All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 801 - 850 of 1623
If first-year head swim coach Kyle Bachrodt had any doubts about his team's status as a contender for the Class 4A state swim and dive title, then its performance at the 2021 Longs Peak League conference championships put them to rest. After winning eight of the meet's 12 events and setting at least two state-best times along the way, the Cougar swimmers are peaking at exactly the right time, Bachrodt said, and he is looking forward to seeing them in the pool on March 12 with the best in...
The Niwot boys didn't end up on the winning end of the score in their 2021 season finale, but even that wasn't enough to dampen Michael "Misha" Barrett's spirits before, during, and after the game. A longtime Cougar basketball fan, the three-point specialist has dreamed about suiting up for the Niwot varsity since middle school, and on March 5, he finally got the chance to do just that in front of a supportive home crowd. "I will remember this moment for the rest of my life," the senior said...
In its final tilt of the season, the Niwot girls basketball team fell to Greeley Central, 52-20 on March 5. Niwot's three seniors, Adeline Spencer, MacKenzie Demmel and Grace Wardle, played in their ultimate home game and were honored prior to tip-off. Despite getting shut out in the first half, the Cougars rallied for 20 points in the second half to enter the offseason on a high note. Head coach Terri Ward, who was coaching in the final game of her 28-year career, said they were playing...
The challenging 2021 season finally got the best of coach Bobby Matthews and the Niwot wrestling team at the Class 4A Region 3 qualifying tournament at Loveland High on March 5-6. Despite a season-best effort from most of his wrestlers, no Cougars advanced far enough in their respective brackets to capture a berth to the upcoming state championships. But there were also a number of positives during the weekend, and Matthews is already looking forward to seeing all but one of the youthful squad...
Reeves Moor has been passionate about basketball since the age of eight, but, for complicated reasons, he decided to take up tennis instead after moving from Chicago to Niwot before his sophomore year. That paid off in a state championship during his senior season, but Moor still missed his time on the hardwood. So in January, he dusted off his sneakers and joined up as a "rookie" senior for Niwot basketball. "I came back this year because of COVID, and it was a new chance," he said. "I grew up...
It has been an adversity-filled but ultimately fruitful journey at Niwot for girls basketball senior Adeline Spencer. Through undergoing knee surgery during her sophomore year and now navigating a pandemic season, Spencer has learned the value of perseverance sooner than most. Even more, her lone season on varsity this winter has been derailed with hip and leg issues. Spencer said she will be having hip arthroscopy surgery followed by a derotational femoral osteotomy procedure once the season en...
The Niwot boys basketball team finally broke their season-long losing streak with a rousing 54-45 victory over league foe Berthoud on Feb. 22. But it was their decidedly unrousing 65-35 defeat two days later at the hands of the Frederick Warriors (8-3) that made the strongest impression on head coach Clayton Wittrock. "We played one quarter of basketball like we know we can play, and that wasn't enough," he said after the Cougars' tenth loss of the season, their fourth by 30 points or more....
The sport of lacrosse has exploded across Colorado schools and recreation leagues in recent years, and now it's coming to Boulder County. Starting Sunday, April 11, Niwot resident and former collegiate lacrosse player Neema Kassaii will be conducting a weekly youth lacrosse clinic at East Boulder Community Park (5660 Sioux Drive). "The clinic is geared towards beginners and intermediate level players, especially at the younger age groups, as we will be teaching/reinforcing the basics," he wrote...
The 7-1 Northridge Grizzlies girls basketball team came down to Niwot on Saturday, Feb. 20 to face the 0-8 Cougars. An upset in the 4A Longs Peak League did not occur as the Grizzlies defeated Niwot, 66-22. While Niwot was already facing an uphill battle, the absence of senior MacKenzie Demmel made the challenge even more difficult. To make matters worse, sophomore Addy Ruth exited with a lower-leg injury less than one minute into the game. Demmel and Ruth combined have accounted for just under...
Like a loving parent who catches his child in a conspicuous lie, Niwot head coach Clayton Wittrock said that he was "disappointed" rather than frustrated after the Cougars' 57-51 home court loss to a very beatable Northridge Grizzlies (2-7) on Feb. 20. Pointing to weak fundamentals and lack of consistency, he then had some paternal advice for his winless team going into the final five games of 2021. "We've got to show that we're actually learning those lessons and not just sitting through...
