All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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The upstart Niwot boys basketball team improved to 6-3 on the season, after going undefeated at the fifth annual Roughrider Shootout, held Jan. 3-5 at Roosevelt High School. The Cougars averaged 56 points per game in wins over Denver West, Skyview and Conifer during the three-day round robin tournament, thanks to their uptempo play on defense and contributions from players off the bench, according to second-year head coach Eric Hejl. “When we play defense with energy, we can give teams t... Full story
For players’ weekend, major league baseball allows players to put a nickname on the back of their jerseys. For David Bote, a Chicago Cubs infielder who spent his formative years on the baseball fields of Niwot , the choice was easy - “Boat.” For the few baseball fans who weren’t watching when Bote hit a 2-out, 2-strike, bottom of the ninth, grand slam, walk-off homerun to beat the Washington Nationals, 4-3, on national TV last August 12, the correct pronunciation of his last name is “Bo’-tee” wi... Full story
VOLLEYBALL Sarah Falk (Niwot) played 10 matches for Sacramento State this fall, seeing action in 14 sets. Falk, a redshirt freshman, playing middle blocker. Falk finished with seven kills on the season in 10 attacks, with only two errors. Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) was part of Stanford’s NCAA Championship team. The freshman outside hitter saw action in three early season games for the Cardinal, but was able to preserve a redshirt season. Fidelak, who wore jersey number 7, earned substantial s...
Niwot senior Riley Mulshine is facing a difficult choice in the coming months: should he study for an engineering degree at Michigan, Notre Dame or Stanford? He has already been accepted to the first two schools, and Stanford’s decision is expected by April 1. If that weren’t impressive enough, he also received a full Air Force ROTC scholarship, so cost won’t have to be a factor when deciding between three of the top programs in the country. But good news on the collegiate front was just one p... Full story
Niwot girls swim coach Sarah Stamp has lofty expectations for the Cougars this season, and Abbie Shaw is a big part of the reason why. Last year, the junior nabbed two top-10 individual finishes at the Class 4A state championships, including second overall in the 100-yard backstroke, and was a key to the team’s top-five finish in the final team standings. Coming into the 2018-19 season, Shaw is faster than ever and seeing success at both the regional and national levels. Barring anything u...
High school senior Kate Gallop has been making a difference in the Dawson School community in more ways than one throughout her tenure at Dawson. She is a dedicated and high achieving student, an empathetic peer leader, and an instrumental player on the Dawson basketball team, as well as the talented soccer goalie on the Dawson 2018 2A State Championship soccer team. According to Gallop, her favorite part of playing sports at Dawson is the comradery and team aspect. She “loves seeing the team gr... Full story
It’s hard to top a state championship for drama, but the Niwot girls’ performance at the Nike Cross National Championships on Dec. 1 may have come close. Seeded 22nd of the 22 teams invited, the Cougars finished fifth overall on the day and cemented their status as one of the most surprising high school cross country teams of 2018. One person who wasn’t surprised was Niwot cross country head coach Kelly Christensen, who said that his team knew they were better than their last-place seed. “Afte...
The Niwot High School cheer squad wrapped a successful competition season with a top-20 finish at this year’s Class 4A state spirit championships, held Dec. 7-8 at the Denver Coliseum. The Cougars took 16th overall in the 30-team field, finishing just ahead of Frederick. For the second straight year, Niwot had 0.0 deductions from their final score, a testament to their focus on minimizing even small mistakes. Niwot cheer coach Christina Ayers said after the performance that the team did ...
When she was first featured in this space back in July of 2017, it was hard to imagine how Niwot student Savannah Parrot could possibly fit more on to her already overflowing plate. She was just coming off a successful week at the prestigious Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar and was looking ahead to her junior year at Niwot, where she would be starting the IB diploma program and assuming leadership roles for several clubs and teams, such as student council, cheer, Interact Club, and the N... Full story
The Niwot girls swim & dive team hasn’t beaten Thompson Valley in a head-to-head competition in at least a decade, so when the short-handed Cougars came away with a 116-70 win over the Eagles on Dec. 6, head coach Sarah Stamp couldn’t help but be impressed. “They’re one of the strongest teams in our conference,” she said, “so to do what we did today against them is awesome. It’s still December, so to be this strong this early is promising.” Niwot swimmers took first in 11 of the meet’s 12 event... Full story
Niwot wrestling opened its 2018 conference schedule on the road at Greeley Central on Thursday, Dec. 6, but fell to the Wildcats 61-12. Juniors Aidan Coopman (138) and Max Pechersewski (12) won their matches, but the rest of the Cougars were in early season form against the Wildcats. They are also dealing with injuries to key wrestlers, which resulted in forfeits in the 106, 113, and 170-pound classes....
The Niwot girls swim & dive team beat Thompson Valley in the first dual of the season, their first win over the historically strong Eagles "in years," said head coach Sarah Stamp....
