All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 851 - 900 of 1623
Coming into the final 100 meters of the 2020 Class 4A state cross country race, Niwot junior Zane Bergen decided it was time to make his move. He was trailing leader Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos by a few steps, but he knew he had enough kick left to overtake the Green Mountain senior before the finish line. Unfortunately, the Green Mountain senior seemed to have other ideas. "I decided I'm going to go on the outside and get around him, but I guess I picked the wrong outside," Bergen said, describing the...
Niwot head cross country coach Kelly Christensen knew that the lead pack in the 2020 girls Class 4A championship race would be fast, but both he and his runners were caught off-guard by the pace freshman Bethany Michalak of Air Academy set right from the start. That led to some tense moments for Christensen as he watched from the sidelines, adding and re-adding the potential final scores. "Our strategy all season was a lot different in workouts and races because we knew, or we were putting a...
Niwot head football coach Nik Blume doesn't consider his team's 14-7 overtime loss to Riverdale Ridge on Oct. 16 a moral victory, but there's no doubt he was much happier in the aftermath than he was after the Cougars' 50-14 blowout loss to Holy Family the week before. "I'm not going to come out of a loss saying great things, but what I do know is that every kid we have gave us everything they could have given us, 100 percent. I think the lesson we're going to learn is that you can be...
Holy Family's 43-point first-quarter left little hope for the Niwot Cougars in Friday's football season opener. Niwot would fall to the Tigers, 50-14, under the lights at Mike G. Gabriel Stadium in Broomfield. Prior to the game, Niwot and Holy Family honored their senior classes in front of about 175 fans (mostly parents and a slew of students) per team. Head coach Nik Blume coached his first game at Niwot with over half of his roster consisting of freshmen. He said that his freshmen's need to...
There's not much country to be found in the grassy expanses of Denver's historic Washington Park, but, according to Niwot head coach Kelly Christensen, that's what made the 2020 Class 4A Region 3 cross country championships on Oct. 8 a "perfect" tune-up race for the Cougars as they prepare to defend their state titles next weekend. "Grass is slow, which is why I'm glad we were here," he said after his teams swept both the individual and team titles at the Oct. 8th regional. "We wanted them to...
Niwot football’s unusually long offseason finally has an end in sight for first-year head coach Nik Blume. Thirty-nine Cougars, including 16 freshmen, will kick things off Friday evening at Holy Family High School. Niwot’s season opener was supposed to be a home game but Blume opted to play in Broomfield to allow for more fans. SVVSD and BVSD officials announced a 175-person limit will be enforced at games. The opener will also be an early co-senior night between the schools and will honor the eight Niwot seniors. Blume said that Niwot was ini...
A promising first-five innings turned sour in the sixth for Niwot softball against Frederick on Thursday, Oct. 1. Niwot dropped its final game of the season at home, 16-4. The Cougars would finish 2020 with a 4-4 record in the Longs Peak Conference but fell short of Head coach Bobby Matthews' goal of a .500 overall record at 7-9. Although 16 was the winning number in Niwot's Sept. 24 victory over Frederick, Thursday's rematch didn't yield the same offensive output for Matthews' Cougars. Niwot...
In an eight-inning thriller east of I-25, Niwot softball upset the top-10 ranked Frederick Warriors 16-14 on its home turf on Thursday, Sept. 24. The Cougars moved to 6-8 on the season with two games remaining. Niwot played in its ninth game decided by two runs or less, but it was anything but close early on. Behind a two-run home run, Frederick scored three runs in the first inning off freshman pitcher Anne Booth before Niwot erupted for nine runs in the second. The Cougars were...
Niwot golfer Christopher Gunlikson is heading back to the Class 4A state championships after a largely drama-free performance at the Region 3 qualifying tournament, held Sept. 22 at Quail Dunes. Aided and abetted by his newly honed short game, the junior carded a tidy 3-over-par 75 on the day, which was good for fifth place in the individual standings and well under the qualifying mark of 81. Now the veteran is looking forward to competing for Niwot on his sport's biggest stage and hopes his...
