All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Decorated Niwot athlete Emily Creek called it a career at the Class 4A state tennis tournament on June 12, but not before adding one more trophy to her impressive collection. With a 7-5, 6-3 win over freshman Taylor Stadjuhar of Cheyenne Mountain, the senior claimed the championship at No. 3 singles, and led the Cougars to third place overall in the team standings, an ending that seemed out of reach a few short weeks ago. "Everyone's really motivated," Creek said of the upstart Cougars, who...
It's not every year that a Niwot varsity baseball roster will include 10 seniors. Following a COVID-19 stolen junior season, the Cougars' crowded senior class led Niwot to a 5-10 record, the program's most wins since 2017. In their final four games together, Niwot cruised to a 3-1 record highlighted by a 16-7 win at Silver Creek on June 8 for the first time since 2016. The Cougar season ended at home with an 11-4 loss to the Class 4A eighth-ranked Windsor Wizards on June 10. Head Coach Adam...
The Niwot girls tennis team is heading back to the Class 4A state championships after a dominating performance at the Region 5 tournament, held on the home courts, June 1-2. Led by sophomore Alys Pop at No. 1 Singles, Niwot finished first or second in six of seven lines to capture the Region 5 title as well as six spots at the upcoming state tournament in Pueblo's City Park, June 11-12. For head coach Aimee Keronen, seeing her once "unsure" team develop into a regional champion and a top...
The Niwot baseball team won back-to-back games for the first time in 2021 after taking down Skyline on June 3 and Centaurus on June 5. Now sitting at 4-9, Head Coach Adam Strah said his team hasn't panicked despite its record. A postseason appearance may be unlikely but Niwot has found its groove in the season's waning stretch. "I would say they just have kept pushing forward and a little bit of that is paying off now," Strah said. Following a 5-3 loss at Riverdale Ridge on June 1, the Cougars...
Battling high temperatures and pesky tree-lined fairways, the Niwot girls golf team held on for second place at the 2021 Region 3 tournament, and qualified as a team for the upcoming Class 4A state championships in the process. For Cougar head coach Ed Weaver, the hardest part of challenging for the 2021 state title is now behind them, at least from one perspective. "It's harder to get to state because the regional is a one-day event, and if you don't play well, you go home," he said after the J...
Not even the hottest temperatures of the year could keep the Niwot track and field team from yet another record-breaking* performance, this time at the 44th annual Boulder County Championships, held June 5 at Everly-Montgomery Field in Longmont. Under an unrelenting sun, the Cougars set a total of six new meet records*, set several new top times in Class 4A, and claimed both the boys and girls 2021 team titles with room to spare. Afterwards, Niwot senior Taylor James, sophomore Kimora Northrup...
Like Goldilocks, it took recent Niwot graduate Halie Ostrom a few tries before she found the sport that checked all the right boxes. "I did gymnastics until fifth grade, and then I did swimming until fifth grade too, and I think I played a little soccer," she recalled of her early athletic endeavors. "With swimming, the water was too cold, so I didn't really enjoy getting in and out of the pool all of the time. Gymnastics was just really expensive, and it took up a lot of time. It took like...
In his final stretch at Niwot High, the dreaded senioritis has eluded pitcher/outfielder Micah Sheats on the baseball diamond. His two-way talent shined on May 22 when he pitched a six-inning shutout and hit a home run during a 12-0 mercy-rule victory at Thompson Valley. The performance was nothing new as Sheats owns an over .300 batting average in 52 career games through May 30. As a freshman in 2018, Sheats hit .311 and played in all 23 of Niwot's games. He followed that season up with a...
The Niwot girls soccer team faced its first test of the 2021 season when they traveled to Northridge for a match against the undefeated Grizzlies, one of the Cougars' opponents in the new Class 4A Longs Peak League. Unfortunately, the Niwot girls couldn't keep up with Northridge's attack, and went home on the wrong side of the 3-1 final score for the first time all season. Afterwards, Niwot head coach Jenna Machado said her young team has a lot more to learn about winning. "It's really hard...
The Niwot girls golf team learned some painful lessons about their short games at the Longs Peak League event at Thornton's Todd Creek Golf Course on May 27. Bedeviled by lightning-fast greens and what were described as "challenging pin placements," the Cougars gave up some strokes where they normally don't, and that was reflected in their higher than average final scores. Unfortunately, it was also reflected in the mood of the players, who weren't much for chit-chat between shots. Luckily, it...
