All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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For Niwot first-year coach Nikolas Blume, the 2020 football season will be memorable for many things, and not all of them pleasant. But one pleasant memory he will have is of senior Charlie Herring, a newcomer like himself, whose "work ethic and dedication to his teammates," helped the coach nudge the program in a promising direction. "Charlie was a first year starter and a great leader for us this season," Blume wrote in an email interview. "You won't find a young man more dedicated to...
Although this year's U.S. Arabian & Half-Arabian National Championship Youth Judging Contest was held virtually, it was the same story for the Colorado Arabian Horse Club's Region VIII team. Led by fifth-year coaches Kendra McConnell and Rachel LeClere, the club has won 19 of the last 20 national championships and did so again this November. In her first year competing at nationals, Niwot High School junior Lily Thomas earned the Reserve High Individual Overall. McConnell said that Thomas's...
The Niwot cross country teams dominated their Colorado competition during the 2020 season, so they decided to take their act on the road. On Nov. 21, members of the varsity squad traveled to Huntsville, Alabama to compete in the 2020 RunningLane National Cross Country Championships and prove they can dominate non-Colorado competition just as easily. "We wouldn't have expected them to run as fast as they did," Niwot cross country coach Kelly Christensen said of the boys' historic performance....
Emotions were running high at Erie's Tiger Stadium on Friday, Nov. 20. In a season finale battle of winless teams, Niwot senior quarterback Ayden Bartko led a game-winning fourth-quarter drive to defeat the Thornton Trojans, 26-20. Head coach Nik Blume came away with his first win leading the green and white. He credited his resilient senior class for sticking together despite a challenging season. "I couldn't be more proud," Blume said. "Our seniors carried us tonight. (Wide...
A late fourth quarter score silenced Niwot football's comeback effort against the Cheyenne Mountain Indians Friday night at Erie High School. Despite missing several key players to injuries, Niwot lost to Cheyenne Mountain by just one score, 27-20. Head Coach Nik Blume's squad is still in search of its first win through six games. Just days before the game, Niwot's originally scheduled opponent, the Mitchell Marauders, were forced to quarantine under COVID-19 safety protocols. Instead of facing...
After spending two years as head coach of Niwot’s junior varsity baseball team and two years as NHS varsity pitching coach, Colin York’s Niwot reign came to a close in October as he accepted the head baseball coaching position at Frederick High School. “I am incredibly excited for him,” said Niwot head coach Adam Strah. “I think he's going to do a great job. I think he's ready.” York’s ability to be a rock for Niwot was one of his best attributes according to Strah. A constant and calm presence isn’t a bad trait to have in this chaotic year. ...
Niwot athletic director Joe Brown employed a bit of trickery to lure longtime Niwot athletics assistant Sue Prahl onto the field at halftime of the Oct. 29th Niwot-Lewis Palmer football game, where he surprised her with a presentation of the Colorado Athletic Directors Association's 2020 Award for Distinguished Service. Prahl's win was announced by CADA last April, but the award presentation had to be delayed due to the ongoing pandemic....
For anybody who has followed Niwot football over the past few years, the name Ayden Bartko should ring a bell. Niwot's senior quarterback has just three games remaining in his high school career and his departure will leave a gaping hole for the Cougars. Between the lines, Bartko has racked up 2,865 passing yards in 32 career games dating back to his 2017 freshman year. At 6-foot-5 and 205 lbs, Bartko towers over his teammates and uses his height to comfortably read the field. Although it...
It will take at least another week for the Niwot Cougars (0-4) to secure their first win of the season after falling to the Lewis-Palmer Rangers, 44-16 Thursday night at host Erie High School. Navigating a "thin" roster, first-year Head coach Nik Blume was impressed with how his players continued to compete. Over half of Niwot's roster is composed of freshmen who have been tasked with learning on the run. "We knew it was a project coming in and you're seeing that for us right now every night...
Stanford University track and field has claimed another prize recruit from Niwot. Standout Taylor James has announced that she will be taking her prodigious talents to Palo Alto next fall, following the trail blazed by former Cougar standouts Elise Cranny and Mary Gillett. "In the end there were a couple of main things that swayed my decision," the talented senior said of her choice. "Obviously Stanford's athletic and academic prestige is one of the big ones. Also, Coach [J.J.] Clark seems...
Niwot High School athletic director Joe Brown has found his man in Kyle Bachrodt to take the reins for the Niwot swim team. “I really couldn't be more excited,” Bachrodt said. “Niwot is a very well-known program in all of their athletics (and) all of their academics. I've had a few meetings with the other head coaches in all of the sports and with our AD, and I couldn't be more proud to be working alongside with all of those folks.” Bachrodt, who grew up in Evergreen, attended the University of Colorado Boulder and helped win a national champio...
