All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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When Niwot opens its football season on the road at Greeley Central High School on Friday, Aug. 25, the Cougars should have at least 16 seniors suiting up, the most in Coach Nik Blume's four-year stint as head coach. Collectively, they should weigh far more than a ton, with some players checking in at 275 pounds. For perspective, the Cougars had only three seniors last season, when they finished 3-7. "We averaged 30 kids in the weight room and 30 kids at summer practices this year," Blume said. "When I started four years ago, we were lucky to...
Walker Bounds was met with a "dream opportunity" when Niwot High School Athletic Director Joe Brown reached out to him regarding the school's vacant boys basketball head coaching position. The 2016 Niwot graduate played three varsity seasons for the Cougars and has long seen the program's potential for success. "Being a Niwot kid, growing up in Niwot and being around the program my whole life, it just meant a little more in the sense that it felt like I was coming home," Bounds said. "It was...
Although challenging, Sawyer Bennett learned a lot about his golf game while navigating the monstrous RainDance National Resort & Golf in Windsor on Aug. 15. The Niwot High School sophomore admitted that he was plagued by "careless mistakes" but he nonetheless held his head high after shooting a seven-over-par-72 on the longest course in North America. His 79 strokes placed him in a five-way tie for 10th individually at the Second Annual Resurrection Christian Invitational. "It's a test of your...
Walking away from last Tuesday’s Second Annual Resurrection Christian Invitational at RainDance National Resort & Golf Course in Windsor, the Niwot High School boys golf team had every right to feel good about its third-place finish -- highest among the Class 4A schools participating. But the Cougars also couldn’t be blamed for lamenting the one that got away. The Cougars’ three-player total of 238, which was 20 strokes ahead of the nearest 4A competitor, Mead High School, was just four strokes behind the first-place total of 234 posted by th...
Five girls 4A state championships in the past five years. Two boys state championships and two runner-up finishes in the last four. To say that the Niwot cross country program is a championship machine may be an understatement. In his eighth year as head coach, Kelly Christensen has found a formula that other coaches around the state would love to steal. Christensen says it’s not that complicated. “The right kids are coming to Niwot and the families are super supportive. They drink the Kool-Aid,” Christensen says with a smile in his voice. “It...
The Niwot High School boys' soccer season officially started with a blowout 5-1 win at their home opener against the Pueblo West High School Cyclones last Thursday, Aug. 17. Niwot soccer has set itself a high bar as they are coming off a 14-4 season with some playoff success. This first win seems to have set the pace with hopefully a lot more success to follow. Senior Bo Gardner led the team in goals with two against Pueblo West. Senior Josh Rodriguez, senior Jett Fiener, and junior Naveen...
Niwot High School's softball field was mowed in stripes and the seats on the hill above the Cougars' dugout were packed for the first varsity game of the season last Tuesday, Aug. 15. Although NHS classes hadn't started yet, Principal Eric Rauschkolb and Athletic Director Joe Brown were on hand to talk with students and wish the girls well. "We're looking forward to a fun season and to learn expectations of the players as we go through," said Brown during the earlier part of the team's first...
After appearing in only a handful of Niwot High School boys tennis varsity matches last season, Pavi Soni enters his senior year as an improved player and one who should contribute frequently for the Cougars. Soni, along with Lauritz Strazenbach, started at No. 3 doubles in Niwot's season opener at Frederick High School on Aug. 10. The duo made quick work of their Golden Eagle opponents with a 6-0, 6-0 victory. While Soni admitted that his challengers were far less experienced, the clean sweep w...
About five years after hearing his name called in the 2018 MLB draft, 26-year-old Gunbarrel native Kyle Leahy made his big league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on July 7. The right-handed pitcher's first call-up didn't last long, but Leahy can officially consider himself one of just over 20,000 players who've ever reached the game's highest level. Leahy's first MLB appearance came on the road against the Chicago White Sox. With the Cards up 7-6 following a go-ahead two-run home run by Nolan...
Early in the boys golf season, Niwot High School Coach Ed Weaver wants to see as many players as possible tee it up and feel why high school tournament play is different from the individual events most of his players experience during the rest of the golfing year. “No matter how you carve it, playing high school golf tournaments is different. It just is,” Weaver said. “The kids put more pressure on themselves, I think. Anyway, they know they’re playing for a team score, which is different from tournaments over the summer when it’s just thei...
