All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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On Saturday Mar. 11, the Niwot track and field teams got up in the wee hours and headed south for the CSU-Pueblo Early Bird Invitational. Niwot junior Mary Gillett won four individual events in the girls meet, the most by any single runner on the day. She secured the first place medal in the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.67 seconds, and was also the fastest girl at 200 (26:03), and 400 meters (57.76). In the long-jump, Gillett tied senior teammate Alexis Carroll for the top-spot, with a leap...
As anyone who has ever had to attend an outdoor sporting event in Colorado in March can tell you, bad weather is the rule, not the exception. (And yes, you will need that coat, even if it seems perfectly nice right now. You might want to grab your gloves, too.) So when Niwot girls golf Head Coach Ed Weaver woke up to rain on the morning of his team’s season-opening tournament, he wasn’t terribly shocked. But just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it’s comfortable, and it certainly doesn’t m...
If you ask Niwot girls soccer coach Stephen Dimit which half was better for his team in their 3-0 win over the Skyview Wolverines, you might get a surprising answer. In a burst of opening-day excitement, the Cougars scored three goals in quick-succession early on, essentially winning the game before Skyview players knew what hit them. But in the second half, the Cougars played at a more disciplined pace, and Dimit sees this as a better measure of his team’s strength. “We were all surprised to...
The Niwot High School girls tennis team opened the season on Wednesday, March 8 with a dominant 7-0 win at home over Colorado Academy. Head coach Aimee Keronen had earlier predicted a tough match, calling Colorado Academy “one of the more challenging opponents” on the schedule. Niwot encountered little resistance, rolling to straight-set victories in all but one of the afternoon’s seven matches. At number one singles, Taylor Thulson won 6-2, 6-2. “I surprised myself a little bit,” said Thulson,...
Niwot senior Jake Butler recently signed a Letter of Intent to play golf at Midland University (Fremont, NE). Butler, a four-year varsity player, led the team to its first ever appearance to the 2016 State Championship as a Team. He tied for third in the 2016 Class 4A Northern Regional, and was Second Team All-Conference. He is also on the All-Star Academic Team for both CHSAA and Junior Golf Association of Colorado and has been ranked in the top 25 in the Rocky Mountain Region during the summer tour. “The recruiting process was stressful a...
It’s that winning formula envied by high school coaches in every sport: veteran leadership with playoff exposure plus developing talent with the potential to surprise. In the constant turnover of high school sports rosters, that can be a rare combination, but Niwot girls soccer Head Coach Stephen Dimit thinks he’s found it in the 2017 Cougars squad. “All the pieces are there,” he said. “It’s an interesting blend of a lot of experience and then some new players and different positions.... Full story
Niwot head golf coach Ed Weaver is clear about the challenges the Niwot girls golf team faces this season. “It’s truly in a rebuilding year,” he said. In 2016, the Cougars placed third at the 4A Northern Regional, and were just two strokes away from qualifying for state as a team. But both of last year’s state qualifiers graduated, and this year’s projected number-one, junior Rosie Setter, suffered an ACL-tear during a basketball game in January, and will miss the entire golf season. Weaver hims... Full story
The Silver Creek boys swim team is heading into the 2017 season under the steady guidance of Coach Debbie Stewart, who is entering her 16th year as the team’s head coach. This year’s squad has 38 swimmers, with students from Niwot, Mead and Erie high schools joining those from Silver Creek. Stewart said that there are no tryouts, and that the team welcomes all comers. This can present a bit of a challenge, with team members who have been competitive swimmers for years practicing alongside others who are relative newbies to the sport. This is...
When asked about his team’s prospect for the upcoming season, longtime Niwot head baseball coach Craig McBride answered the predictable question in an interesting way. “Well, of course I hope we’ve improved. We’re a senior-heavy team. We have a good chance to go deep into the playoffs if our pitching goes well,” he said. “Of course, that’s what every coach will tell you. But we definitely feel good about the potential that we have this year.” That potential includes several returning varsi... Full story
The Niwot boys basketball season came to a heartbreaking end last Wednesday, with a 73-69 loss to the Elizabeth Cardinals in the first round of the 4A state playoffs. Though the offense struggled most of the night, a 30-19 scoring run by the Cougars in the fourth quarter put a playoff win tantalizingly within reach in the game’s final seconds. But unfortunately for the Cougars and their fans, the comeback fell just short, and the would-be Cinderella story didn’t get its happy ending. Car...
