All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
After suffering a couple losses due an abundance of errors, the Niwot Cougar softball team came back strong this past week with multiple wins. Since the team’s losses against Longmont and Silver Creek, it won three games against Northridge, Thompson Valley and Greeley Central, some of them blowout victories. On Monday, Sept. 12 the Cougars faced off against Northridge and left with a 14-1 win. Many Niwot players contributed to the offense with at least two runs, but freshman Reagan Wills led the team with three runs scored. Willis and M...
The Cougars gymnastics team won its second meet in a row and performed well at its first invitational, although it didn’t end in a win for Niwot. On Tuesday, Sept. 6 the Cougars went up against Loveland and came away with a win, 174.3 to 133.125. Head Coach Marisa Purcell said the girls progressed in their routines for the meet and competing at Niwot helped boost the team’s confidence. “I think we had some improvement on bars,” Purcell said of the meet, “cleaning up the routine a little bit. And it’s always exciting at home. You have home f...
Don’t look now, but the Niwot boys tennis team is on a hot streak. Since its 6-1 opening win against Thompson Valley, the Cougars have bested their opponents in five consecutive matches, and hold the top spot in 4A Northern League standings going into the second half of the season. But longtime Coach Miikka Keronen isn’t getting too excited – yet. “I felt like we would be pretty tough this year,” he said matter-of-factly. “So, we’ll see how it goes.” So far, it is all going according to pl...
The Niwot Cougars battled Longmont in a high-scoring affair, but came out on the short end of a 20-16 score September 8, largely because of 10 errors in the field. Niwot is now 3-6 on the season and 2-3 in the Northern League. Grace Ladd led the offense with four hits in five at bats, including a home run. Ladd scored two runs and had five RBI’s. Alexis Law had three hits including a double and scored five runs, while Reagan Wills had two hits, scoring three runs and posting three RBI’s. Lad...
The Niwot boys golf team wrapped up its regular season on Sept. 8 at Northern League tournament #7, held at Ute Creek Golf Course in Longmont. Senior Max Keusel (+6) finished sixth overall, leading the Cougars to a tie for third place in team scoring. Sophomore Andrew Elliot (+11) finished in a tie for 14th place, while senior Jake Butler (+12) tied sophomore teammate Jack Hoover for 17th. The Ute Creek tournament marked the end of a busy two weeks for the Cougar golf team. On August 23rd,...
The Niwot Cougars boys soccer team beat the Skyline Falcons at a home conference game on Tuesday, September 6 in double overtime with a final score of 3-2. Niwot’s scoring came from junior Jason Rodriguez, who scored two goals, and junior Dylan Campbell, who had one goal. “Every game we’ve had this season has been a close game,” Head Coach Stephen Dimit said. “It seems like every game is just coming down to the wire. But it’s good for the guys to help prepare better for later.” Although seni...
For Niwot Coach Dylan Hollingsworth and his son, sophomore running back Jeremy Hollingsworth, returning to the Colorado mountains was enjoyable, right up until game time, when it was all business. “We saw a lot of people, a lot of smiling faces,” Coach Hollingsworth said as the Cougars travelled to Frisco to face his former team, Summit County. “Once it was game time, we went to work.” The Cougars came away with a hard-fought 17-14 victory, making the bus ride home a happy one. Hollingsworth coached Summit County for several years before coming...
On September 10, the Niwot Cougars cross country teams traveled to Lyons to compete in the 17th annual St. Vrain Cross Country Invitational. More than 25 high schools fielded runners for the 5A/4A races, including 2015 5A boys champions Mountain Vista, and 2015 4A girls champions Air Academy. In the 5A/4A boys race, Niwot placed 10th overall, with 338 team points. The Cougars were led by junior Kenny Lang, who placed 29th, with a time of 16 minutes and 59 seconds. Junior Ethan Steiner placed 51s...
On Thursday, September 1 the Niwot boys soccer team faced off against Holy Family High School in Broomfield, and came away with a hard-fought 1-0 vicotry. The only goal of the game came from junior Nicholas Grant, while junior Jason Rodriguez had one assist and took three shots. Although it was a low scoring game, Niwot players had shots at scoring, including seniors Alex Arnold, who took one shot, and Brian Oates, who took two shots at the net. Sophomore Mario Munoz tended the goal for Niwot, making eight saves throughout the 60-minute game....