The Niwot High boys tennis team kicked off its new campaign with a clean 7-0 sweep of Frederick High School on Aug. 10. In his first match since taking over Niwot's No. 1 singles spot, senior LiChen Liao defeated his opponent, 6-1, 6-1, while sophomores Oskar Hansen and Charlie Kirtland won the No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches, respectively, 6-0, 6-0. Niwot's doubles teams found similar success on the Golden Eagles' home court. Junior Sebastian Moy and senior Kyle Davidson took the No. 1 doubles...
Niwot High School gymnastics Coach Marisa Purcell has seen some amazing Cougar teams in her now ninth year of leading the Cougars – 4A state championships in 2015 and 2018 and, more recently, top three finishes in each of the past three state meets. So, when she says she’s excited about this year’s edition, there’s probably plenty of good reasons. The Cougars are coming off a third-place state finish a year ago with a team made up of two sophomores and three freshmen, all of whom return for another shot at adding to the Niwot gymnast...
Niwot High School boys soccer coach Stephen Dimit is optimistic about the 2023 squad that begins play at home against Pueblo West High School at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 17, the first day of school. "We're pretty senior heavy," Dimit said. "Josh Ary came up big time for us last year," Dimit said of the senior defender. Ary is out for the first game with a minor injury suffered in the first week of practice, but is expected back soon. Senior midfielder Bo Gardner has moved up the field this year and...
The stage is set for both Zoe Cameron and her Niwot High School softball team to make some noise on the diamond this fall. Now entering her fourth varsity season, Cameron is one of multiple seniors eyeing a big final year, including power-hitting pitcher Anne Booth and shortstop-centerfielder Autumn Rutherford. Niwot certainly boasts a few accomplished bats and Cameron hopes to provide another steady thump in an already dangerous Cougars' lineup. "This season, I really want to look at my...
Niwot High School Golf Coach Ed Weaver was hoping that the first tournament of the 2023 season would give him a glimpse into how his team stacked up against its Longs Peak Conference competition, especially perennial powerhouse Riverdale Ridge High School. Based on the results, Weaver has reason to be optimistic about what lies ahead for this team. At last Thursday's Pace o' Play Palooza tournament at Mariana Butte Golf Course in Loveland, the Cougars battled the Riverdale Ravens, the 2021 4A st...
Take a solid core of outstanding returning starters, sprinkle in some transfer talent and add a dash of fresh new faces, and Niwot High School softball Coach Bobby Matthews thinks he has the recipe to challenge the top teams in a very strong Longs Peak Conference this season. After finishing 9-14 and missing the regional tournament a year ago, Matthews believes this year’s team has just the right ingredients to compete with conference foes like Riverdale Ridge High School, Frederick High School, and Roosevelt High School. Riverdale, the c...
The Niwot High School boys tennis team hasn't forgotten how last season ended. After putting together a 9-4 regular season, including an 8-0 match record in the Class 4A Region 5 League, head coach Aimee Irwin was surprised when Niwot was seeded No. 8 in the state tournament, with an early match against the No. 1 seed. The Cougars, disappointed by their low seeding, were then edged 4-3 by eventual 4A state champion Kent Denver in the quarterfinals. Minus the now-graduated Luke Weber, most of...
Addison Engel understands that her upcoming senior season could be a little different compared to her previous three years with the Cougars. After graduating six impact seniors from last year's 21-9 club, the Niwot High girls volleyball team has a considerably younger roster entering this fall, making the veteran Engel a crucial piece to this transitional period. "Our Niwot team, in general, is on the younger side, whereas in the past we've been on the older side," Engel said. "We graduated six...
The 2022 Niwot High School boys golf season did not end the way Coach Ed Weaver, or his Cougars expected, but chalk it up to lessons learned and experience gained. Now it’s time to tee it up for a new season. The golf season started this week at a furious pace with team tryouts and qualifying rounds Monday and Tuesday, and the first league play Thursday in Loveland with a varsity event at Mariana Butte and junior varsity play at Cattail Creek. For Emmett Shell, his senior season will be an opportunity to showcase the talent that makes him o...