Longtime Niwot coach Miikka Keronen was nervously watching the finals round at the 2020 Class 4A tennis championships when he got the news that he'd been waiting 18 years to hear-the Cougars were just one win away from clinching their first state team title and their best player in nearly a decade was still on the court. "Whenever it comes down to the last match, you never know what's going to happen," Keronen said of his state-of-mind while watching the finals, adding that he was only a...
We may be living through unprecedented times, but there was nothing new about Niwot's dominating performance at the 2020 Class 4A Region 5 championships on Sept. 18. Led by senior Neil Wilcox at No. 1 singles, the Cougars cruised to wins in six of seven finals matches to clinch their 10th straight regional title and one of the 16 team berths at the upcoming state tournament. Of course, there's a precedent in Pueblo that Miikka Keronen and his players are looking to upend, and the 18th-year head...
A lot of things had to go right for Niwot football to have a fall season, and somehow, they did. In early August, The Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) postponed football's fall season until the spring, but on Sept. 16, in conjunction with Gov. Jared Polis, CHSAA allowed football and cheer and dance to opt for a fall season. SVVSD athletic director Chase McBride then had to wait for local health officials to give permission, which they did on Sept. 17, and SVVSD jumped on the...
Back in mid-August, Niwot softball opened its season against Berthoud. It was not a competitive affair and the Cougars lost 15-0 in three innings. On Friday, Sept. 18, the two teams reconvened, this time in Niwot. Although Niwot lost again, 9-7, the team was hardly recognizable from a month ago. Niwot was without its freshman pitcher Anne Booth and junior shortstop Ayva McComas for the first meeting and their presence proved large in the rematch. Booth has been a workhorse all year for Niwot,...
The Niwot boys golf team learned some painful lessons about their short games at the final Longs Peak League event of the 2020 season, held at Thornton's Todd Creek Golf Course on Sept. 17. Bedeviled by lightning-fast greens and what were described as "challenging pin placements," the Cougars often gave up strokes where they normally don't, and that was reflected in their higher than average final scores. Luckily, it didn't seem to be a handicap for Niwot alone, and the Cougars ended up...
Lucca Fulkerson didn't start her decorated cross country career at Niwot, but if everything goes according to plan, the speedy senior will be capping it off with the Cougars next month as they win their third straight Class 4A state championship. So far in 2020, that plan has been hitting its benchmarks both for Fulkerson and the team, and, judging from performances in the early weeks, she may even earn some championship hardware herself. "This summer is the most we've ever run before, or at...
The Niwot varsity cross country teams looked formidable as they battled some friendly but fierce rivals at the Fairview Invitational on Sept. 12. Led by junior Zane Bergen in the boys race and freshman standout Mia Prok in the girls race, the Cougars claimed both team titles for the second consecutive weekend, and appear to be in great shape as they head into the most crucial weeks of the shortened 2020 season, according to head coach Kelly Christensen. "The kids are responding to the stress...
A truncated softball season doesn't leave much room in the schedule for tournament appearances, but Niwot was able to make time for four games at the 2020 Berthoud Invitational, held Sept. 11-12 at the Barnes Softball Complex in Loveland. Thanks to clutch play on both sides of the ball from Dulce Amaya, Anne Booth, and Ayva McComas, the Cougars pulled off two wins over non-conference teams, and nearly escaped with a third win over a dreaded conference rival. While far from perfect, sixth-year...
In a time of great uncertainty, the recent interactions between the Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) and Gov. Jared Polis have not yielded much clarity. The rollercoaster of events began in early August when CHSAA restructured its fall sports slate; golf, softball, cross country and boys tennis were permitted while football, volleyball and boys soccer were pushed to 2021. Hope for a change in heart was minimal until Sept. 7 when it was reported that CHSAA Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green would be meeting with Gov. Polis and...
It took just three innings for Niwot softball to roll past Thompson Valley, 17-0, on Thursday, Sept. 3. The Cougars cranked out 14 hits and freshman Anne Booth left the Eagles hitless at Centennial Park in Loveland. Niwot, which improved to 3-4, has won three of its last four games after starting the season 0-3 and being outscored 39-5. Head coach Bobby Matthews applauded his team for applying the fundamentals learned in practice to the big stage. "It's especially nice when they do the things...