The wins are still hard to come by for the youthful Niwot wrestling team in 2021, but head coach Bobby Matthews sees promising signs amid the losses that should pay off down the road. "We're getting much better," he said after a four-way meet hosted by Severance High School on Feb. 20, with Erie and Longmont. "Overall, our practices have been much better. And they're listening, I'm seeing it. And they're having better results, they are going deeper in matches, and the deeper you can go and score...
Niwot boys basketball has had its share of drama over the past four seasons, but one moment in an unremarkable C-team game two years ago has always stayed with senior Hayden Morford, starting forward for the 2021 Cougars. "We were playing, I believe it was Centaurus, and I got called for a pushing foul after blocking a kid out on defense towards the end of the game," Morford recalled. "And Sam [Dutkin], after I got called for the foul, said 'I'm sorry, this is not soccer,' and proceeds to get a...
Like all seniors in the class of 2021, Niwot girls basketball point guard Grace Wardle has been dealt a rough hand. The Cougars' season had already been cut down to 14 games and that number is even lower for Wardle. She has played in just three games this season and has missed another three and counting due to COVID-19 exposure protocols. Wardle said it has been hard to watch her team play from the virtual sideline in what has been a "disappointing" thorn in her senior season. Despite the...
The Niwot girls swim team extended its streak of dominating dual victories to three with a 151-35 win over the brand-new team from Frederick High on Feb. 11. Along the way, Cougar swimmers posted a slew of season-best times and solidified their case as one of the top contenders for the Class 4A title in 2021. "That's one of our strengths at Niwot, the versatility of our swimmers," first-year coach Kyle Bachrodt said following the meet at Carbon Valley Recreation Center. "They can really swim...
After a disappointing 0-2 start to its season, the Niwot girls basketball team took a step in the right direction, but fell to the Longmont Trojans on Feb. 3, 45-33. Head coach Terri Ward blamed a poor first quarter in which the Cougars were outscored 14-1 for Niwot's eventual demise. "You can't score one point (in a quarter) in a varsity game and expect to win," Ward said. "It's not going to do it." Fortunately for Niwot, they settled in during the second quarter to claw back into the game....
Much like head coach Bobby Matthews predicted in the preseason, the youthful Niwot wrestling team is still struggling for wins in the early part of 2021. On Feb. 6, Niwot traveled to Johnstown for a four-way meet with host Roosevelt, Mountain View, and Loveland. Unfortunately, the outnumbered Cougars netted only a single contested victory on the day, by freshman Ben Rauschkolb (195lb) against the Mountain Lions. "He's incredibly coachable," Matthews said of the newcomer after his second win of...
It would have been understandable if Josh Armas had skipped the 2021 Niwot wrestling season. After all, Boulder County COVID-19 rules chased away all but his most intrepid teammates, leaving him as one of eight on the team and the lone representative from the senior class. He was also facing a demanding class schedule, all AP and IB classes, and he could have used the extra time for homework. But Armas has never been one to take the easy way out, and abandoning the team and sport he loves never...
The 2021 season didn't get off to a winning start for the Cougars on Jan. 26, but the hard-fought loss yielded some pleasant surprises for Niwot head coach Clayton Wittrock. "It was a good effort from a young team," he said following his team's 47-35 defeat in the season opener against Roosevelt. "There were times when we just played hard, played smart and played together, and good things happened. And there were sometimes, even though we did everything we needed to, a shot didn't fall, and I...
With just one week to prepare, Niwot girls basketball opened its season on the wrong side of the scoreboard against Roosevelt on Jan. 26 and Riverdale Ridge on Jan. 30. Head coach Terri Ward dubbed Roosevelt a top-10 4A team and the Roughriders left Niwot's home court with a 79-19 win. Senior Grace Wardle led the Cougars in scoring with six points on a pair of three-pointers. Another senior, MacKenzie Demmel, who took last season off to play volleyball, used her hops to snag nine rebounds....