Skyler Messinger, now playing third base for the Fresno Grizzlies in the Colorado Rockies' organization, last played on it in 2017. His brother, Connor Messinger, played on it a few years earlier before heading off to play baseball at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and later the University of Nebraska at Kearney, then returning to Niwot as an assistant coach. Last season, seniors Jed Kilpatrick, Julian Lettow, Diego Castro and Jaedyn Adler played on it, together with a number of...
The Niwot High School football season is officially gearing up as the players have played their last 7-on-7 games. The games took place this summer against both Weld Central High School and Silver Creek High School (twice). Their first two games were successful as they took home "wins" and gained experience. While their final game last Wednesday was a close "loss," it was still a great learning moment for the team, according to the coaching staff. The 7-on-7 games are non contact, with no...
This summer has been all about football for Niwot High School incoming senior Mats Lehan. On top of Niwot's offseason morning workouts, the wide receiver/free safety spent time training at Jenkins Elite, a Denver-area camp focused on developing high school players. Plus, Lehan attended prospect camps at both the University of San Diego and Colorado School of Mines with the goal of getting noticed by college coaches. "They were a lot of fun," Lehan said of his experience at the prospects camps....
Twenty-six members of the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, under the direction of Debbie Benson, performed the National Anthem at the Colorado Rockies game against the New York Yankees on Friday, July 14. Band members gathered in the parking lot before the game to warm up with "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," "Don't Stop Believin'," "Sweet Caroline," and "Celebration," which seemed to work as the Rockies beat the Yankees, 7-2, in the first regular season game after the All-Star...
Finding success on the big stage isn’t anything new for Elise Cranny, but this year’s trip to the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships was particularly special. Beyond securing her third straight 5,000-meter national title and her first in the 10,000, the 2014 Niwot High School grad was perhaps most pleased when she utilized an energized mindset to produce a pair of gold medals. “Overall, it was probably one of the proudest I’ve (been) leaving a meet,” said Cranny, who placed 13th in the 5K at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. “More so than that o...
Now entering her senior season, Sarah Bitterman is working once again to prove both to herself and to her Niwot High School softball coaches that she can contribute at the varsity level. Bitterman was used sparingly as a pinch hitter last season but made the most of her limited opportunities, going 4-for-11 at the plate with three RBIs. She is now using her final high school summer to sharpen her swing while also becoming a more solid defender. "I like to hit a lot, so I've been trying to streng...
Niwot High School golfer Mina O'Dell wanted to do something to help animals and settled on a charity golf tournament as the best avenue. Her efforts paid off when she delivered a check to the Longmont Humane Society on June 30 for $5,120. The tournament, held at Twin Peaks Golf Course June 24, was a 4-person best-ball scramble. "We all had so much fun golfing and laughing," O'Dell said. "After playing 18-holes of golf, we served an all you can eat taco bar lunch catered by Marco's Tacos. The...
Clocking the fastest times is far from the ultimate goal at REAL Training. Under longtime director and founder Maurice Henriques, the track and field club's primary focus is helping young athletes develop character and a work ethic that can be used throughout life. Henriques, often referred to as "Coach Mo," is using this summer to instill those values into his REAL athletes, who hail from high schools across the Front Range, including Niwot. "REAL" is an acronym for Responsibility, Education, A...
Niwot resident Emerson Scott may be the perfect example of how one can accomplish more when enjoyment is prioritized over results. As the saying goes, work becomes play, and for Scott, his "play" resulted in a pair of national titles at the USA Gymnastics National Trampoline and Tumbling Championships in late June. Scott teamed up with Seattle's Toby Scott to win the open 22+ skill/age category synchronized trampoline before earning gold again in the individual trampoline event. The 22-year-old...
Following a busy yet fruitful start to his summer, Kye Toothaker's two weeks of down time is now complete as his junior cross country season at Niwot High School looms not far in the future. His time away was certainly well-deserved, though, after he competed in both the CHSAA track and field state championships and the Nike Outdoor Nationals in June. Results-wise, Toothaker helped Niwot win the Class 4A 800-meter relay - along with Rocco Culpepper, Ryder Keeton and Carlos Kipkorir - before...
