All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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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
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...
