All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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The Niwot Cougars Cheerleading placed 18th at last weekend’s 4A State Spirit Championships, out of a field of 35. Though it wasn’t as high a finish she’d hoped, coach Ashley Poindexter is nonetheless thrilled with her team and their development during the season. “I’m extremely proud of our state performance,” she said. “Compared to the beginning of the year, we looked like a totally different team as we had improved so much.” With a team score of 61.8, Niwot bested local rivals Holy Family (60... Full story
On opening night in front of the home crowd, sophomore Thomas Bounds scored a game-high 21 points as the Cougars coasted to a 66-40 victory over the Frederick Warriors. “It’s always nice to win the first one,” Niwot head basketball Coach Preston Hardy said. Bounds, making his varsity debut for Niwot, had three of the team’s 11 three-pointers, and made eight free throws on nine attempts. Defensively, he chipped in with four steals and a block. “Tommy Bounds really stepped up,” Hardy said of his...
The Cougars kicked off their 2016-17 season with an impressive 55-43 victory over the Frederick Warriors at home last Wednesday night. Sophomore center Zoe Gonzales led all scorers, with 18 points, while nabbing 11 rebounds. The six-foot-three Gonzales also had seven blocks. Meanwhile, her junior teammates Allie Colvin and Sophie Grant combined for another 20 points, leading Niwot to scoring heights rarely seen last season. For head coach Terri Ward, now in her fourth year after returning from...
Niwot No. 1 singles player Matthew Chavez has been named to the BoCoPreps.com All-Region Team for 2016. Chavez, the Niwot team’s captain, finished his senior season with a record of 9-1 overall, and was undefeated in league play. At the Class 4A Region 5 tournament, Chavez topped rival Brett Finan of Peak to Peak Charter to capture the third regional title of his high school career. He went on to finish fourth overall at the 2016 state championship tournament, held Oct. 13-15 in Pueblo. R... Full story
It was quite a year for Chicago Cubs prospect David Bote, son of former Niwot High baseball coach Bob Bote. The younger Bote began the season as the fifth infielder for the Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League. Bote, who has played every position except catcher in his pro career, was a super utility player, with most of his playing time coming at second base. After seeing action in only six games in April, the 23-year old was placed on the disabled list for a month, with no...
Despite a 25th-place finish at last year’s Class 4A State Championship meet, Niwot girls swimming head coach Sarah Stamp doesn’t think her team is in a rebuilding mode. “If you look at our season last year, we placed in the top five at invites and won most of our duals,” she said. “We had a lot of strong swimmers, just not enough to get us to that top ten placement at state,” Coach Stamp, however, is optimistic that this year she has the depth that will help her team down the stretch. “O...
Niwot junior Mackenzie Fidelak was named to the 2016 Colorado High School Activities Association volleyball all-state second team last week, while senior Brynn Chavez received honorable mention. Fidelak led the Cougars to an 18-9 overall record, the 4A Region 11 crown, and a thrilling run in the 2016 state championship tournament. The 6-foot-3 opposite hitter had 331 kills on the season, which was the sixth highest total in Class 4A, and second highest in the Northern League. Her hitting...
Tommy Stager Niwot wrestler Tommy Stager will take his considerable talents on the mat to the Air Force Academy next year. Stager, a senior, signed a national letter of intent Nov. 10 to wrestle at the Academy next year after considering offers from Princeton, the University of Chicago, Washington & Lee and Colorado School of Mines. Stager earned a bronze medal last summer at the AAU tournament, narrowly missing All-American status. Stager’s overall record for the 2015-2016 campaign was 1... Full story
With barely time to catch their breath after the state championship meet late last month, several runners from the Niwot boys and girls cross country teams traveled to Casa Grande, AZ, for the Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regional on Nov. 19. More than 2,500 runners from teams in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah competed in the meet, one of eight regional qualifying events for the Nike Cross National Championship coming up on Dec. 3 in Portland, Ore. Colorado was well represented...
BASEBALL Sean Ratliff (Niwot) began his professional coaching career as hitting coach for the Kingsport Mets in 2015. In 2016 Ratliff moved up to the Brooklyn Cyclones, the short-season Class A affiliate of the Mets. And this fall he coached in the Instructional League, where his prize pupil, Tim Tebow, homered on the first pitch he saw. Ratliff was drafted by the Mets out of Stanford University, where he starred in the College World Series. He worked his way up to Class AA in the Mets organization, and appeared in several spring training... Full story
The Niwot High School softball team ended its season earlier than planned, missing the state playoffs by one spot in the rankings. Softball Head Coach Bobby Matthews knew this season would be challenging after losing eight seniors from the previous season, but was still hopeful for the young team he was putting together. The team finished with an overall record of 9-10 and a league record of 7-7. With its last game ending in a 3-2 loss to Thompson Valley, the Cougars did not advance to the playoffs. Matthews said his players worked hard through...