The 2018-19 season of Niwot boys basketball began much the same way the 2017-18 season did—with a hard fought win over cross-town rival Frederick, coached by former NHS coach Enoch Miller. But senior forward Dom Luthens is confident that his team’s close bond means that this season won’t end the same way last season did— without winning another game. “We’ve grown together on the court more since last season,” Luthens said after his layup at the buzzer secured the 73-71 win for Niwot in thei... Full story
The 2018-19 season didn’t start off on the best foot, but Niwot head basketball coach Terri Ward saw a lot of potential in her untested team over the course of its 44-34 loss to neighboring Frederick on Nov. 28. “I think a lot of it was first game jitters,” she said. “A lot of good things happened, but a lot bad’s going to happen at the same time. If it were February first I would be worried, but it’s not, so I’m good.” Both teams were definitely in early season form, as turnovers and o... Full story
There will be quite a few new faces on the Cougars’ varsity bench this season, so head girls basketball coach Terri Ward will be relying on a time-tested strategy to get Niwot back to the top of the Northern League. “We’re just going to have to bust it playing defense,” Ward said of the 2018-19 team, which is returning just a handful of varsity players from last year’s roster. “Whether we’re matching up player to player, or doing a zone press, that’s what our identity is going to have to be t...
When Layla Roebke joined the Niwot girls cross country team this season, it didn’t just add another talented runner to the roster. She also proved to be a crucial ingredient in head coach Kelly Christensen’s state championship formula. With a personal-best time of 18 minutes 29 seconds, the newcomer claimed an upset win in this year’s Class 4A title race and led the Cougars to their first ever team title. “Obviously, we couldn’t have done many of the things we did without having her,” Chr... Full story
Just days after their exhilarating run in this year’s Class 4A state tournament, four key members of Niwot’s historic 2018 volleyball squad signed early letters of intent to continue their careers in the collegiate ranks. “It's such a small population that gets to play at the next level,” Niwot athletic director Chase McBride said while introducing signers Emma Falk, Zoe Gonzales, Audrey Richard and Madison Schoeder. “We are all proud of you and it's been such a fun month that you’ve gi... Full story
With barely time to catch their breath after winning the 2018 Class 4A state championship meet late last month, members of the Niwot girls cross country team traveled to Casa Grande, AZ, for the Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regional on Nov. 17. Thousands of high school runners from teams in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah competed in the meet, one of eight regional qualifying events for the 15th annual Nike Cross National Championships coming up on Dec. 1 in Portland, Ore....
The Niwot football team didn’t win many games in 2018, but it was, by many measures, the most successful season in years. Thanks to dynamic individual performances and strong team chemistry, the Cougars were competitive in most of their games, and showed clear and consistent improvement on both sides of the ball. To be sure, a number of factors contributed to the memorable season, but for head coach Jeremy Lanter, the play and positive leadership of senior DaeMonte Terry are two of the most i... Full story
The Niwot volleyball team had many weapons at its disposal this season, and one of the most effective was the irrepressible cheer of senior Katie Hirsh. “That girl gets us pumped up and fired up,” head coach Daisha Agho said of the setter turned defensive specialist. “She takes us out of huddles every single time because of her spunk and her attitude. When things are looking down, we look to Katie to get a spark.” Things were certainly looking down for the Cougars at this year’s Class 4A state... Full story
The Niwot cheer squad is going to have to get a bigger trophy case. On Nov. 3, the Cougars took first place in the varsity show cheer competition at the USA Rocky Mountain Classic in Broomfield and qualified for a bid to the national competition in Anaheim, Calif., next February. According to Head Cheerleader Savannah Parrot, her team’s ‘clean’ routines were the key to victory. “We can’t control how quickly we advance with our skills, but we can control how clean we are with the skills th... Full story
Niwot’s weekend at the Denver Coliseum for 2018 Class 4A state volleyball championships had a theatrical quality to it. There were hard-fought rivalry wins, a devastating injury to a key player, inspirational performances and finally, an unlikely trip to Niwot’s first state championship match in nearly three decades. What the Cougars didn’t get was a Hollywood ending. Real-life powerhouse Lewis Palmer saw to that with an anti-climactic sweep in the finals (11-25, 15-25, 10-25). But if finis... Full story
Fresh off the heels of his school’s second team state championship of the 2018 fall sports season, Niwot assistant principal and athletic director Chase McBride announced that he will be taking his talents to the next level. Effective after the 2018-19 school year, McBride will replace the retiring Rob Berry as Executive Director of Athletics, Fine Arts, PE and Health for the St. Vrain Valley Schools. “It’s such a successful district and there are such good ADs within the district, that I could... Full story