The Niwot boys wrapped up their regular season last week with a win against the last place Centaurus Warriors (4-17) followed by a loss to first place Northridge (19-3). The Cougars finished with an overall 10-13 mark, and went 6-8 in the Northern League. In the CHSAA’s final RPI standings, Niwot was ranked 36th, and will play 29th-ranked Elizabeth in an away game for the first round of the Class 4A playoffs. For Niwot head coach Preston Hardy, the jury is still out on his team’s overall per... Full story
Niwot High Athletic Director Chase McBride has posted an opening for a new volleyball coach at Niwot. Preston Brown, who has coached the Cougars for the past four years, submitted his resignation, citing demands on his time due to work. The Cougars won the Northern League with a perfect 14-0 record last season before losing to Holy Family in a quarterfinal match at state....
Before the 2016-17 season began, Niwot head coach Terri Ward felt her team had a good chance to make the playoffs, even if no one else really did. So it was a heartbreaking end to what was supposed to be their redemption season when the Niwot girls basketball team found itself out of the 2017mplayoff picture by just a whisker. “We were .0364 away from going,” explained Niwot head coach Terri Ward. “If we win one more game somewhere, that’s all it would have taken.” When the CHSAA’s final regul...
In a puzzling turn of events, the Niwot boys basketball team followed their inspiring win over the Longmont Trojans on Feb. 3 with three straight losses, including a 64-36 blowout loss to Mountain View in their worst offensive performance of the year. The Cougars also fell to Thompson Valley (68-54), despite a convincing win over the Eagles earlier this season, and then experienced another double-digit blowout, this time at the hands of Silver Creek (83-58). For head coach Preston Hardy, the slu... Full story
The resurgent Niwot girls swim team capped off an exciting regular season with a ninth-place finish at the Class 4A state championships last weekend, the first top-10 finish since 2014. Senior diver Maddie Barkow wrapped-up her remarkable career with a third-place finish, while freshman Payten Irwin nabbed two top-five finishes on the day, in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle relay. Niwot brought back finalists to eight of the meet’s twelve events, including two of the three relays. For h...
Niwot High Athletic Director Chase McBride announced Wednesday that Jeremy Lanter, an assistant coach and math teacher at Berthoud High School, has been hired as head coach of the Niwot football program. Lanter replaces Dylan Hollingsworth, who was suspended from teaching and coaching after an incident involving a student in a weight training class. An assault charge against Hollingsworth is pending. Lanter has served as the defensive coordinator at Berthoud for the past several years, and was on the staff there when McBride was the athletic di...
Madison Barkow Niwot three-sport star Maddie Barkow knew she wanted to play soccer to the University of Northern Colorado since her sophomore year of high school. On Feb. 1, she made it official, signing a national letter of intent with UNC. “The coach wanted me early on,” Barkow said in explaining her choice. “He believed in me after I tore my ACL during my sophomore year.” Barkow gave veteran UNC coach Tim Barrera her verbal commitment while recovering from the injury two years ago, and nev...
Niwot junior Mary Gillett didn’t hesitate when asked what the key was to her team’s victory over the Longmont Trojans last Friday Night. “We focused on running the floor and getting back and guarding our players” she said. “We went back to our fundamental defense, and that’s what we thrive off of.” “Defense makes an easy offense,” added her junior teammate Sophie Grant. “If you work hard on defense, the offense just comes.” The offense has been coming pretty easily to the Cougars lately. In it... Full story
It’s hard to beat any opponent more than once in a high school wrestling season, let alone your arch-rival and closest competitor. So, when Tommy Stager and Mountain View junior Erik Contreras faced off for the third time last Thursday night at 145 pounds, it was anybody’s match. For head coach Bobby Matthews, however, the outcome of his star senior’s final regular season match was never in doubt. “Tommy’s had a knack for beating kids multiple times once he figures them out,” he said. Stage... Full story
Last week was a big week for Niwot senior Madison Barkow. On Wednesday, she signed a letter of intent to play collegiate soccer at the University of Northern Colorado. Then, on Saturday, she captured her fourth consecutive Northern League diving title. For head swim coach Sarah Stamp, competitors like Barkow, who was also a member of Niwot’s gymnastics team, don’t come along too often. “Three-sport athletes who are so good in all three sports are hard to come by,” she said. “Maddie winning t...