Behind a high-scoring offense, the Niwot girls soccer team improved to 5-0 on the year with lopsided wins against three league opponents during the week of May 20. Twelve Cougars found the net at least once, led by seniors and co-captains Maddie Borncamp (4) and Kiera Flanagan (6), who combined for 10 of Niwot's 24 goals during the stretch. But along the way, Niwot's newly configured defense faced its first rough patch, and the team's youthful skew was evident at times. For second-year coach...
Led by senior pitchers Hayden Morford and Micah Sheats, the 2-7 Niwot baseball team kept its opponents quiet during a 1-2 week on the diamond. Following a 10-4 loss at Fort Morgan on May 19, Niwot returned home to face Severance on May 20. Morford, making his first start of the season, allowed two runs in six and one-third innings against the Silver Knights. His brilliant effort wasn't enough, however, as the Cougars couldn't get any offense going behind their southpaw starter and lost, 4-0....
It was another record-setting weekend for the Niwot girls track team, as they competed in back-to-back meets at Roosevelt and Longmont on May 21 and 22. Along the way, the Cougars posted a slew of personal bests, three top Class 4A marks, and one of the fastest 800-meter times in state history. Now heading into the second half of the 2021 season, longtime Niwot track coach Maurice Henriques has just one goal for his team. "It's just to keep working hard and stay healthy," he said following the...
The Niwot girls tennis team picked up its second shut-out of the 2021 season with a 7-0 win over Frederick on May 20. Sophomore Alys Pop won her fourth straight match of the year (6-1, 6-0) at No. 1 singles, as did junior Anna Sallee (6-0, 6-0) at No. 2 singles. Both have since improved to 7-0 on the season. Senior Emily Creek posted a 6-0, 6-0 win for Niwot in her debut at No. 3 singles, and all four doubles pairs were also victorious. Niwot currently sits at 5-2 on the year, with just a...
With 10 goals and 2 assists in five games, speedy senior Kiera Flanagan has led the Niwot girls soccer team to a 5-0 start to the 2021 season, and a 36-4 scoring advantage over its opponents. In three of her starts, the fourth-year varsity forward and captain has scored multiple goals, including four at Roosevelt on May 13. At mid-way through the short season, she is the leading scorer in the Longs Peak League, and sixth overall in Class 4A. For second-year head coach Jenna Machado, Flanagan is...
A slow start gave way to an avalanche of scoring, as the Niwot girls soccer team cruised to a 9-0 victory over Roosevelt on May 13. The Cougars were led by senior Kiera Flanagan and her four goals, but several newcomers also contributed to the lopsided win, which second-year coach Jenna Machado took as a promising sign for the youthful team. "I was very happy with that," Machado said of the effort from the freshmen and sophomores in her team's second win of the season. "I'm very excited because...
Another busy week concluded for the Niwot baseball team which secured its first win of the season on May 12 at Northridge. Niwot wasn't able to keep the momentum going and fell to Mountain View on May 13 and Frederick on May 15. The Cougars now sit at 1-5 and have just 10 games remaining to make up some ground in the 4A/3A Longs Peak League. Senior Dylan Olson toed the rubber at Darryl Kile Field in Greeley against Northridge. He allowed two unearned runs in three and two-thirds innings and was...
When Joaquin Herrera enrolls at Adams State University in August, he will become the first student in his family to attend college, a goal that seemed out of reach when he entered high school. But late in his freshman year, the affable Herrera made a decision that seemed straightforward at the time, but would end up having life-changing ramifications. "I played soccer in the fall, and then during the spring, I went out for track just to get faster, and just to sprint," he said. As it turned...
The Jon Hill era is set to begin for the Niwot girls basketball team with the program finding its new head coach. Niwot Athletic Director Joe Brown announced the move on May 5 following the retirement of longtime head coach and Colorado High School Athletics Association Hall of Famer, Terri Ward. Although Ward has stepped away from coaching, she will remain around the program in a mentorship role. Hill said he looks forward to bringing a fresh energy to the program while having Ward's wisdom...
Playing in his first season with the Colorado Thunderbirds hockey club, Niwot High junior Jack O’Rourke didn’t shy away from the bright lights. O’Rourke scored four total goals in three consecutive elimination games to propel the Thunderbirds’ AAA Tier One Elite 16U team to the USA Hockey National Championship Game. Although the Thunderbirds fell to the North Jersey Avalanche in the title game on May 3, the experience was an unforgettable one for O’Rourke. “Those were the biggest games we've ever played and we capitalized on it,” said O’Rourke...