Going into last weekend’s Class 4A state volleyball tournament at the Denver Coliseum, Cougars senior outside hitter Sarah Falk said her team was thrilled to be headed to be playing on the big stage. “The team is definitely really excited. It’s been such a fun year, and we just want to take it to that next level.” Falk, who earlier in the week signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Sacramento State, said her team was also looking forward to the weekend’s match against rival Holy Fami... Full story
The Niwot High School gymnastics team went to the 4A state gymnastics meet on Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5, coming home with a second place finish and a final score of 177.775. The reigning 4A champions from last year went into the meet state meet after coming in third at regionals with a score of 175.4, behind Green Mountain High School, 177.675, and Elizabeth High School, 176.725. Niwot was able to beat out Elizabeth High School, a tough opponent in the state meet, but finished... Full story
The Niwot High School gymnastics team went to the 4A state gymnastics meet on Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5, coming home with a second place finish and a final score of 177.775. The reigning 4A champions from last year went into the meet state meet after coming in third at regionals with a score of 175.4, behind Green Mountain High School, 177.675, and Elizabeth High School, 176.725. Niwot was able to beat out Elizabeth High School, a tough opponent in the state meet, but finished... Full story
Going into last weekend’s Class 4A state volleyball tournament at the Denver Coliseum, Cougars senior outside hitter Sarah Falk said her team was thrilled to be headed to be playing on the big stage. “The team is definitely really excited. It’s been such a fun year, and we just want to take it to that next level.” Falk, who earlier in the week signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Sacramento State, said her team was also looking forward to the weekend’s match against rival Holy Fami...
With green rally towels in hand, Niwot fans packed their home gym last Friday night to see the 11th ranked Cougars vie for a state tournament slot against No. 14 Battle Mountain and No. 26 Littleton in the Class 4A Region 11 tournament. Niwot came into the tournament losers of its last five matches, including a shutout at the Ponderosa Mustang Classic, a season-end tournament featuring Class 4A and 5A teams from the south Denver metro area. But Coach Preston Brown said he wasn’t too concerned ab...
It was an extraordinary game that should have been ordinary. With nothing at stake but pride, there didn’t seem to be much need for drama at last weekend’s Grand Junction vs. Niwot season finale. But when off-field incidents stunned both teams last week, a game that should have been ordinary became anything but. On Wednesday, Nov. 2, a Grand Junction High junior and member of the football team killed himself on school grounds shortly after school ended for the day. In the immediate aft... Full story
On Oct. 29, the Niwot boys and girls cross country teams squared off against 19 schools from around the state for the 2016 4A cross country championship meet at the Norris-Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs. “It was an exciting day, for sure,” Head Coach Kelly Christensen remarked. “But we wanted more.” The Niwot girls finished eighth overall, while the boys team took 14th. Coach Christensen was sanguine about the results, but clearly felt his teams could have placed higher. “The gi...
For 110 minutes last Wednesday, keeper Mario Munoz and the Niwot defense did what they’ve been doing all season—holding opponents scoreless. Unfortunately for the defense, however, the Cougars’ offense also did what it’s been doing all season—not converting on scoring chances. And so it would go for Niwot’s first round playoff game against the Evergreen Cougars, last year’s 4A state champs. Niwot’s defense did its job, but scoring, or, more precisely, a lack thereof, would ultimately prov...
Emotions were raw after the Cougars’ sixth straight loss last Saturday, a 54-7 drubbing at the hands of the Greeley West Spartans. Tempers flared between Niwot players while the coaches led the team through their post-game debriefing. Clearly, the strain of three straight blowout losses was taking a toll on the team. The Cougars scored quickly against the Spartans on a beautiful fall afternoon at Weld County District 6 Stadium. Senior quarterback Trae Gomez drove the Cougars 66 yards in just o...