The last time the Niwot boys basketball team beat the Longmont Trojans—on January 12, 2007—the world was a much different place. Earlier that week, on the 9th, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone to the world for the first time, though devices wouldn’t reach customers for another six months. And later that week, on the 16th, Barack Obama, a relatively unknown junior senator from Illinois, launched an exploratory committee to asses a potential bid for his party’s nomination in the 2008 pr...
Niwot boys basketball Coach Preston Hardy knew his team faced an uphill climb on the road against the Northridge Grizzlies last Tuesday night. “They are good, real good,” he said ahead of last week’s matchup. But following the Cougars’ 76-48 loss to the Grizzlies, he became convinced that Northridge is a state championship contender. “They are by far the best team that we’ve played,” he said. “Their seniors have been playing varsity since their sophomore year, and that experience is r...
At the Thornton Invitational last weekend, Niwot senior Tommy Stager won a 9-5 decision over Rangeview’s Deron Solomon in the 145-pound championship match to capture his fifth consecutive tournament title. Stager’s record improved to 33-2 on the season, and he remains first in Tim Yount’s On the Mat rankings for the 4A 145-pound division. Stager’s 28 team points propelled his team to a 14th place finish (out of 21). Junior Jose Lopez (285 pounds) lost to Parker North-Wanner of Florence in the... Full story
The Niwot girls swim team wrapped up the regular season with a non-conference dual against the Windsor Wizards, the last competition before the Northern Conference meet on Feb. 3-4. While most teams are taking a break ahead of the league event, Niwot Coach Sarah Stamp wanted to give her girls one more chance to drop their times. “Windsor is a really good, super-fast team,” she said ahead of the matchup. “The coach and I added this meet to our schedules so our girls who are still on the borde...
From the outside looking in, it’s been a tough stretch for the Niwot girls basketball team. Winners of just two of the last five games, the short-handed Cougars have struggled to keep key veterans such as Mary Gillett and Y.Y. Chen out of foul trouble and on the court in the late going. With just seven full-time varsity players on the roster, Niwot’s lack of depth has become a factor. But head coach Terri Ward doesn’t think it’s time to hit the panic button yet. “There’s not a team in the leag...
Even though it wasn’t a win, for head coach Sarah Stamp, her team’s razor-thin loss to rival Silver Creek at the All City Meet last weekend was still pretty special. “When I scored it out on paper, we were down 40 points,” admitted the coach. “To close that gap down to one point is a very impressive feat by the girls.” Not only did the Cougars win six of the meet’s 12 events, but they did so in upset fashion. “We weren’t slated to win more than two of the events,” Stamp said. “But we rallied and...
The Niwot girls basketball team has finally hit the wall. After losing several key veterans to injury, Coach Terri Ward is down to her last seven full-time varsity players, and the added minutes are taking their toll. After surprising everyone with two short-handed wins the week before, the Cougars were clearly feeling the strain in the second full week of conference play. On Jan. 17, Niwot fell to the Thompson Valley Eagles 52-43, after being blown-out 17-6 in the final quarter. “It’s just har...
Don’t look now, but the Niwot boys basketball team is on a bit of a roll. The Cougars notched two conference victories last week, including a 64-57 upset over the Thompson Valley Eagles, a team that has been on brink of a top-10 4A ranking all season. Two days later, Niwot breezed past the Centaurus Warriors 63-54. With the wins, the Cougars improved to 7-7 overall, and 3-2 in the Northern League. In their eight games since returning from the school break, they are 5-3 and averaging nearly 59 po...
The Niwot Cougars posted their most decisive win of the season Jan. 19, coming away with a 60-18 win over Silver Creek on the home mats. While several of the matches were forfeits, Niwot posted wins in four out of the six contested matches. “It was a solid win and we came out with a lot more passion than we have had up to this point,” Head Coach Bobby Matthews said. “I was very happy to have this performance in front of our alumni.” Matthews had invited all former Niwot wrestlers to the match,...
And then there were eight. That’s how many players Niwot head coach Terri Ward was able to field in last week’s rivalry game against Longmont. In the first two weeks of 2017, the Cougars have lost four varsity players to injury, including junior Rosie Setter, who is out for the season, and junior Allie Mercier, who is out with a high ankle sprain. Without the services of key veteran players, the depleted squad seemed doomed to struggle in the first weeks of conference play. Somebody forgot to...