It's been nearly a year since the Niwot girls swim and dive hit the pool, but you wouldn't have known it from their performance against Mountain View in the 2021 season opener on Jan. 28. With impressive times from longtime veterans and some speedy newcomers, the Cougar swimmers dominated the Lions, winning 11 of the 12 events. "I couldn't be more excited," first year coach Kyle Bachrodt said afterwards. "The energy was as high as it could be and we had great swims across the board... But it...
The Class of 2020 may have lost prom and a conventional graduation to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Class of 2021 is on track to lose an entire academic year and, with it, most activities and milestones. For a deeply engaged student like MacKenzie Demmel, the loss has been hard to take, but she has found refuge on the basketball and volleyball courts for Niwot, and is determined to make the most of her final seasons there. "I think what I've missed the most is, there's not really as many...
Thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there won't be many wrestlers hitting the mat for Niwot in 2021, but bigger isn't always better, according to longtime head coach Bobby Matthews. And what the Cougars lack in numbers, they more than make up for in experience, he said, which could mean a Niwot representative in the Class 4A state championships for the third straight year. "We're eight right now, so we're definitely down. But I think the eight that we have are solid for the most part,...
In April 2020, the St. Vrain Valley School Board authorized an architect design contract for an eight-lane swimming pool to be added onto Silver Creek High School. Nearly a year later, construction is set to begin in February and is expected to be completed in the fall. "People are excited about it," said Silver Creek Athletic Director Patrick DeCamillis. "I think it's a win for the community for sure, not just Silver Creek, but the St. Vrain community and Longmont in general." Up next on the ag...
At 6-feet, 5-inches, Niwot power forward Gage Gruidel may look like a natural-born basketball player, but due to a severe illness during infancy, he has had to work harder than most to achieve his athletic goals. In 2021, those include leading Niwot boys basketball to a second straight winning season and helping a youthful program build a better future. "I just have loved every minute that I've played for Niwot, and my coaches especially have just brought me up to a level I never thought I...
Looking over the long list of Elizabeth Duncan's high school achievements, a few words leap to mind: varied, wide-ranging, unconventional, and, finally, impressive. From stints on the cheer and track teams, to honor choir and color guard, there's no question that the senior has trod a unique path through Niwot High, and shows every sign of continuing on it after graduation. Duncan's story originates about 25 miles east of Niwot, in Brighton, where the senior lives with her parents and younger si...
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic altered the landscape of local high school sports, the 2021 boys basketball season promised to be full of potential pitfalls for second-year coach Clayton Wittrock and the Niwot Cougars, as they adapt to a new league and a new starting lineup. But seeing his youthful team's resilience during the past 11 months of upheaval and social distancing has made Coach Wittrock hopeful that the Cougars will find a way to build on last season's momentum and roll with the...
Before the pandemic wreaked havoc on the Niwot sports calendar last spring, the most unprecedented thing about 2020 was the abysmal 2-21 record of the girls basketball team, the worst of longtime coach Terri Ward's career. But in 2021, the Cougars are returning several key players with experience, and Ward is looking for a return to normalcy-at least on the court. "The good piece is we don't have like only one returning starter or one returning player and (normally) we would have nine to 10...
This is the final entry in a three-part series on how the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on high school athletics have impacted college recruiting for the Class of 2021. Read part one here and part two here. One of the best ways for high school athletes to market themselves, particularly in baseball, is to attend showcase events. College coaches can watch potential recruits in action and assess the player competing against elite athletes, more than just through a highlight video. But with COVID, these events have suffered greatly. “(With) t...
First-year Niwot girls swim head coach Kyle Bachrodt will have limited time to learn his new team members. Although their final schedule hasn't been decided, meets are permitted to begin as soon as Jan. 25, just one week after the start of practice. Luckily for Bachrodt, he leads a Niwot team that is well-versed in success. The Cougars are coming off back-to-back Northern Conference championships and the expectations remain high in 2021. Former head coach Sarah Stamp stepped down following last...
There were plenty of amazing moments for the Niwot Cougars during their historic win at the 2020 state tennis championships, but one not-so-amazing moment for senior Xavier Moy and his No. 2 doubles partner turned out to be a pivotal turning point for the Cougars and put the team title firmly in their grasp. "It was the craziest match I ever played in," Moy said of the state semi-final against Kent Denver, a team he and junior Alan Wilcox had fallen to just a few weeks before. "And it turned...