Though it wasn’t a victory, moral or otherwise, Coach Dylan Hollingsworth was heartened by what he saw in his team against the sixth-ranked Broomfield Eagles last Friday night. “I thought we blocked better. We ran the ball better, and we passed the ball better,” he said, coming off a 62-0 loss to Loveland the week before. “I thought there was improvement across the board.” But the miscues and mental lapses that have plagued this team all season reared their ugly heads once again, dooming t... Full story
Niwot keeper Mario Munoz allowed more than two goals only two times this season: in the Cougars’ season opener, a 4-3 victory over Skyview, and in the Cougars’ final game, a 3-1 loss to crosstown rival Longmont on Oct 18. In between, Munoz and the Cougar defense allowed just 11 goals over 13 games, the fewest in the Northern League. For first year Coach Stephen Dimit, Munoz and the stout defense have been a crucial factor in the team’s success this season. “Mario is lights out,” Dimit said. “He...
Powered by Kenny Lang’s second-place medal, the Niwot boys cross country team claimed first place at the Class 4A Region 3 championship meet, held Oct. 20 at Cherry Creek State Park. With 45 team points, the Cougars edged out Northern League rival Centaurus (49) by just four points. “It was exciting,” Coach Kelly Christensen said. “The guys finally broke through that mental plateau.” Lang’s final time of 16 minutes 39 seconds was just one second slower than regional champion Trevor Smith’s (St...
The Niwot volleyball team closed out its 2016 conference schedule on Oct. 20 with a straight-set road victory over the Centaurus Warriors, 25-23, 25-14, 25-13. With the win, the Cougars extended their unbeaten streak to 12 matches, and secured first place in the Northern League, with a 12-0 record. At sixth in the CHSAA RPI rankings, the Cougars are now in prime position to host a regional tournament during the upcoming post-season. The Cougars kicked off the week with a home match on Oct. 18...
On Oct. 11, the Niwot boys soccer team faced off against rival Silver Creek in a key Northern League matchup. Going into the contest, the Raptors, who hold the Northern League’s top spot, were averaging more than 3 goals per game on 11 shots. Despite holding Silver Creek to just a single goal, by senior Miguel Toledo, his sixth of the season, Niwot was unable to find the back of the net, losing 1-0, for the fifth time this season. In fact, each Niwot loss in 2016 has been a 1-0 contest. The C...
Since 2013, Kent Denver has dominated the 4A boys state tennis tournament, winning not only the team title, but also multiple individual titles, including four of the seven brackets in 2015. Following an impressive performance in the Class 4A Region 5 tournament, where they won all seven individual titles, Niwot seemed poised to make a run at the Sun Devils in 2016. Unfortunately for Niwot, and every other team in 4A, Kent Denver seems on the brink of a dynasty. At last weekend’s state tournamen...
The Colorado high school cross country season is heading into its final stretch, and Niwot runners are staking their claim to be among the state’s championship contenders. On Oct. 7, the teams traveled to North Lake Park in Loveland to run in the Northern League meet, where they once again faced district foes Silver Creek and Longmont. Niwot junior Kenny Lang placed seventh overall in the boys race, with a time of 16 minutes, 34 seconds, while senior Jenna McCaffrey extended her streak of top 1... Full story
Niwot Head Coach Dylan Hollingsworth is pretty sure he knows what went wrong last Thursday night. “Loveland showed up to play a game and we did not,” he stated bluntly. “We have a lot of things to fix this week.” There was no single culprit in the Cougars’ meltdown against the 8th-ranked Loveland Indians. Pressed all night by a speedy Loveland defensive line, the Cougars’ offense struggled to make first downs or even move the ball out of their own territory. On the other side of the ball, Niwot...