The Cougars are headed back to the semifinals after a hard-fought, four-set victory over Holy Family (25-22, 28-26, 20-25, 27-25) on day two of the Class 4A state volleyball championships at the Denver Coliseum. Unfortunately, that win may have come at a high price. During the final play of the match, senior Audrey Richard suffered what looked to be a serious injury in a collision with a Holy Family player, and is questionable for Saturday’s match against the winner of No. 4 Longmont vs. No. 2... Full story
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... Full story
The Niwot gymnastics team claimed the school’s second state crown in less than a week with a stirring win at the 2018 Class 4A championship meet, held Nov. 2 at Thornton High School. Led by senior captain Lindsay Chohon and newcomer Hattie Katechis, the Cougars scored 181.500 team points to win this year’s title, the sixth in the program’s history. “I’m at a loss for words,” head coach Marisa Purcell said after winning the championship, her second as head coach. “I’m proud of them for coming... Full story
On Nov. 2, the No. 3 seed Niwot clinched their third consecutive bid to the state championships with wins over No. 36 Mullen (25-13, 25-13, 25-13) and No. 22 Thomas Jefferson (25-8, 25-27, 25-16, 25-17) in the Class 4A regional 3 tournament. "I'm very happy," Niwot head coach Daisha Agho said. "That's obviously the outcome we wanted." The 2018 Class 4A volleyball championships are slated for Nov. 8-10 at the Denver Coliseum. The Cougars head into the newly configured state tournament as the No.... Full story
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... Full story
VOLLEYBALL Sarah Falk (Niwot) has played eight matches for Sacramento State this fall. Falk, a redshirt freshman, is a middle blocker. After seeing action in only three of the first 18 games, she has played in five of the last eight games. Falk has five kills on the season in 10 attacks, with only one error. Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) played her first collegiate match for Stanford University in a 3-0 victory over West Virginia Sept. 1. Fidelak, who is listed as an outside hitter/opposite on the r...
With two of the top three finishers in the all-around competition, the Niwot gymnastics team took first in this year's Class 4A state championship meet, held Nov. 2 at Thornton high school....
There wasn’t much to celebrate after Niwot’s 42-0 home loss to Fort Morgan on Oct. 25, but head coach Jeremy Lanter doesn’t think there’s reason to despair, either. “We had the worst second quarter we’ve had in football,” Lanter said after the squad gave up three touchdowns to the fourth-ranked Mustangs. “But the kids came out in the third quarter and they didn’t give up, and they kept working, and they started playing for each other, and that certainly makes the old guy proud.” The Cougars moun...
If Niwot head coach Daisha Agho had many serious concerns about her squad heading into the postseason, then their play down the stretch against the top teams in Class 4A and 5A went a long way to quell them. Led by the senior trio of Emma Falk, Zoe Gonzales and Audrey Richard, the Cougars posted rousing victories against Longmont and Holy Family, then closed out the regular season by taking three out of four matches in the two-day Ponderosa Tournament, held Oct. 26-27. For Agho, the team’s f...
Niwot’s Ares Reading was not satisfied with his 11th-place finish at the cross country championships a year ago, so he decided to take a new approach for his senior year. Hoping to shake off the lingering effects of moving from California to a mile above sea level, Reading embarked on a grueling off-season workout program with his teammates over the summer in a bid for faster times. “The season before the season is where the work really gets put in, so I decided to focus on that,” he said.... Full story
Niwot star Cruz Culpepper capped off his sensational 2018 season by taking first overall at the Class 4A state championships, held Oct. 27 in Colorado Springs. Despite struggling “a bit” during the hilly second mile, the junior finished in 15 minutes, 48 seconds to claim his first-ever individual state title. “I didn’t have my best day, but I felt solid,” Culpepper said about his performance. Niwot’s Ares Reading came in just behind his teammate, as he has in nearly all of their races this...
Long months of hard work and sacrifice paid off in the most satisfying way for the Niwot girls cross country team at this year’s Class 4A state championships, held Oct. 27 at the Norris-Penrose Center in Colorado Springs. Led by one-two finishers Layla Roebke and Taylor James, the Cougars ended with 47 points to claim their first-ever state title, a feat made possible thanks to the unusually strong team bond forged during a grueling regular season, according to junior Joelle McDonald, who was N...
Though he hasn’t been a Niwot student for long, junior Ben Bicknell is happy with his decision to transfer from neighboring Silver Creek, especially after his weekend with coach Miikka Keronen and the boys at this year’s Class 4A Tennis Championships earlier this month. There, the junior lost just three games in a run through the No. 3 singles bracket to his first-ever state finals match. Though he ended as state runner-up, Bicknell recalled the event as “the best time I’ve had this year....