Coming into the final 100 meters of the 2020 Class 4A state cross country race, Niwot junior Zane Bergen decided it was time to make his move. He was trailing leader Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos by a few steps, but he knew he had enough kick left to overtake the Green Mountain senior before the finish line. Unfortunately, the Green Mountain senior seemed to have other ideas. "I decided I'm going to go on the outside and get around him, but I guess I picked the wrong outside," Bergen said, describing the...
Niwot head cross country coach Kelly Christensen knew that the lead pack in the 2020 girls Class 4A championship race would be fast, but both he and his runners were caught off-guard by the pace freshman Bethany Michalak of Air Academy set right from the start. That led to some tense moments for Christensen as he watched from the sidelines, adding and re-adding the potential final scores. "Our strategy all season was a lot different in workouts and races because we knew, or we were putting a...
Niwot head football coach Nik Blume doesn't consider his team's 14-7 overtime loss to Riverdale Ridge on Oct. 16 a moral victory, but there's no doubt he was much happier in the aftermath than he was after the Cougars' 50-14 blowout loss to Holy Family the week before. "I'm not going to come out of a loss saying great things, but what I do know is that every kid we have gave us everything they could have given us, 100 percent. I think the lesson we're going to learn is that you can be...
Holy Family's 43-point first-quarter left little hope for the Niwot Cougars in Friday's football season opener. Niwot would fall to the Tigers, 50-14, under the lights at Mike G. Gabriel Stadium in Broomfield. Prior to the game, Niwot and Holy Family honored their senior classes in front of about 175 fans (mostly parents and a slew of students) per team. Head coach Nik Blume coached his first game at Niwot with over half of his roster consisting of freshmen. He said that his freshmen's need to...
There's not much country to be found in the grassy expanses of Denver's historic Washington Park, but, according to Niwot head coach Kelly Christensen, that's what made the 2020 Class 4A Region 3 cross country championships on Oct. 8 a "perfect" tune-up race for the Cougars as they prepare to defend their state titles next weekend. "Grass is slow, which is why I'm glad we were here," he said after his teams swept both the individual and team titles at the Oct. 8th regional. "We wanted them to...
Niwot football’s unusually long offseason finally has an end in sight for first-year head coach Nik Blume. Thirty-nine Cougars, including 16 freshmen, will kick things off Friday evening at Holy Family High School. Niwot’s season opener was supposed to be a home game but Blume opted to play in Broomfield to allow for more fans. SVVSD and BVSD officials announced a 175-person limit will be enforced at games. The opener will also be an early co-senior night between the schools and will honor the eight Niwot seniors. Blume said that Niwot was ini...
A promising first-five innings turned sour in the sixth for Niwot softball against Frederick on Thursday, Oct. 1. Niwot dropped its final game of the season at home, 16-4. The Cougars would finish 2020 with a 4-4 record in the Longs Peak Conference but fell short of Head coach Bobby Matthews' goal of a .500 overall record at 7-9. Although 16 was the winning number in Niwot's Sept. 24 victory over Frederick, Thursday's rematch didn't yield the same offensive output for Matthews' Cougars. Niwot...
In an eight-inning thriller east of I-25, Niwot softball upset the top-10 ranked Frederick Warriors 16-14 on its home turf on Thursday, Sept. 24. The Cougars moved to 6-8 on the season with two games remaining. Niwot played in its ninth game decided by two runs or less, but it was anything but close early on. Behind a two-run home run, Frederick scored three runs in the first inning off freshman pitcher Anne Booth before Niwot erupted for nine runs in the second. The Cougars were...
Niwot golfer Christopher Gunlikson is heading back to the Class 4A state championships after a largely drama-free performance at the Region 3 qualifying tournament, held Sept. 22 at Quail Dunes. Aided and abetted by his newly honed short game, the junior carded a tidy 3-over-par 75 on the day, which was good for fifth place in the individual standings and well under the qualifying mark of 81. Now the veteran is looking forward to competing for Niwot on his sport's biggest stage and hopes his...
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...
A lot of things had to go right for Niwot football to have a fall season, and somehow, they did. In early August, The Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) postponed football's fall season until the spring, but on Sept. 16, in conjunction with Gov. Jared Polis, CHSAA allowed football and cheer and dance to opt for a fall season. SVVSD athletic director Chase McBride then had to wait for local health officials to give permission, which they did on Sept. 17, and SVVSD jumped on the...