It turns out there will be a high school wrestling season in Boulder County after all. In a letter to wrestlers and their families dated Jan. 12, St. Vrain Valley Schools' Arts, Athletics, and Activities Director Chase McBride announced that wrestling has been approved by Boulder County Public Health, reversing a Jan. 5 decision that disallowed the sport due to COVID-19 concerns. "After careful consideration and continued discussion with Boulder County Public Health, they have approved...
Wrestlers in St. Vrain and Boulder Public Valley Schools will likely miss out on the chance to compete during the 2020-21 school year, after Boulder County Public Health declined a request from the Colorado High School Activities Association to approve the sport for Season B, scheduled to begin on Jan. 18. In a message to wrestling families dated Jan. 5, Niwot High assistant principal and athletics director Joe Brown wrote: "Over the past several weeks, we have continued to work closely with...
In an age when a forgotten video clip can lead to the withdrawal of a scholarship offer, it's more important than ever for student-athletes to think twice before taking their thoughts to TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram. That's the message of Niwot junior Sydney Rothstein, whose comments during a recent leadership training course are now being highlighted by the Positive Coaching Alliance, a national organization that is dedicated to cultivating a positive youth sports culture. "Sometimes it's...
After competing as a club team the past few seasons, the Niwot boys volleyball team will have to wait a little longer for the elusive official high school varsity designation. Budget cuts related to COVID-19 made the addition of a sport unfeasible in the St. Vrain Valley School District according to Niwot athletic director Joe Brown. In April 2019, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) had approved boys volleyball to become a CHSAA sanctioned sport for the 2020-21 season, but...
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health has become a strong area of concern in high school athletics. Last week, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) hosted three webinars, "Taking Care of You, when Your World has been Turned Upside Down." The webinar featured JC Pohl, a licensed therapist, author and advocate for improving school culture, and Caleb Campbell, a former NFL player and mental health speaker. Student-athletes were given self-care strategies and advice on...
This is part two of a three-part series on how the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on high school athletics have impacted college recruiting for the Class of 2021. Read part one here. The effects of COVID-19 have hit the University of Colorado football program and head coach Karl Dorrell. The Buffs' 2020 season was pushed back two months and they will miss out on significant ticket revenue with Boulder County health regulations limiting fan attendance. "We have a really good recruiting class...
Ashton Campie is passionate about the non-American version of "football," so when the 2020 high school boys soccer season was postponed until spring 2021, the otherwise idle midfielder decided to try out his kicking skills on the gridiron. In the end, both Campie and the Cougars got more than they bargained for, and now the athletic senior has a new appreciation for teamwork and dedication. "I was doing cross country, and then football started up just when cross country ended, and one of the...
Luke Werner dedicated himself to the game of football at a young age. From hitting the field early in the wet, morning dew, and practicing after school until it was so dark he couldn't see the ball, it is safe to say that for this Boulder High School senior, life revolves around football. After playing 9 games total his sophomore and junior year, MaxPreps credited Wernerwith nearly 200 all-purpose yards at wide receiver. Although he specializes in being an impact player on offense, Werner is...
On Dec. 7, the Colorado High School Athletics Association announced that Season B, originally slated to begin in early January, will now be pushed to at least February. At Niwot High School, boys and girls basketball, girls swim and dive and wrestling are the sports impacted. CHSAA's verdict came after the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment expressed concern with statewide COVID-19 cases on the rise. CDPHE Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Rye prioritized getting students back...
For Niwot first-year coach Nikolas Blume, the 2020 football season will be memorable for many things, and not all of them pleasant. But one pleasant memory he will have is of senior Charlie Herring, a newcomer like himself, whose "work ethic and dedication to his teammates," helped the coach nudge the program in a promising direction. "Charlie was a first year starter and a great leader for us this season," Blume wrote in an email interview. "You won't find a young man more dedicated to...