The Niwot girls put an exclamation point on their “amazing” regular season with a dominating win at the Class 4A Region 3 cross-country championships, held at Lyons High School on Oct. 18. Running in a pack, the Cougars posted four of the race’s five fastest times to claim the team title and qualified to represent Niwot at the Class 4A State Championships in Colorado Springs on Oct. 27. “We had four girls, and any one of them could have won it,” Niwot head cross-country coach Kelly Christens... Full story
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... Full story
The Cougars traveled to Greeley on Friday, Oct. 19, ready to get back into the win column against the 0-7 Northridge Grizzlies. It was a well-played game by both teams, but Niwot lost a late lead thanks to turnovers, and fell to the Grizzlies 14-12. The Cougars were ahead 12-8 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, when Niwot's sophomore quarterback Ayden Bartko threw a tough interception to give the Northridge the ball back and another chance to score. The Grizzlies took advantage and...
Picture perfect weather at Golden’s Ulysses Park served as a beautiful backdrop for a not-so-beautiful performance by the Niwot softball team at the Class 4A Region 4 tournament on Oct. 13. Thanks to uneven defense and an uncharacteristically tepid offense, the 20th-ranked Cougars dropped two of three games on the day, bringing their first post-season run since 2015 to an earlier than hoped for end. “We got off to a slow start,” Niwot Head Coach Bobby Matthews said. “I don’t know if it was ne...
Niwot tennis coach Miikka Keronen normally isn’t one to be content with a second-place finish, but even he had a hard time finding fault with the Cougars’ performance at last weekend’s Class 4A state tournament in Pueblo. Niwot placed a finalist in five of the seven championship matches and had two more in Saturday’s playback finals. Unfortunately, they ran up against an opponent that came within one match of making it into the Class 4A tennis record books. “I felt like we did not underachi... Full story
Niwot picked up its fifth straight conference win at home over Greeley Central on Oct. 11, thanks to some hard kills by their big middle hitters, Emma Falk and Zoe Gonzales. However, those impressive individual efforts were nearly overshadowed by a lack of discipline down the stretch, prompting concern from Cougar head coach Daisha Agho. “I’m not really excited about the way we played in the third set,” Agho said. Niwot won the first two handily (25-13, 25-10), but allowed Greeley Central to st... Full story
The Niwot softball team has earned a trip to the postseason for the first time since 2015, thanks in large part to newcomer Ayva McComas, who has been a powerful threat for the Cougars on both offense and defense this year. According to Niwot Head Coach Bobby Matthews, the freshman’s “team first mentality” has also proved a powerful force among her teammates. “She is a huge leader on the team and does it without saying anything,” he wrote in an email. “Not too many practices has she gone home w...
The Niwot boys tennis team capped off their best regular season since 2015 with a dominating performance at the Class 4A Region 5 tournament, held Oct. 3-4 at the Longmont Rec. Center. Niwot swept all seven championship matches and qualified for a team berth to the state tournament, which opens at Pueblo’s City Park on Oct. 11. Going to the Class 4A state tournament is nothing new for the Cougars—they’ve finished among the top three teams there in nine of the past ten years—but head coach Miikka...
The three-win Niwot football team fell back to earth a bit after a 47-17 thumping by the previously winless Thompson Valley Eagles at Everly-Montgomery field on Oct. 4. The Cougar offense moved the ball well against the Eagles, but a penchant for miscues and turnovers reared its ugly head once again, dooming the Cougars to their first loss since Aug. 30. “They’re certainly better than an 0-5 team,” Niwot Head Coach Jeremy Lanter said after his team’s first loss in the new Class 3A North Valley...
Niwot’s rejiggered infield wasn’t perfect in the 6-4 extra-inning win over Ft. Lupton on Sept. 29, but “some big, giant plays” on defense not only saved the game for the Cougars, but also gave the team some momentum heading into the crucial last week of the season. “Everybody, defensively, was locked in,” Head Coach Bobby Matthews said. “We had a few mistakes here and there, but at the beginning of the year, we said ‘minimize the damage,’ and that’s what we did today…. I think this game goes...
On Friday, Sept. 28, Niwot traveled to Gypsum where the Cougars picked up a 20-14 victory over Eagle Valley, which was celebrating homecoming. Niwot sophomore quarterback Ayden Bartko attempted nine passes and completed five for 95 yards, an average of 19.0 yards per completion. On the ground, Niwot had 36 carries for 160 yards and three touchdowns, one by junior Eric Ruiz, who ended the night with 63 yards rushing. Junior Julian Molina scored the other two TDs, and had a total of 52 yards rushi...
The Niwot boys tennis team is headed back to the Class 4A state championships, after another dominating performance in the Region 5 tournament on Oct. 4. Niwot players took first in all seven championship matches, and advance to next week’s state tournament in Pueblo as number one seeds from the region. The Cougars closed out the regular season with a 10-1 overall record, with their only loss coming on Sept. 25 at the hands of Colorado Academy, one of the top programs in the state and a p...