The Niwot volleyball team continued its march toward the 4A state title last week, notching straight-set victories against hard-hitting conference opponents Longmont and Mountain View. With just two conference matches remaining in the season, the Cougars are in sole possession of first place in the Northern League and are currently ranked third in the state in CHSAA’s RPI rankings. On Oct. 11, the Cougars faced off against the crosstown rival Longmont Trojans for the second time this season. The... Full story
On Friday, Oct. 7, the Niwot boys soccer team faced Centaurus in an away game, coming away with a 2-1 victory. Niwot’s goals, both in the second half, were made by senior Alex Arnold and junior Jason Rodriguez; junior Andres Montealegre had one assist. Sophomore Mario Munoz was in the net tending the goal again for the full game, allowing only one goal while making three saves. The Cougars, currently ranked 16th in Class 4A with a 7-4 record, face rival 7th-ranked Silver Creek (9-2) on Tuesday, Oct. 11, before their last two home games of t... Full story
In the Niwot softball team’s last week of regular season games, it ended with a solid win and a close loss. The Cougars faced off against Northridge for the last home conference game, which was also senior night, on Tuesday, Oct. 4, coming out with an 11-1 win over the Grizzlies. Although the game started off slow with no runs for either team in the first two innings, Niwot picked up one run in the third inning and exploded for 10 more in the fourth. With Northridge only scoring one run in the fourth inning, the game was called early due to t... Full story
In the Niwot gymnastics team’s second to last meet in the regular season, it was able to beat out Thompson Valley for another win. Head Coach Marisa Purcell said the meet was great overall, even though the scores were lower, partially because neither team competed on vault. “Even though the score was lower, we had a lot of improvements on floor from working on jumps,” Purcell said. “Overall it looked better - that was really an improvement. Thompson valley tends to be a quick and quieter meet because it’s such a small gym.” Purcell said the gi... Full story
It’s not unusual for the Niwot boys tennis team to qualify as a team for state—they do that most years. What is unusual is how dominant the Cougars were. “Winning all seven finals was a surprise,” Cougars Head Coach Miikka Kernonen admitted. “But all season, I felt like we were prepared for it.” But a finals sweep wasn’t even the biggest news of the day for the Cougars. That honor went to Niwot’s No.1 singles player Matthew Chavez, who finally bested arch-rival Brett Finan of Peak to Peak Ch...
Going into the Oct. 4th game against Silver Creek, Niwot volleyball Coach Preston Brown had just one mission for his team: stop Rylee Anderson. A junior, Anderson has been dominant for the Raptors this year, and currently leads the Northern league in kills (249) and aces (65). “We knew we had to get a strong block on her if we were going to win,” Brown said. Sometimes, though, an athlete of Anderson’s caliber can’t be stopped, she can only be contained. Though Niwot held Anderson to her weakest...
Through six games this season, Niwot Head Coach Dylan Hollingsworth has been plagued by a mystery. “This team plays so differently from half to half,” an exasperated Hollingsworth said. “It’s like night and day.” In last Friday night’s conference opener against the Brighton Bulldogs, the Cougars were once again victims of this dichotomy. After four first half turnovers gave Brighton a 14-point lead at the half, Niwot scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter, and seemed to b...
The Niwot volleyball team posted its sixth consecutive victory last week, beating conference opponents Centaurus (4-12) and Thompson Valley (6-9) in straight sets. The Cougars moved to 8-0 in Northern League play, and 9-3 overall. Niwot is currently ranked 6th in the CHSAANOW 4A volleyball poll. On Sept. 27, the Cougars beat the Centaurus Warriors 25-22, 25-21, 25-17. Junior Mackenzie Fidelak was the star of the night for Niwot, with 12 kills and six aces, the most for any Cougar this season....
The Niwot gymnastics team came off another tough week, and not just because it didn’t win, but also because of injuries. Sophomores Erica Bortfeldt and Aleigh Trimble, who compete varsity for some events, suffered injuries at the beginning of last week. “We’re not sure if we’ll get them back or not, time will decide,” Head Coach Marisa Purcell said. Going into their two meets last week, Purcell said the girls were focusing on beam and jumps, and were able to successfully execute what they practiced at their meet against Thornton on Sept. 29.... Full story
The Class 4A state golf tournament was held Sept. 26-27 at the River Valley Ranch Golf Course in Carbondale. For Coach Ed Weaver, it was the ideal setting. “It’s a great course, phenomenal,” Weaver said. “Mt. Sopris is right there in the background. It’s drop dead gorgeous!” Weaver was similarly enthusiastic about his team’s seventh-place performance, if a little more subdued. “Yes, I am happy with seventh at state,” he said, noting that his team had exceeded his expectations this season. “We... Full story
Both student sections were loud and rocking last Friday night, as the Niwot football team hosted cross-town rival Skyline at Everly-Montgomery Field, the Longmont venue that serves at the home stadium for both teams. Coming into the game, these programs found themselves in similar, if unfamiliar territory. Both have returned to Class 4A after two years in 3A. Both have second-year head coaches. And both are experiencing their first winning seasons in years. But just one of them would win on...
Niwot senior Jenna McCaffrey is having a break-through season. “Jenna’s a tenacious runner,” Head Coach Kelly Christensen said. “She’s getting her swagger back.” In the five races she’s run this season, McCaffrey has finished among the top 15 in each one, her best a fourth-place finish at the RE-1J District Meet on Sept. 14. Last weekend, McCaffrey finished 11th in a field that included many of the state’s top runners at the Metro State/Mountain Vista Invitational. “I think her body’s finall...