Although this year's U.S. Arabian & Half-Arabian National Championship Youth Judging Contest was held virtually, it was the same story for the Colorado Arabian Horse Club's Region VIII team. Led by fifth-year coaches Kendra McConnell and Rachel LeClere, the club has won 19 of the last 20 national championships and did so again this November. In her first year competing at nationals, Niwot High School junior Lily Thomas earned the Reserve High Individual Overall. McConnell said that Thomas's...
The Niwot cross country teams dominated their Colorado competition during the 2020 season, so they decided to take their act on the road. On Nov. 21, members of the varsity squad traveled to Huntsville, Alabama to compete in the 2020 RunningLane National Cross Country Championships and prove they can dominate non-Colorado competition just as easily. "We wouldn't have expected them to run as fast as they did," Niwot cross country coach Kelly Christensen said of the boys' historic performance....
Emotions were running high at Erie's Tiger Stadium on Friday, Nov. 20. In a season finale battle of winless teams, Niwot senior quarterback Ayden Bartko led a game-winning fourth-quarter drive to defeat the Thornton Trojans, 26-20. Head coach Nik Blume came away with his first win leading the green and white. He credited his resilient senior class for sticking together despite a challenging season. "I couldn't be more proud," Blume said. "Our seniors carried us tonight. (Wide...
A late fourth quarter score silenced Niwot football's comeback effort against the Cheyenne Mountain Indians Friday night at Erie High School. Despite missing several key players to injuries, Niwot lost to Cheyenne Mountain by just one score, 27-20. Head Coach Nik Blume's squad is still in search of its first win through six games. Just days before the game, Niwot's originally scheduled opponent, the Mitchell Marauders, were forced to quarantine under COVID-19 safety protocols. Instead of facing...
After spending two years as head coach of Niwot’s junior varsity baseball team and two years as NHS varsity pitching coach, Colin York’s Niwot reign came to a close in October as he accepted the head baseball coaching position at Frederick High School. “I am incredibly excited for him,” said Niwot head coach Adam Strah. “I think he's going to do a great job. I think he's ready.” York’s ability to be a rock for Niwot was one of his best attributes according to Strah. A constant and calm presence isn’t a bad trait to have in this chaotic year. ...
Niwot athletic director Joe Brown employed a bit of trickery to lure longtime Niwot athletics assistant Sue Prahl onto the field at halftime of the Oct. 29th Niwot-Lewis Palmer football game, where he surprised her with a presentation of the Colorado Athletic Directors Association's 2020 Award for Distinguished Service. Prahl's win was announced by CADA last April, but the award presentation had to be delayed due to the ongoing pandemic....
For anybody who has followed Niwot football over the past few years, the name Ayden Bartko should ring a bell. Niwot's senior quarterback has just three games remaining in his high school career and his departure will leave a gaping hole for the Cougars. Between the lines, Bartko has racked up 2,865 passing yards in 32 career games dating back to his 2017 freshman year. At 6-foot-5 and 205 lbs, Bartko towers over his teammates and uses his height to comfortably read the field. Although it...
It will take at least another week for the Niwot Cougars (0-4) to secure their first win of the season after falling to the Lewis-Palmer Rangers, 44-16 Thursday night at host Erie High School. Navigating a "thin" roster, first-year Head coach Nik Blume was impressed with how his players continued to compete. Over half of Niwot's roster is composed of freshmen who have been tasked with learning on the run. "We knew it was a project coming in and you're seeing that for us right now every night...
Stanford University track and field has claimed another prize recruit from Niwot. Standout Taylor James has announced that she will be taking her prodigious talents to Palo Alto next fall, following the trail blazed by former Cougar standouts Elise Cranny and Mary Gillett. "In the end there were a couple of main things that swayed my decision," the talented senior said of her choice. "Obviously Stanford's athletic and academic prestige is one of the big ones. Also, Coach [J.J.] Clark seems...
Niwot High School athletic director Joe Brown has found his man in Kyle Bachrodt to take the reins for the Niwot swim team. “I really couldn't be more excited,” Bachrodt said. “Niwot is a very well-known program in all of their athletics (and) all of their academics. I've had a few meetings with the other head coaches in all of the sports and with our AD, and I couldn't be more proud to be working alongside with all of those folks.” Bachrodt, who grew up in Evergreen, attended the University of Colorado Boulder and helped win a national champio...