The Niwot boys basketball team committed nearly 50 turnovers in two games last week, including a season-high 26 in a 65-49 loss to the Mountain View Mountain Lions on Jan. 12. Errant passes on three consecutive possessions late in the fourth quarter dashed a Cougars comeback attempt, and doomed Niwot to their seventh loss of the season. The pounding by Mountain View came on the heels of a 57-41 fall to the Longmont Trojans on Jan. 10, another turnover prone game for the Cougars. Head coach Prest... Full story
The Niwot wrestling team witnessed history at the Frederick Warrior Invite on Jan. 14, and not just because of Tommy Stager. Last weekend’s meet featured seven girls-only brackets, making it the first girls-specific high school wrestling event in the state of Colorado. More than 80 female wrestlers from 42 different Colorado schools (and one in Nebraska) competed on Saturday, and tournament organizers hope it helps the growing sport’s visibility. Currently, the Colorado High School Act... Full story
The Niwot girls swim team cruised to a 121-59 victory over the visiting Greeley Central Wildcats at Centennial Pool on Jan. 10. Niwot swimmers captured 10 of the meet’s 12 first place medals, including freshman Stacey Bui, who recorded victories in the 200 IM (2:43.87) and 100 backstroke (1:11.88). There were no new state qualifying swims for the Cougars, but Maddie Barkow’s 211.10 points in the dive event did surpass the state qualifying threshold. Sophomore Ella Thramann had a solid out...
Tommy Stager continued his march through the Niwot record books at the Gary Daum Classic last Saturday, and claimed yet another pair of firsts on the way. In front of his home crowd, Stager needed just 1 minute 38 seconds of the 145-pound championship match to pin Monarch senior Hunter Pape, becoming the first Cougar wrestler since 2013 to win at the meet honoring the legendary Niwot coach who passed away in 2012. It was Stager’s first Gary Daum title, though he was a runner-up in 2014 and 2... Full story
Before last weekend, Niwot senior guard Jackson Kolakowski was a reliable yet unassuming presence in the Cougar offence. With a team-best 3.4 assists per game, he seemed content to create chances for his teammates, rather than take the flashy shots himself. But at last weekend’s Rough Rider tournament at Roosevelt High, Kolakowski grabbed a bit of spotlight for himself. In three games, he scored 27 points, including 18 in the Cougars’ 2-overtime 79-70 victory over Pueblo County on Saturday. He a...
Niwot head coach Terri Ward didn’t expect any miracles from her team at Roosevelt High’s Roughrider Shootout last weekend. In fact, between illness, injury, and last minute schedule changes, she considered it a miracle that she even had enough players to field a team. So no one was more surprised than Ward when the Cougars not only won two of their three games, but did so by the largest margins of the season. “I’ll be honest; the teams we played weren’t that great,” said the coach. “But…we hav...
The Niwot girls swim team was dominant in its first dual of the season, beating the Centaurus Warriors 129-54 at the Veteran’s Memorial Aquatic Center on Jan. 3. Cougar swimmers captured the top spot in 11 of 12 events, and freshman Payten Irwin finished first in two individual and two relay events. For head coach Sarah Stamp, it was a nice way to start January. “It was a little odd having our first dual this late,” said Stamp. “But the team did a fantastic job.” Sophomore Kristi Vu became th...
HOCKEY One of the country’s top collegiate hockey players, Andrew Sturtz of Penn State, is the nephew of Niwot residents Brad and Jane Langdon. Sturtz is from Buffalo, NY, and is currently a sophomore forward for the Nittany Lions. As a freshman, he led the team in goals with 18, which was the fifth-most in the country by a freshman. The performance earned him the freshman of the year award. His first goal for Penn State was named the NCAA’s No. 1 Play of the Week on Oct. 23, 2015, coming agains...
Due to school closures today, basketball games have been rescheduled. Friday, January 6 Girls Basketball: Roughrider Shootout vs Steamboat Springs (Roosevelt HS, 8:30 am) Boys Basketball: Roughrider Shootout vs. Steamboat Springs (Roosevelt HS, 5:30 pm) Saturday, January 7 Girls Basketball: Roughrider Shootout vs Pueblo County (Roosevelt HS, 11:30 am) Roughrider Shootout vs Conifer (Roosevelt HS, 2:30 pm) Boys Basketball:Roughrider Shootout vs Skyview (Roosevelt HS, 8:30 am) Roughrider Shootout vs Pueblo County (Roosevelt HS, 4:00...