Dulce means "sweet or mild" in Spanish, but the Niwot catcher by that name was a tough out on the softball diamond last week. After belting a game-tying double against Severance on Sept. 1, she exploded at the plate against Thompson Valley to lead the Cougars to a 17-0 victory. But if senior Dulce Amaya is hard on opposing pitchers, she embodies her name off the field and her relentlessly positive leadership has been a "huge" factor in his team's recent turnaround, according to Niwot head coach...
The Niwot boys golf team battled blistering heat and unpredictable course conditions as they made the turn to the second half of the 2020 season at the Frederick Classic on Aug. 27. After a performance that was equal parts great and terrible, Cougar head coach Ed Weaver is looking for more consistency from his young team with the Class 4A Region 3 state qualifier just three weeks away. "We could've played a lot better," he said after his team's eighth-place finish in the 16-team field at Coyote...
There's almost nothing normal about the way Jesse Horn's senior year at Niwot High started, so he's grateful for the one thing in his daily routine that hasn't changed much in 2020-the boys golf season. With classes conducted remotely and marching band performances on hold, Horn said having practice with his friends to look forward to every afternoon has kept him centered. "I definitely did not expect golf to be the most normal thing so far," the third-year veteran said. Golf is one of only four...
Local collegiate and high school football seasons may be on hold, but for Niwot Youth Sports flag football, it's nearly business as usual. Players ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade will grace the gridiron this fall at the Biff Warren Sports Complex on Nimbus Road. The league will consist of three age divisions (kindergarten/first grade, second/third grade and fourth/fifth grade) with four teams per division. Practice started on Aug. 31, and games will be played on Sundays beginning...
A relentless Roosevelt RoughRiders offense spoiled Niwot softball's home opener by a score of 18-0 on Saturday, Aug. 22. The Cougars dropped to 0-3 on the young season and are still looking to hit their stride in all facets of the game. Head Coach Bobby Matthews is tasked with developing a young Niwot team that includes five freshmen and just one senior. While you can't control every outcome in softball, Matthews targeted defensive communication and energy as two areas Niwot can improve upon...
Fifth-year Niwot head coach Kelly Christensen is grateful that the 2020 high school cross country season is proceeding, even if in a modified form, but he was also quick to acknowledge that, like everything else that it hasn't cancelled or postponed this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the sport more difficult for everyone involved. "It's everything, whether it's the schedule, trying to plan Covid practices, debating whether or not we're going to cut rosters, or finding races. I would say...
The Niwot boys tennis team opened the abbreviated 2020 season at a breakneck pace, winning four times in a week while going 27-1 in match play. But so far, the road to undefeated has been pretty smooth for the Cougars and 18th-year head coach Miikka Keronen is eager to find some more challenging terrain. "We need to be tested," he said after Niwot's 7-0 win over Riverdale Ridge on Aug. 20. "Of course I'm happy, who wouldn't be happy at 4-0. But at the same time, we're pretty loaded this year,...
Captain Sam Keronen has one goal for his upcoming senior tennis season: win the elusive Class 4A state championship for Niwot. "I want to win it individually and I want to win as a team," he said. "I think this could be the year we take it home." Cougar tennis has long been considered one of the elite high school programs in Colorado, but the boys have yet to claim the sport's top prize. Both Keronen and the Cougars have come close before, most recently in 2018, when Niwot finished second...
Isabella Steiner, age 16, a junior at Niwot High School, is shown here jumping her horse Cool Toddy at the Summer in the Rockies show series at Colorado Horse Park. Steiner won grand champion of the 1.05 Meter jumping competition, held during the week of July 15-22nd. Steiner is currently leading zone 8 in the country for 1.05 meter jumpers and has been invited to compete in the United States Hunter Jumper Association National competitions in Las Vegas in November....
Niwot softball's inexperience proved detrimental at Berthoud High School on Saturday, Aug. 15, as the Cougars dropped their season opener against the Spartans, 15-0. With four out of the nine starting Cougars fresh to the varsity level, Assistant Coach Jason Johnson said he told the girls after the game, "This won't define us." The unfamiliar stage of varsity competition is now a little more palatable for Niwot. "You could see a lot of nerves and first game jitters," Johnson said. "There's a...