Niwot High School Boys Basketball Coach Clay Wittrock announced that he was stepping down to spend more time with his family. The Cougars won their first three games last season, but finished with a record of 5-17. Wittrock became Niwot's head coach in the 2019-20 season, when the team posted a record of 13-11. Since then, the Cougars finished 1-13 during the 2020-21 Covid season, and 3-17 in the 2021-22 season. Niwot's overall record during Wittrock's four seasons was 22-58. Athletic Director...
Niwot Independence Day festivities kicked off at 8:30 a.m. with the annual Niwot Downhill Mile race. The Downhill Mile started at Niwot High School and ended at the Niwot Market with a crowd of participants. The first place winners were 25-year-old Billy Ulrich, who finished in 4 minutes, 8 seconds; and 42-year-old Sarah Piampiano, who finished in 5 minutes, 11 seconds. Kim Mangrobang finished second and Melissa Mazzo finished in third place in the women's category. Jonathan Aziz finished...
TRACK Erika Timbang (Niwot), a junior at UCCS, ran the 800M at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships April 28-30. Timbang placed 19th overall, with a time of 2:23.18. Her best time in the event, 2:20.86, came at the Kit Mayer Classic April 7-8, where she finished eighth. She also ran the 400M earlier in the season. Kathryn Carroll (Niwot), a freshman at UCCS, was second team all Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in the triple jump this spring. Carroll finished sixth in the event...
Joining the Niwot High boys team last fall was one of the best decisions Josh Ary has made regarding his thriving soccer career. Then a junior, Ary was playing academy soccer before committing to play for his high school. Not only did Ary lead the Cougars in total points (32) en route to winning the Longs Peak League, but he also revived his love for the game along the way. "I think it just challenged me more on a technical level," defender Ary said. "It was also just the environment. It was a...
They were all around . . . Cardinals and Blue Jays; Astros and A's; Padres and Twins; Cubs and Mets; and plenty of Rockies. That last one probably gave it away. We're not talking about this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game. This was the 2023 Bob Bote Baseball Camp sponsored by Niwot Youth Sports. For the second year in a row after a two-year, COVID-induced hiatus, kids ages five to 13 donned their favorite caps and jerseys and gathered at the Biff Warren Baseball Complex last week to...
Just imagine . . . you are sitting, or mostly standing, in the front row directly behind the team bench as the Denver Nuggets are seconds away from winning their first NBA championship. Can you imagine? Surely, your last name would have to be Elway or Manning or Wilson, right? Not so for Niwot High School's Jamie Williamson and her family. Last Monday night as the Nuggets were enroute to closing out their best-of-seven series with the Miami Heat, 94-89, and capturing their first NBA...
Lex Bullen doesn't much like talking about herself. The 2023 Niwot High School grad instead prefers giving credit to the countless number of individuals who've helped her reach impressive heights as a runner. After moving from Stargate Charter School in Thornton to Niwot High prior to her sophomore year, Bullen helped the Cougars to three straight girls state titles in both track and cross country. Yet, she remains most fulfilled knowing that she benefited from a program that treated her as...
Not many student-athletes nowadays are willing - or able - to take the path that Julian Lettow traveled throughout his time at Niwot High School. Besides opting out of his sophomore basketball season due to COVID-19 concerns, Lettow balanced academics with hoops, tennis and baseball for all four years, earning the increasingly rare distinction of being a three-sport athlete. The effort he put forth made receiving his diploma all the more satisfying. "I put a lot of work into these four years,"...
Sometimes it's not about winning the game, but how you finish. For Niwot High School graduated senior Kate Jones, her final outing as a Cougar, and her second round at last week's Colorado Girls State 4A Golf Tournament, was one to remember. After struggling through a disappointing first-round 104, Jones shaved off 16 strokes in Wednesday's second round, carding a solid 88 at the par-72 Thorncreek Golf Course in Thornton. That was her best round in three state tournament appearances and her...
For the second consecutive spring, Alena Kasanicky, Mina O'Dell and Kate Jones are all set to represent Niwot High School at the Class 4A girls golf state championships, which runs May 30-31 at Thorncreek Golf Course in Thornton. Each member of Niwot's trio qualified for the state's big dance after putting up a strong showing at the 4A Region 3 tournament at The Fox Hill Club in Longmont on May 23. Kasanicky and O'Dell, a sophomore and a junior, respectively, carded an 86 while the senior Jones...