The Niwot Cougars cross country teams kicked-off their 2016 season on August 26th at the Vista Nation XC 2-Mile Invitational in Highlands Ranch. The small, highly competitive meet attracted many of the state’s top teams and runners, including meet host and defending boys 5A state champions Mountain Vista, and 4A state runners-up Palmer Ridge. “We wanted to see where we were at [against the top teams],” Coach Kelly Christensen explained. “We kind of expected this result, but we feel like it was...
Niwot softball opened the season on August 23 with an impressive win against the Greeley Central Wildcats. The Cougars scored 20 runs on 15 hits in the three-inning contest, while senior pitcher Grace Ladd retired all nine batters she faced. Ladd, who did not pitch in 2015 due to injury, was named the player of the game. The final score was Niwot 20, Greeley Central 0. The Cougars were back in action on August 25 at home against Centaurus. For the second game in a row, Niwot trounced its opponen...
Niwot’s gymnastics team is working hard in the gym again and starts another season after winning its first Class 4A state title in 15 years. This year Marisa Purcell is leading the team as its head coach after co-coaching with Mallorie Farrow last year. A new assistant coach, Maddi York, is joining Purcell in coaching the girls. After coming off a big win last season, Purcell didn’t want the girls to have a big head and tries to help them stay humble but also know what they can achieve. “My...
Longtime fans of the Niwot Cougars football team might have felt a strange sense of déjà vu during Thursday night’s season opener against the Adams City Eagles. The last time these two teams met, during the opening weekend of the 2011 season, the result was eerily similar. The Cougars, relying on a strong running game, scored multiple rushing touchdowns en route to a convincing 34-14 victory. But fans hope that’s where the 2011 parallels end. That victory was later forfeited due to an ineli...
Mikka Keronen’s 13th season as Niwot’s head boys tennis coach began with a decisive 6-1 victory over regional rival Thompson Valley. For Coach Keronen, this victory was significant for two reasons. “It gave me a good understanding of where we are with our top eleven,” he said. It also meant that the team had cleared the first obstacle on its path to the Class 4A state championship. “Expectations are high [this year],” Keronen explained, “But expectations are always high. Niwot is always gunnin...
The Cougars boys soccer team started off its season strong, with a new head coach and a fairly new team of varsity players. Head Coach Stephen Dimit was most recently coaching at Vista Ridge High School in Colorado Springs for the past five years, before coming to Niwot this fall. Dimit, who also taught at his former high school, is now teaching English at Niwot High School as well. “So far everything’s worked out really great,” Dimit said of his new position. “It’s been a smooth transitio...
The first thing you notice about Niwot’s varsity volleyball team is its towering height. “This is a tall group of girls,” chuckles Head Coach Preston Brown. At least four players stand taller than 6’0”, making the Cougars among the tallest teams in the league. But it’s not just the team’s outsized stature that’s driving the 4th year coach’s elevated expectations. “This team is experienced,” Brown explained. “We have mental toughness, and there’s not a lot of drama.” With five starters from las...
The Niwot Cougars football team kicked-off their 2016 campaign on Thursday night with a 34-14 victory over the Adams City Eagles at Everly-Montgomery Field in Longmont. It was the Cougar's first season opening win since 2013. It was a bittersweet night for the Cougars, who lost teammate David Louwers in a plane crash last June. Before the game, Head Coach Dylan Hollingsworth led the crowd in a moment of silence to honor his “passion for life and his love of football.” Members of the Louwers fam...
By most measures, 2015 was an atypical year for Niwot High School's cross country program. Despite some strong individual performances, both the boys and girls teams finished well out of championship contention at last year’s 4A State meet. But for new head coach Kelly Christensen, last year’s results don’t mean much. “There are a lot of talented runners on this team,” said Christensen, “A top three to five finish at state this year is very achievable.” Christensen is certainly no stranger to t...
The Cougar softball team is working on strengthening a brand new team as it heads into its first games of the season. Last season, the Cougars ended with a 12-9 record and although they didn’t compete for a title in the state tournament, they had a strong team of heavy hitters. Head Coach Bobby Matthews is returning to build another strong team after many girls graduated last year. “We graduated quite a few girls last season,” Matthews said. “So we definitely had some serious holes to fill....