On Sept. 27, the Niwot boys tennis team traveled to Denver to take on the Colorado Academy Mustangs (9-1), last year’s runner-up in the 4A state tournament. There, Niwot suffered its first official defeat of the season, falling 7-0 to the Mustangs. Cougar senior Matthew Chavez lost his first match of the season, 6-4, 6-2, to Colorado Academy sophomore Richter Jordaan. Riley Black, filling in at No. 2 singles for the injured Caden Kammerer, also lost for the first time in 2016, 6-3, 6-1. At No. 3...
The Niwot boys soccer team followed a pair of wins with a pair of losses, as they closed-out their non-conference schedule and faced their first conference opponent. Niwot ended Homecoming week 5-3 on the season, but 0-1 in Northern League standings. On September 13, the Cougars handed a 4-1 defeat to a tough Peak to Peak Charter (3-1-1) team. The Pumas, who had no losses going into their game against Niwot, are currently ranked second in Class 3A. Senior Brian Oates had a goal and an assist in...
The last time the Niwot Cougars football team went 3-0 to start the season, Brad Pitt was still married…to Jennifer Aniston. Which is to say, it’s been a long time. Going into Friday night’s Homecoming game against Mountain View, the Cougars were hoping to preserve their undefeated season for just a little bit longer. Alas, like many a Hollywood marriage, it was not meant to be. Despite jumping out to an early lead, Niwot fell to the Mountain Lions 42-22. Costly mistakes and a potent Mount...
After coming off a big three-game winning streak, the Niwot High School softball team team continued with another victory against Centaurus but suffered a loss against Mountain View. On Tuesday, Sept. 20 the Cougars faced off with the Centaurus Warriors and scored another huge win, with a final score of 22-1. The first inning ended in nine runs for Niwot and one for Centaurus. Niwot scored another 12 runs in the second inning and another one in the third inning, with Centaurus still only having one run. The game was stopped after the third...
Last week was a good week for the Cougars volleyball team. First, senior Brynn Chavez was named MaxPreps/AVCA Colorado Player of the Week for September 12-18. In six games, Chavez, who is the team’s setter, had 67 assists, 12 digs and eight aces. Next, Niwot finally broke into the top 10 of the Class 4A rankings in the CHSAA Coaches poll, debuting at number nine, just one spot ahead of rival Silver Creek. And finally, the Cougars won another two conference matches, extending their league w...
Coach Ed Weaver is “ecstatic” about his team’s second-place finish at the 4A regional tournament in Greeley, but not especially shocked. “No, it’s not really a surprise,” he said. “I always knew they had the capability.” The key, he says, was convincing his players of their potential. To do that, Weaver said he used a statistics-based approach to show his players how they match up against their competitors. “I just had to gather the data and analyze it,” he explained. “It helped them see they... Full story
The Niwot boys tennis team extended its winning streak to eight matches last week, posting victories over Greeley Central (6-1) and league foe Longmont (6-1). The Cougars are now 8-0 on the season, and hold a commanding lead in the Class 4A Region 5 standings. Senior captain Matthew Chavez continued his impressive run of success at No. 1 singles, with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 win at Greeley Central and a 6-0, 6-1 win over Brendon Arndt of Longmont. At third singles, Riley Black was a straight sets... Full story
For some reason, Niwot’s volleyball season starts unusually late compared to other conference teams. “It’s been that way since I’ve been coaching,” said Coach Preston Brown. “Other teams start in late August, but we always play our first game after Labor Day.” This year, it was September 6 before the Cougars finally made their way onto a court for the first game of the season. By contrast, their opponent, Thompson Valley, started their season a full ten days earlier, on August 26. But if starti...
Heading into the locker room at halftime of their game against the Air Academy Kadets, the Niwot Cougars found themselves in familiar territory – on the losing end of the first half score. For the third consecutive game, Niwot’s first half offense was lackluster, mounting just a handful of drives and scoring just a single touchdown. The defense, meanwhile, gave up big play after big play, and couldn’t seem to get off the field. “We are not starting super strong,” acknowledged Head Coach Dyl... Full story
Even before the season began, Coach Kelly Christensen knew his team was capable of a breakout performance at the RE-1J District Meet. Held at Sunset Golf Course in Longmont, the meet is limited to schools in St. Vrain Valley, and serves as a quasi-district championship. So Christensen made sure his runners were prepared mentally as well as physically. “We didn’t really change our training regimen last week, but we did bump up the intensity psychologically,” he explained. It was a tactic that... Full story