Following an over two-year wait, the Niwot baseball team began its 2021 campaign with three games in three days. Although Niwot went winless, the Cougars possess a core of improving talent. Niwot's opener came on May 6 at Severance. After Niwot scored five runs in the top half of the third inning, Severance regained the lead with seven in the bottom half and held on for a 10-7 victory. Senior Micah Sheats got the start on the mound and was pulled during the rough third inning. Offensively,...
The Niwot girls tennis team found itself on both sides of a 4-3 final score during the opening week of the 2021 season, which was not entirely unexpected by longtime coach Aimee Keronen. A short preseason and an infusion of newcomers to the Cougars' 2021 lineup made a shaky debut performance almost inevitable, she said. "We have a lot of freshmen this year, which is good," she said. "We're hoping we can get them in the right direction. It's a short season so it's tough, but we're going to do the...
Niwot High catcher Josh Strid was set to take on varsity catching duties for the Cougars in 2020, but the season was cancelled before it even started. Strid is one of nine seniors on the Cougar baseball squad this year, and Head Coach Adam Strah is looking for him to provide leadership on and off the field. "He's a hard worker, a mature kid, who knows the game well," Strah said. "Josh is what you want out of a senior catcher." Strah said Strid is able to call pitches on the field, rather than re...
The past year has been challenging for prospective college athletes, particularly those who missed their junior seasons of competition in the spring of 2020. But for 15 Niwot High athletes, the arduous journey through the virtual recruiting process came to a satisfying end at the school's Letter of Intent signing ceremony on May 3. "This is probably the hardest year in the history of college athletics to have an opportunity to play at the collegiate level," Niwot High athletics and activities...
Niwot's quest for a 4A boys soccer state title came to an abrupt end on April 28, at the hands of the eventual champions, the Windsor Wizards. The Cougars' defense didn't have an answer for Windsor senior John Burnett who scored both Wizards' goals in their 2-1 victory. Niwot senior Keegan Stobbe netted the Cougars' lone goal in their lowest offensive output since a March 20 loss to Skyview. Despite the outcome, there was a lot to be proud of this season for head coach Stephen Dimit. In...
Niwot fans were in high spirits as the players took the court at the Class 4A Region 7 volleyball tournament on May 1, eager to see the number-10 seed Cougars battle their way back to the state championships. But levity turned to concern as Niwot's first match against No. 18 seed Erie progressed, and momentum never seemed to stay with the Cougars long before an error or foul call would intervene. That made it impossible for the offense to find its rhythm, and Erie took advantage of a team on...
Senior forward Ismael Dominguez didn't earn the nickname "Big Game Ish" by accident. His penchant for being in the right place at the right time has turned the tide for Niwot more than once, most recently in the final minute of the Class 4A state soccer quarterfinals against Regis Groff on April 24. With the seconds ticking away and the score tied 1-1, Dominguez remembered some timeless advice from his father, turning what came next into an "amazing experience" for the third-year varsity attacke...
For the second time in four seasons, the 11-1 Niwot boys soccer team is back in the 4A state semifinals. The three-seeded Cougars clawed past Coronado and Regis Groff to arrange a date with No. 2 seed Windsor on April 28. In Niwot's state quarterfinals matchup against the 11-seeded Regis Groff Fusion on April 24, senior Ismael Dominguez scored the game winning goal with 58 seconds left in regulation, giving Niwot a hard-fought 2-1 victory. "I kept telling the guys I want a ring this year,"...
On April 24, the fast-paced 2021 gymnastics season wrapped up at the Class 4A state championships with a familiar name on top of the all-around standings. With top-five scores in each rotation, Niwot gymnast Mia Curry successfully defended her state all-around title, and led her team to third place overall in the process. Afterwards, Cougar head coach Marisa Purcell called the junior's performance "phenomenal," especially after such a challenging year. "She did a great job," Purcell said. "She...
Ever since joining the varsity squad as a freshman, Keegan Stobbe has energized Niwot soccer's attack with his speed and intensity, not to mention his scoring average of nearly two points per game. But midway through the 2021 season, the senior took his talents to Niwot's back line and put his energy into preventing scoring chances rather than creating them. So far, it's been a winning trade-off for both Stobbe and the Cougars, who are a serious contender for this year's Class 4A state soccer...