Niwot High School head football coach Nikolas Blume had a gut feeling his inaugural season at Niwot would be delayed. Even so, the news was still a punch in the gut. "To be honest, I was pretty disappointed," Blume said. "My whole staff is pretty disappointed. There was a lot of time that had gone by and you could kind of see what else was happening around us. If that decision ultimately was going to be made, it could have been made a lot sooner." Blume's discontent stems from the hours of pract...
On Aug. 13, the Niwot boys tennis team traveled to Thompson Valley for the opening match of the abbreviated 2020 season. Despite temperatures in the high-90s and new social distancing regulations, a robust crowd was on hand to see the two teams battle it out under the new pandemic rules, which mandate face coverings and limit player contact. However, only Cougars fans left with something to celebrate, as Niwot cruised to a 7-0 win. Click hereto see more photos from the match....
Direct impacts of COVID-19 have officially reached the fall with the Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) announcing its rearranged 2020-21 athletics and activities calendar. Instead of traditional fall, winter and spring sports seasons, CHSAA will now hold A, B, C and D seasons that will extend through June. Most notably, football, volleyball and boys soccer will move their usual fall slate to the early-March Season C. Boys tennis, golf, softball and cross country are continuing...
A shortened 16-game season and limited varsity roster will only heighten the excitement for Niwot High School softball this fall. Coming off a 12-14 season, Coach Bobby Matthews leads a young roster into what will be, one way or another, a historic 2020 season. Per the Colorado High School Athletic Association's (CHSAA) COVID-19 regulations, there will be no non-conference matchups and only 16 guaranteed games opposed to the usual 23 games. That means Niwot will only be facing teams from the...
Ed Weaver isn't thrilled with his team's finish at their season debut at Quail Dunes Golf Course on Aug. 7, but that isn't to say he's disappointed either. In fact, the Cougars met his expectations more or less exactly in Fort Morgan, and now he can see their path to the postseason a little more clearly. "What I need to do is take my 90s guys-Luc, Emmett and Carlos-and get them to take five or six shots off each of their scores, so they're in the high 80s. Then we'll be right in the thick of thi...
On July 29, the Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) announced that boys tennis and softball would join boys golf for the fall 2020 sports season. As of Aug. 2, other fall sports including football and volleyball are still awaiting a verdict. Softball and boys tennis are permitted to begin official practices on Aug. 10 with competition starting as soon as Aug. 13. Health and safety is a top priority and CHSAA has made significant modifications to each sport’s season. Per CHSAA, the softball season will be shortened from 23 to 1...
Kyle Reeves isn't quite sure how his recruiting videos ended up in the hands of the Park University men's basketball Coach Jason Kline, he's just glad they did. When the spread of coronavirus made recruiting a secondary concern for many college athletic programs across the country, the 6-foot, 4-inch Reeves thought the opportunities he fought so hard to earn on the court as a point guard for Niwot might be put on hold for another year. "Someone sent him my films, and he saw them and liked me, so...
Amid the hubbub about the return to play plans for high school sports such as football and cross country, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) quietly gave boys golf the green light to start its season as scheduled during the first week of August. In an announcement dated July 25, CHSAA stated that golf is "able to be played under the current national, state, county and CHSAA health guidelines as they pertain to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," and, as such, plans for the 2020...
In last week's edition of the Left Hand Valley Courier, we covered the story behind Niwot's Ritz Field, named after Colorado Rockies pitcher Kevin Ritz. We now turn our attention towards its neighbor, Hagen Field, named after the late Greg Hagen. Hagen was a parent volunteer for Niwot Youth Sports. When NYS lost the use of borrowed fields in Niwot at 83rd and Neva Road, Hagen helped erect the backstops at three new fields on Left Hand Water District property off Nimbus Road. When Hagen died...
Niwot High School girls swim coach Sarah Stamp has run out of superlatives for her top swimmer, Mary Codevilla, who appears on the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association 2019-2020 All-American list for the second straight year. "I would say undoubtedly, probably the most well-rounded, top swimmer that (has) come through Niwot, hands down," Stamp said in describing the outstanding swimmer. Codevilla's talent is recognized past Niwot with her name splashed throughout the NISCA...
Niwot Youth Sports baseball was thriving in the 1990s and was in desperate need of additional fields for its over 500 ballplayers. NYS was limited to local school fields and borrowed land for much of its then 20-year history. The situation was not ideal for a growing program. Former NYS Softball director Jim Martinsen reached out to the Left hand Water District in hopes of securing land for future ballfields and his wish was granted. NYS quickly constructed three makeshift fields adjacent to...