Back in mid-August, Niwot softball opened its season against Berthoud. It was not a competitive affair and the Cougars lost 15-0 in three innings. On Friday, Sept. 18, the two teams reconvened, this time in Niwot. Although Niwot lost again, 9-7, the team was hardly recognizable from a month ago. Niwot was without its freshman pitcher Anne Booth and junior shortstop Ayva McComas for the first meeting and their presence proved large in the rematch. Booth has been a workhorse all year for Niwot,...
The Niwot boys golf team learned some painful lessons about their short games at the final Longs Peak League event of the 2020 season, held at Thornton's Todd Creek Golf Course on Sept. 17. Bedeviled by lightning-fast greens and what were described as "challenging pin placements," the Cougars often gave up strokes where they normally don't, and that was reflected in their higher than average final scores. Luckily, it didn't seem to be a handicap for Niwot alone, and the Cougars ended up...
Lucca Fulkerson didn't start her decorated cross country career at Niwot, but if everything goes according to plan, the speedy senior will be capping it off with the Cougars next month as they win their third straight Class 4A state championship. So far in 2020, that plan has been hitting its benchmarks both for Fulkerson and the team, and, judging from performances in the early weeks, she may even earn some championship hardware herself. "This summer is the most we've ever run before, or at...
The Niwot varsity cross country teams looked formidable as they battled some friendly but fierce rivals at the Fairview Invitational on Sept. 12. Led by junior Zane Bergen in the boys race and freshman standout Mia Prok in the girls race, the Cougars claimed both team titles for the second consecutive weekend, and appear to be in great shape as they head into the most crucial weeks of the shortened 2020 season, according to head coach Kelly Christensen. "The kids are responding to the stress...
A truncated softball season doesn't leave much room in the schedule for tournament appearances, but Niwot was able to make time for four games at the 2020 Berthoud Invitational, held Sept. 11-12 at the Barnes Softball Complex in Loveland. Thanks to clutch play on both sides of the ball from Dulce Amaya, Anne Booth, and Ayva McComas, the Cougars pulled off two wins over non-conference teams, and nearly escaped with a third win over a dreaded conference rival. While far from perfect, sixth-year...
In a time of great uncertainty, the recent interactions between the Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) and Gov. Jared Polis have not yielded much clarity. The rollercoaster of events began in early August when CHSAA restructured its fall sports slate; golf, softball, cross country and boys tennis were permitted while football, volleyball and boys soccer were pushed to 2021. Hope for a change in heart was minimal until Sept. 7 when it was reported that CHSAA Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green would be meeting with Gov. Polis and...
It took just three innings for Niwot softball to roll past Thompson Valley, 17-0, on Thursday, Sept. 3. The Cougars cranked out 14 hits and freshman Anne Booth left the Eagles hitless at Centennial Park in Loveland. Niwot, which improved to 3-4, has won three of its last four games after starting the season 0-3 and being outscored 39-5. Head coach Bobby Matthews applauded his team for applying the fundamentals learned in practice to the big stage. "It's especially nice when they do the things...
Dulce means "sweet or mild" in Spanish, but the Niwot catcher by that name was a tough out on the softball diamond last week. After belting a game-tying double against Severance on Sept. 1, she exploded at the plate against Thompson Valley to lead the Cougars to a 17-0 victory. But if senior Dulce Amaya is hard on opposing pitchers, she embodies her name off the field and her relentlessly positive leadership has been a "huge" factor in his team's recent turnaround, according to Niwot head coach...
The Niwot boys golf team battled blistering heat and unpredictable course conditions as they made the turn to the second half of the 2020 season at the Frederick Classic on Aug. 27. After a performance that was equal parts great and terrible, Cougar head coach Ed Weaver is looking for more consistency from his young team with the Class 4A Region 3 state qualifier just three weeks away. "We could've played a lot better," he said after his team's eighth-place finish in the 16-team field at Coyote...
There's almost nothing normal about the way Jesse Horn's senior year at Niwot High started, so he's grateful for the one thing in his daily routine that hasn't changed much in 2020-the boys golf season. With classes conducted remotely and marching band performances on hold, Horn said having practice with his friends to look forward to every afternoon has kept him centered. "I definitely did not expect golf to be the most normal thing so far," the third-year veteran said. Golf is one of only four...
Local collegiate and high school football seasons may be on hold, but for Niwot Youth Sports flag football, it's nearly business as usual. Players ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade will grace the gridiron this fall at the Biff Warren Sports Complex on Nimbus Road. The league will consist of three age divisions (kindergarten/first grade, second/third grade and fourth/fifth grade) with four teams per division. Practice started on Aug. 31, and games will be played on Sundays beginning...