It's been nearly two years since the Niwot girls golf team played its last round, but head coach Ed Weaver isn't mourning the lost 2020 season. With two proven veterans and some promising new prospects in 2021, he's focused on picking up right where the Cougars left off-with a Class 4A state title in their sights. "What I'm trying to do is just business as usual," he said about how his team weathered the long layoff. "Not looking backwards and just looking to today and forward and trying to...
With a score of 169.375, the Niwot gymnastics team claimed first place at the Class 4A Region 3 meet, held April 15 at Overland High School in Aurora. The Cougars were led on the day by Mia Curry, who scored 35.800 to place first in the individual all-around standings. The junior, whose home school is Silver Creek, posted top scores in floor (9.3) and bars (8.925), and took second overall in vault (8.75) and beam (8.825). Joining her as all-around competitors for the Cougars were veterans Ava...
Cruising to a 7-0 victory at Severance High School on April 8, the Niwot boys soccer team secured a perfect 9-0 record to win the 3A/4A Longs Peak League. “They worked so hard for this,” said head coach Stephen Dimit. “They prepared all year long however they could to get ready to do this. To win the league and to win it as dominantly as we did, that's big.” The win over Severance came on the heels of a 6-0 win over Roosevelt on April 5 and a 10-0 win over Mountain View on April 6. In Niwot’s final six games of the season, the Cougars o...
The Niwot volleyball team seemed well on the way to victory over defending league champions Thompson Valley after an energetic first set win, powered by almost error-free blocking from the Cougars' "Great Wall" of Morgan Daughtery, and Mackenzie and Grace Demmel. But the momentum started to take a turn mid-way through the second set, when Niwot's errors started outpacing their points, and a talented Eagles' squad was able to take advantage. The Cougars went on to drop that set, plus the next...
There wasn't much drama in Niwot soccer's 6-0 rout of Roosevelt on April 5, but at least one play will always be memorable to Carter Kruse, a longtime varsity defender who suddenly found himself with an unprecedented chance. "There was not much of a lead up to it," the senior said of the play that resulted in his first-ever high school goal. "Orlando [Lopez] was fouled inside the edge of the box...and then Coach Dimit called me forward to take [the penalty kick]. While it was fun to score, I...
The wins keep coming for the 6-1 Niwot boys soccer team which has now won five in a row and holds a one game lead in the 3A/4A Longs Peak League through April 4. Led by head coach Stephen Dimit, Niwot is in the midst of playing six games in 10 days against league opponents. The Cougars' third game of the stretch came at home against Frederick on April 3. Timely goals paired with strong defense helped Niwot shut out the Warriors (4-1), 4-0. Senior Aidan Martin opened the scoring at the 35:56 mark...
The wins just keep coming for Daisha Agho and the Niwot volleyball team. During the first week of April, the Cougars dispatched three more opponents in the new Longs Peak League, improving to 7-0 on the season, and moving up to third overall in the Class 4A state rankings. One of those opponents was Frederick, an up-and-coming team that is also making its way up the rankings, and that managed to win a set against Niwot for the first time all season. "I'm actually not upset about that loss,"...
Flaunting a 3-1 record through March 29, the Niwot boys soccer team has shown dominance on both sides of the ball. Through four games, the Cougars have outscored opponents 27-4 including back-to-back 10-goal outputs in wins over Berthoud on March 23 and Riverdale Ridge on March 25. Prior to Niwot's 10-1 win over Riverdale Ridge, the Cougs' nine seniors were honored on the Niwot pitch. Both Ashton Campie and Aidan Martin relished their senior day as they each scored three goals. "He (Martin) can...
Congratulations to the Niwot Cheerleading squad for its fourth-place finish at the Class 4A state spirit championships, held at World Arena in Colorado Springs on March 25-26. The Cougars qualified for the finals after taking third in the preliminary round, with a score of 67.30. In the finals, Niwot was docked for two deductions to score 63.25, which was good for fourth place, behind champions Erie (91.50), runner-up Lewis Palmer (84.75), and Standley Lake (66.55)....
Niwot gymnastics picked up its second win of the jam-packed 2021 season with a 169-157 victory over conference foe Loveland on March 27. Led by defending Class 4A all-around champion Mia Curry, Niwot gymnasts posted the top two scores in floor, bars, and beam and clinched two of the three top spots in the all-around standings. Afterwards, head coach Marisa Purcell said that the "little things" are coming together for the Cougars, but overcoming the long layoff continues to be a challenge....
