Burrage, Evans lead Niwot boys wrestling at Keith Kilker Memorial

Overall, it was a mixed bag of results for the Niwot High School wrestling team at the Keith Kilker Memorial boys wrestling event held from Dec.16-17 in Keenesburg.

The Cougars left Weld Central High School 3-4 in duals with junior Gavin Burrage going a perfect 8-0 in the 190-pound class and sophomore Ryder Evans finishing 6-1 at 126 pounds. Those two, in particular, entered winter break as definite bright spots for the young Niwot team.

A few other Cougars also enjoyed some success in Keenesburg. Per head coach Bobby Matthews, Moi Carmona went 5-1, both Jack Blankinship and Fisher Reenan were 4-3, and both Eric Falcon and Arlo Richards finished 2-5.

Entering the holidays, Niwot’s strongest week of the young season came in early December when the Cougars beat Tinmath Middle-High School in a dual meet on Dec. 7 and then had further success on Dec. 10 at the Wheat Ridge Invitational where Burrage was the 175-pound champion and both Falcon and Evans were runners up in their respective classes.

Next up for Niwot is the Gary Daum Invitational, an annual tournament hosted by the Cougars in honor of their legendary former head coach, who passed away in 2013. Other teams scheduled to compete on Jan. 7 include Erie, Elizabeth, Fort Morgan, Northglenn, Frederick, Boulder, Roosevelt, Monarch, Horizon, Lyons, Thornton, Faith Christian, Skyline, Thompson Valley and Holy Family. Last year, Niwot placed 15th out of 19 teams.