A relentless Roosevelt RoughRiders offense spoiled Niwot softball's home opener by a score of 18-0 on Saturday, Aug. 22. The Cougars dropped to 0-3 on the young season and are still looking to hit their stride in all facets of the game. Head Coach Bobby Matthews is tasked with developing a young Niwot team that includes five freshmen and just one senior. While you can't control every outcome in softball, Matthews targeted defensive communication and energy as two areas Niwot can improve upon...
Fifth-year Niwot head coach Kelly Christensen is grateful that the 2020 high school cross country season is proceeding, even if in a modified form, but he was also quick to acknowledge that, like everything else that it hasn't cancelled or postponed this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the sport more difficult for everyone involved. "It's everything, whether it's the schedule, trying to plan Covid practices, debating whether or not we're going to cut rosters, or finding races. I would say...
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...
Isabella Steiner, age 16, a junior at Niwot High School, is shown here jumping her horse Cool Toddy at the Summer in the Rockies show series at Colorado Horse Park. Steiner won grand champion of the 1.05 Meter jumping competition, held during the week of July 15-22nd. Steiner is currently leading zone 8 in the country for 1.05 meter jumpers and has been invited to compete in the United States Hunter Jumper Association National competitions in Las Vegas in November....
Niwot softball's inexperience proved detrimental at Berthoud High School on Saturday, Aug. 15, as the Cougars dropped their season opener against the Spartans, 15-0. With four out of the nine starting Cougars fresh to the varsity level, Assistant Coach Jason Johnson said he told the girls after the game, "This won't define us." The unfamiliar stage of varsity competition is now a little more palatable for Niwot. "You could see a lot of nerves and first game jitters," Johnson said. "There's a...
Niwot High School head football coach Nikolas Blume had a gut feeling his inaugural season at Niwot would be delayed. Even so, the news was still a punch in the gut. "To be honest, I was pretty disappointed," Blume said. "My whole staff is pretty disappointed. There was a lot of time that had gone by and you could kind of see what else was happening around us. If that decision ultimately was going to be made, it could have been made a lot sooner." Blume's discontent stems from the hours of pract...
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...
A shortened 16-game season and limited varsity roster will only heighten the excitement for Niwot High School softball this fall. Coming off a 12-14 season, Coach Bobby Matthews leads a young roster into what will be, one way or another, a historic 2020 season. Per the Colorado High School Athletic Association's (CHSAA) COVID-19 regulations, there will be no non-conference matchups and only 16 guaranteed games opposed to the usual 23 games. That means Niwot will only be facing teams from the...
Ed Weaver isn't thrilled with his team's finish at their season debut at Quail Dunes Golf Course on Aug. 7, but that isn't to say he's disappointed either. In fact, the Cougars met his expectations more or less exactly in Fort Morgan, and now he can see their path to the postseason a little more clearly. "What I need to do is take my 90s guys-Luc, Emmett and Carlos-and get them to take five or six shots off each of their scores, so they're in the high 80s. Then we'll be right in the thick of thi...
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...
Kyle Reeves isn't quite sure how his recruiting videos ended up in the hands of the Park University men's basketball Coach Jason Kline, he's just glad they did. When the spread of coronavirus made recruiting a secondary concern for many college athletic programs across the country, the 6-foot, 4-inch Reeves thought the opportunities he fought so hard to earn on the court as a point guard for Niwot might be put on hold for another year. "Someone sent him my films, and he saw them and liked me, so...
Amid the hubbub about the return to play plans for high school sports such as football and cross country, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) quietly gave boys golf the green light to start its season as scheduled during the first week of August. In an announcement dated July 25, CHSAA stated that golf is "able to be played under the current national, state, county and CHSAA health guidelines as they pertain to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," and, as such, plans for the 2020...
In last week's edition of the Left Hand Valley Courier, we covered the story behind Niwot's Ritz Field, named after Colorado Rockies pitcher Kevin Ritz. We now turn our attention towards its neighbor, Hagen Field, named after the late Greg Hagen. Hagen was a parent volunteer for Niwot Youth Sports. When NYS lost the use of borrowed fields in Niwot at 83rd and Neva Road, Hagen helped erect the backstops at three new fields on Left Hand Water District property off Nimbus Road. When Hagen died...
Niwot High School girls swim coach Sarah Stamp has run out of superlatives for her top swimmer, Mary Codevilla, who appears on the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association 2019-2020 All-American list for the second straight year. "I would say undoubtedly, probably the most well-rounded, top swimmer that (has) come through Niwot, hands down," Stamp said in describing the outstanding swimmer. Codevilla's talent is recognized past Niwot with her name splashed throughout the NISCA...