BASEBALL Ford Ladd (Niwot) finished his collegiate career as a pitcher at New York University and has joined the coaching staff at Georgia Gwinnett College as Coordinator of Research & Development. In his final game at NYU, Ladd played first base and went 1-4 at the plate, scoring a run and driving in two runs in an 11-0 victory over John Jay College March 9, 2020. A day earlier, he went 1-3 as a DH in both games of a doubleheader sweep of Stockton University with a run and an RBI in the second...
As a varsity defender for Niwot soccer, Connor Grant is usually more concerned with keeping the ball out of the net than putting it in at the other end. But so far in 2021, the senior has been doing both, first in a 10-0 rout of Berthoud on March 23, when he scored a pair of goals, and then against Riverdale Ridge on March 25, when he had a goal and an assist. That brings his season scoring total to seven points, and puts him among the team's offensive leaders, a position Grant admits is "a bit...
Led by senior Keegan Stobbe and junior Azael Marrufo, the Niwot boys soccer team went 1-1 in its first week of games. The Cougars opened with a convincing 6-1 win over Fort Morgan on March 18 before dropping a narrow 2-1 contest against Skyview on March 20. Stobbe scored a pair of goals and four other Cougars found the back of the net once against Fort Morgan, including Marrufo, Tavan Karbassi, Ismael Dominguez and Jett Feiner. Junior Jacob Elston assisted on two of the goals, while Stobbe,...
Fourth-year Niwot volleyball coach Daisha Agho isn't easily impressed, but the Cougars' dominating performance against rival Silver Creek in the 2020-21 home opener had her at a literal loss for words. With solid contributions from both returning veterans and some new faces, Niwot easily handled the Raptors in three straight sets, and managed to exceed Agho's already high expectations. "I came into the final huddle and I had no idea what to say to them," she said after Niwot's 25-15, 25-19,...
Niwot head gymnastics coach Marisa Purcell was candid about how the 16-month layoff between the high school seasons had impacted the skills of her gymnasts. With gyms and recreation centers closed during lockdown periods, team members had difficulty getting training time on a consistent basis, and that could set back many of the gains she saw from her youthful team during the successful 2019 season. "We just haven't had a lot of places to go," she said. "That's been the hardest part, not...
Niwot's long-delayed 2021 volleyball season is off to an undefeated start, and senior Natasha Terekhova is one of the main reasons why. Now in her fourth year with the varsity, the athletic outside hitter is a major contributor on both offense and defense as well as a natural team leader. Though her final season isn't going quite the way she once envisioned, Terekhova is thrilled to be back on the court with her Cougar teammates playing the game she has loved since fourth grade. "There's so...
The Niwot swim and dive team didn't claim the top prize at the 2021 Class 4A championships on March 12, but neither did they come home empty-handed. Four Cougars turned in medal winning individual performances on the day, and junior Mary Codevilla even made history with a record-setting time in the 500-yard freestyle. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite enough to overcome Heritage and Mullen in the team standings, and Niwot ended falling just short of its ultimate goal. Afterwards, first-year...
It wasn't the final run that Niwot High School senior Emily Creek dreamed of, but she's grateful she got to be part of a team and go to the state championships all four years of her high school career. Creek raced for Nederland High School and was in second place in slalom after her first run at Loveland Ski Area on Friday. But on her second run she went over a gate and had to stop and hike back up to get back on course. She still finished in 19th place. "My nerves get to me at state, and I...
Just months before the pandemic hit, the Niwot boys soccer team completed its fall 2019 season with a shining 11-6 record and second place finish in the 4A Northern League. Pending a possible snow cancellation, the Cougars will return to the pitch on March 18, 499 days after losing to Golden in the second round of the 2019 4A playoffs. Several impact players from that 2019 team will give it another shot in 2021. Fifth-year head coach Stephen Dimit will enjoy nine seniors on his 23-man roster including Aidan Martin, Keegan Stobbe, Ismael Domingu...
Prior to Niwot's season finale on March 5, girls basketball head coach Terri Ward shed a few tears while completing her routine sweep of the gym floor. Ward had been doing the same monotonous chore before home games for almost 30 years, but with her decision to retire following this one, it dawned on her that this would be her last time. "It's hard to stop being what defines you or who you are and I think this does, because this is who I am, this is what I've done," Ward said. "And to leave...