Before the season began, Niwot girls swimming Coach Sarah Stamp knew some of her freshmen had the potential to make an impact on the team right away. But even she was impressed by freshman Peyton Irwin’s high school swimming debut at the elite Colorado Coaches Invitational on Dec. 17. The Niwot ninth-grader qualified for state in three events, including the 100 butterfly, where her time of 58.22 seconds was good for fifth overall, and broke the school record of 58.32. Irwin also qualified in t... Full story
Niwot senior Adam Barber has been in the groove lately. In his last two games, the 6-foot-3 forward has scored 37 points, including 21 from three-point range, while nabbing 11 rebounds and four steals. In the Cougars’ Dec. 19th game at the Pepsi Center, Barber hit four three-pointers on his way to a 20-point game, but could not power his team past the Standley Lake Gators, who handed the Cougars their fourth defeat of the season, 52-41. The Cougars came out of the gate quickly against the G...
The Niwot girls basketball team handed the Skyview Wolverines their first loss of the season, in a low scoring affair at the Pepsi Center on the Monday before Christmas. Skyview, which averaged 55 points through its first six games , managed just seven points in the first half, while the Cougars scored 18 for the second game in a row. The Wolverines doubled their offensive output in the second half, but it would not be enough to overcome the lopsided start, and Niwot went on to win 34-21. Sophom... Full story
Senior Tommy Stager is making a statement in his final season as a Cougar. On Dec. 9, at the Charlie Lake Dual Tournament in Cheyenne, Stager earned his 135th career victory, surpassing older brother Nick’s school record of 134. But that was just one of the 3-time state qualifier’s milestones on the young season. On Dec. 8, Stager won his first high school match at 145 pounds, pinning Longmont’s Zane Lovato. He wrapped up the busy weekend with a second-place win at the Charlie Lake Invitational...
The Niwot girls’ basketball team returned to its defensive roots last Tuesday night, as the Cougars cruised to a 47-34 victory against cross-town rival Skyline. Employing a full-court press, Niwot forced 28 turnovers, and held the Falcons to their second-lowest point total of the year. For head coach Terri Ward, it was important to remind the team where their strengths lie. “We hadn’t been playing great defense,” Ward said, “so we started emphasizing and talking about it in practice....
Sometimes, the shots just don’t fall. Unfortunately for the Niwot boys basketball team, that’s been the story so far this season. Through its first five games, the Cougars are 2-3, with a field goal percentage under 35%. But head coach Preston Hardy isn’t too concerned about his team’s shooting woes. “We did not return a lot of varsity experience from last year,” he said. “Right now, we are getting used to shooting in intense atmospheres. Once we become comfortable, our shots will fall.” In the...
While most people are busy preparing for the upcoming winter holidays, Boulder Country Club (BCC) is already making plans for spring. The club has been selected by the University of Colorado Men’s Golf Program to host the 2017 Pac 12 championships April 28 through April 30. “It is a real honor for Boulder Country Club that the school selected us as the hosting course,” said Kate Kippenberger, the club’s communications and membership director. “We hosted the women’s [championship] event in 20...
Going into their game against the Holy Family Tigers (3-1), Cougars head coach Preston Hardy knew his team was facing an uphill battle. “We will have our hands full,” he remarked prior to the game. “They are one of the best 4A programs in the state.” Unfortunately for the Cougar faithful, the Tigers did their best to prove Hardy correct, cruising to a 70-40 victory over Niwot last Tuesday night. With the loss, the Cougars fell to 1-2 on the season, with three non-conference games to go before...
Unable to overcome a scoreless first quarter, the Niwot girls dropped their Dec. 5 road opener to the Mead Mavericks, 47-39. The loss moves the Cougars to 1-2 on the season, with three games left before the winter break. The Mavericks jumped out of the gate quickly, scoring an easy field goal on their first possession. They would go on to score 13 points in the quarter, while keeping the Cougars off the board entirely. Niwot junior Allie Colvin finally got things going offensively for the Cougar...
The Niwot girls swimming team kicked off the 2016-17 season by taking the third-place medal at the Valley Viking Invitational, held Dec. 2-3 at Gilcrest High School. Earning 211 team points, the Cougars had top five finishers in seven of the meet’s 12 events, including three of the top five spots in the 100 freestyle. Two of its relay teams qualified for state, including the 200 freestyle team, whose time of 1:48.74 was good for first place in the event. Niwot head coach Sarah Stamp was e... Full story