Despite being Colorado's most successful Class 4A girls track and field program over the past decade, Niwot High School had remarkably never produced a state title winner in shot put until May 19, 2023, when Jade West staked her claim to history. West's heave of 40 feet, 8.25 inches traveled a full 29 inches further than what the second-place thrower produced at the 4A state championships in Lakewood. In fact, observers reported that West had another throw that reached 42 feet at state, but it...
Niwot High School Athletic Director Joe Brown announced that Todd Trobaugh has been hired as the new Cougar girls basketball coach. Trobaugh has not coached at the high school level, but has extensive experience coaching girls club basketball. He grew up in South Boulder, attended Fairview High School, Colorado State University, and obtained a business degree from CU. In his day job, Trobaugh works in the banking industry in operational risk and compliance. "I started coaching as a girls...
Three days of exceptional performances at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood gave the Niwot High School girls track and field team its fourth consecutive Class 4A state title on May 20. The Cougars took first in eight of the 19 events and finished with 154 total points, significantly more than any other team - boys or girls - throughout all five classifications. Mesa Ridge High was runner-up on the 4A girls side with 67 points. Madison Shults wrapped up her high school career by winning her second...
Niwot assistant baseball coach Bobby Matthews said it well when he told the dejected players, "You put Niwot baseball back on the map," following an extra-inning loss in the second round of the state playoffs. The Cougars, once a Class 4A powerhouse with five state championships in eight years, returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 when Niwot knocked off number three seed Denver North under former coach Craig McBride. That playoff run ended in the second round, and the 2023...
Stephen Codevilla, the younger brother of Niwot High School girls swimming great Mary Codevilla, is putting his own stamp on the Colorado swim scene with Silver Creek's boys team. At the Class 4A boys swim and dive state championships on May 13, Codevilla impressed in multiple individual and relay events, ultimately guiding his Raptors to their second straight team runner-up trophy. The Niwot High junior's best individual result came in the 100-yard backstroke, which took place immediately...
Stephen Codevilla, Joshua Dowlin and Hudson Kammerer were three of the biggest contributors, but the Silver Creek High School boys swim and dive team had help from its entire roster en route to finishing second at the Class 4A state championships on May 13. Silver Creek, which holds athletes from multiple St. Vrain Valley schools including Niwot and Silver Creek high schools, was runner-up to Cheyenne Mountain for the second consecutive season after winning the 2021 state title. "I love my...
The Cougars likely aren't fighting for a state regionals berth without Jed Kilpatrick having arguably the best season of his Niwot High School baseball career. Through May 12, the senior shortstop owns career-highs in batting average (.472), on-base percentage (.548) and fielding percentage (.932) while leading Niwot to 12 wins, the program's most since 2014. Kilpatrick believes that Niwot's emergence is due in large part to an improved culture built by a still fairly young group of Cougars....
The Niwot High School girls soccer season is over, and with a record of 6-8-1, they met expectations. Niwot had a long season, playing 15 games, winning their opener and their finale, but fell just short of making the playoffs. Niwot's season opener was against Centaurus, with the Cougars winning 2-1 in a second overtime shootout, beginning the season with a hot start. The rest of the week did not go Niwot's way, as they fell to Palmer Ridge, a sign of their eventual slide. The next two weeks...
The once-dominant Niwot High School Cougar baseball program is poised to return to the Class 4A playoffs for the first time since 2016. From 1998 to 2005, Niwot won five state championships in a span of eight years, but has not won a championship since then. The Cougars finished the 2023 regular season with a record of 13-8, and went 11-7 in the Class 4A Longs Peak League. Niwot closed out the season on May 15 with a doubleheader split against Northridge High School. The Cougars were forced to...
As one of eight seniors on the Niwot High School girls soccer team, Tiffany Yie said it was an exciting yet difficult experience playing her final two games for the Cougars, although winning both made things at least a little easier. "A lot of the games were really special for me because this year I really cherished each game rather than like, 'Oh, I still have another year, it doesn't really matter what happens,'" said Yie, who tallied a goal and two assists in Niwot's senior day win over...
