mentality influences the way she approaches volunteering. When she...
The 2021 season didn't get off to a winning start for the Cougars on Jan. 26, but the hard-fought loss yielded some pleasant surprises for Niwot head coach Clayton Wittrock. "It was a good effort from a young team," he said following his team's 47-35 defeat in the season opener against Roosevelt. "There were times when we just played hard, played smart and played together, and good things happened. And there were sometimes, even though we did everything we needed to, a shot didn't fall, and I...
There were plenty of amazing moments for the Niwot Cougars during their historic win at the 2020 state tennis championships, but one not-so-amazing moment for senior Xavier Moy and his No. 2 doubles partner turned out to be a pivotal turning point for the Cougars and put the team title firmly in their grasp. "It was the craziest match I ever played in," Moy said of the state semi-final against Kent Denver, a team he and junior Alan Wilcox had fallen to just a few weeks before. "And it turned...
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...
Longtime Niwot coach Miikka Keronen was nervously watching the finals round at the 2020 Class 4A tennis championships when he got the news that he'd been waiting 18 years to hear-the Cougars were just one win away from clinching their first state team title and their best player in nearly a decade was still on the court. "Whenever it comes down to the last match, you never know what's going to happen," Keronen said of his state-of-mind while watching the finals, adding that he was only a...
We may be living through unprecedented times, but there was nothing new about Niwot's dominating performance at the 2020 Class 4A Region 5 championships on Sept. 18. Led by senior Neil Wilcox at No. 1 singles, the Cougars cruised to wins in six of seven finals matches to clinch their 10th straight regional title and one of the 16 team berths at the upcoming state tournament. Of course, there's a precedent in Pueblo that Miikka Keronen and his players are looking to upend, and the 18th-year head...
The Niwot boys tennis team opened the abbreviated 2020 season at a breakneck pace, winning four times in a week while going 27-1 in match play. But so far, the road to undefeated has been pretty smooth for the Cougars and 18th-year head coach Miikka Keronen is eager to find some more challenging terrain. "We need to be tested," he said after Niwot's 7-0 win over Riverdale Ridge on Aug. 20. "Of course I'm happy, who wouldn't be happy at 4-0. But at the same time, we're pretty loaded this year,...
Captain Sam Keronen has one goal for his upcoming senior tennis season: win the elusive Class 4A state championship for Niwot. "I want to win it individually and I want to win as a team," he said. "I think this could be the year we take it home." Cougar tennis has long been considered one of the elite high school programs in Colorado, but the boys have yet to claim the sport's top prize. Both Keronen and the Cougars have come close before, most recently in 2018, when Niwot finished second...
On Aug. 13, the Niwot boys tennis team traveled to Thompson Valley for the opening match of the abbreviated 2020 season. Despite temperatures in the high-90s and new social distancing regulations, a robust crowd was on hand to see the two teams battle it out under the new pandemic rules, which mandate face coverings and limit player contact. However, only Cougars fans left with something to celebrate, as Niwot cruised to a 7-0 win. Click hereto see more photos from the match....
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...
On July 29, the Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) announced that boys tennis and softball would join boys golf for the fall 2020 sports season. As of Aug. 2, other fall sports including football and volleyball are still awaiting a verdict. Softball and boys tennis are permitted to begin official practices on Aug. 10 with competition starting as soon as Aug. 13. Health and safety is a top priority and CHSAA has made significant modifications to each sport’s season. Per CHSAA, the softball season will be shortened from 23 to 1...
Due to the early bout of winter on Oct. 10, the Class 4A Region 5 boys tennis tournament may not have started as expected, but it did end that way-with Niwot claiming another regional title on Oct. 11. With wins in six of the seven championship matches, the Cougars will advance as a No. 1 seed to the Class 4A state tournament, which opens at Pueblo's City Park on Oct. 17. Afterwards, head coach Miikka Keronen said he feels the Cougars are "in a good place," both mentally and physically, and he...
The Niwot boys tennis team went 21-0 over its first three matches of 2019, but it was the narrow 4-3 victory over Class 5A powerhouse Fairview that head coach Miikka Keronen called his “favorite” of the still young season. “These are the kinds of matches we need,” Keronen said after the tense Sept. 5 bout with the Knights, who finished third at last year’s 5A state championships. “If you want to win the state title, you have to play this caliber of teams. ... People think winning 7-0 is good...
The boys may have waited until the final event of the meet to claim their team title, but for the Niwot girls, the Class 4A track and field championship was theirs to lose from the start. Shortly before 9 a.m. on the opening morning of the three-day state meet at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood, Niwot junior Samrawit Dishon crossed the finish line of the girls 3200 meter race with a season-best time of 10 minutes, 53.76 seconds to claim second place overall and score the Cougars’ first eight p...
Terri Ward Longtime Niwot girls basketball coach Terri Ward was formally inducted into the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Denver on April 23. Ward was selected for induction into the Hall’s 2018 class back in January, due to her decades-long advocacy on behalf of girls and women in high school athletics and involvement with Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports and Sportswomen of Colorado. She also has a coaching career spanning nearly 30-years, and r...
South Korea native Jongwon “Jon” Lee came to the United States with his family five years ago, determined to soak up as much of the American experience as possible. Now a highly accomplished student and athlete at Niwot High, Lee’s schedule is almost always packed to the brim, and the busy senior wouldn’t have it any other way. “I want to try as many things as possible, which kind of put me in a situation where I’m having a hard time dealing with all the schedules I have,” he admitted. “Bu...
The Niwot track and field team lost a number of its top performers to graduation after last season, but Maurice Henriques isn’t fazed. In fact, the ninth-year head coach thinks the 2019 Cougars are poised for even more success, thanks in part to many of those departed stars. “I actually think we’re a better team this year than we were last year, as a complete team,” he said. “All of those girls are a year older, and the leadership that Mary [Gillett] and Mackenzie [Fidelak] passed down has been...