Eleven years and a slew of accomplishments later, Niwot girls swimming head coach Sarah Stamp is calling it quits. "It was just time to step away and focus on my full time job and my family," she said. "I have a little one, so time's a precious thing... (it's) time to let someone else come in and take over." During her tenure as a coach at Niwot, Stamp won back-to-back Northern Conference crowns and led the Cougars to a 4A state runner-up spot in 2019. She was also the statewide 4A Coach of the...
GOLF Kelsey Webster (Fairview) of Gunbarrel was named to the Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar for the 2019-2020 season. Webster, a sophomore psychology major at the University of Colorado, posted a 77.58 stroke norm for 12 rounds. To be eligible for WGCA Golf All-American Scholar status, a golfer must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) and must have played in 50 percent of the college's regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the...
In a not-so-normal summer, a scrappy Boulder Collegians squad is making wins the norm. Led by first-year Collegians' manager Mark Goodman, Boulder boasts a 14-10 record through July 4 and looks to make a run at the Rocky Mountain Baseball League crown. Nine of Boulder's 14 victories have come by three runs or less and whether you chalk it up to luck or not, the Collegians are getting the job done. General Manager Matt Jensen believes the Collegians' unique capacity to win close games could be...
Equipped with a five-phase plan of return, , SVFC club soccer is returning to the pitch. SVFC is currently in phase three of its plan and expects to move forward as state and local regulations surrounding coronavirus loosen. According to St. Vrain FC (SVFC) executive director Daniel Jones, it's been a long time coming for players to finally see some action. Since the pandemic's arrival and up until early June, SVFC was stuck in phase one, which included team technical, development, tactical and...
Track standout Taylor James didn't get a chance to win any big races for Niwot in 2020, but she still claimed a big prize at season's end. On June 25, the rising senior was named the Colorado Girls Track Athlete of the Year by Gatorade, one of the most exclusive awards in high school athletics. "She's definitely special," Cougar cross country coach Kelly Christensen said of the talented runner, who was also named ColoradoClass 4A Girls Athlete of the Year in 2019. "Gatorade is a tough award, so...
With just 60 days to go before the Nikolas Blume era of Niwot football kicks off, the first-year head coach expected to be well on his way to implementing the rebuilding project he was hired to undertake back in February. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic made a hash of those plans, and so it wasn't until last week that Coach Blume was able to watch his players in action for the first time. So far, he's been pleased with what he's seen, but there's no denying that the long layoff has...
SVVSD athletics took another step towards normalcy on Monday with its teams getting the green light to begin practices. When Boulder County and state coronavirus regulations began to loosen, District Athletic Director Chase McBride jumped at the chance to bring sports back. “We had intended to start at the beginning of June, but the health guidelines that we had to adhere to at that point didn't offer us the opportunity to gather and to participate in athletics and activities,” McBride said. “We just continued to monitor guidelines as they...
After months of waiting, Niwot will get another glimpse of normality with Niwot Youth Sports (NYS) participants returning to action. This summer will feature a resumption of the spring baseball and softball seasons, but not without an abundance of caution. Competitive baseball practices are underway and recreational baseball teams will start practicing on June 15. A renewal of the spring soccer season was also in discussion according to NYS Executive Director Patrick Longseth, but ultimately can...
Baseball is in full swing once again and the Boulder Collegians wrapped up their first week of play against the Gameday Saints. Boulder has had limited practice time due to coronavirus restrictions and Collegians' first-year manager and last season's pitching coach Mark Goodman was excited to finally hit the diamond. "I'm just happy that we have baseball we're able to play," Goodman said. "It's too early to figure out what's going on with who, but just being in the dugout with the boys is...
Niwot High School girl's basketball head coach Terri Ward has quite the connection in the world of women's athletics. Ward, who is also a graduate of Niwot High, was the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Colorado in the mid-1980s under legendary University of Colorado women's basketball coach, Ceal Barry. The two have continued to be close friends after Ward's path took her to Niwot over 30 years ago. Barry ended her coaching career in 2005 and in May, Barry announced her pl...
