All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 51 - 100 of 110
Bo Gardner's first career postseason goal came at an opportune time for the Niwot High School boys soccer team. Stuck in a 1-1 deadlock with Pueblo Centennial late in the second half, Gardner received an assist from fellow senior Josh Ary and netted the game-winner in Niwot's Class 4A first-round state playoff game on Oct. 26. "It was definitely one of the top goals in my career," Gardner said. Gardner, who scored five goals in the regular season, gave all the credit to Ary for setting him up...
After battling COVID-19 earlier in the month, Niwot High School cross country senior Olivia Alessandrini was unsure how well she’d run at regionals on Oct. 19. Her stamina was still in recovery mode, and because the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada is no easy course, she wasn’t exactly confident heading into the meet. Regardless, Alessandrini embraced the challenge and completed the 5,000-meter race with a personal best time (at altitude) of 17 minutes, 49 seconds. Alessandrini’s confi...
The Niwot High volleyball team likely doesn't come back to beat Frederick without senior Julia Dadey. After dropping the match's first two sets, Niwot's back row, which included Dadey, was the spark that got the Cougars going en route to reverse-sweeping (20-25, 17-25, 25-15, 25-16, 15-8) the Golden Eagles on Oct. 10. "There were four or five (plays) that Julia Dadey got on her horse and ran from sideline to sideline picking up balls," Niiwot head coach Tony Engel said following the match....
Four-year varsity player Jett Feiner is wrapping up his Niwot High School boys soccer career on an impressive scoring surge. Through Oct. 8, the senior owns a career-high six goals to go along with five assists. Half of Feiner's six scores came via his first high school hat trick in a 9-1 blowout of Severance on Sept. 26. Besides being more aggressive in shooting the ball, Feiner shared that nothing major has changed regarding his role on the field. "I try to do everything while I'm out there,"...
Kyle Davidson is enjoying a successful final chapter of his Niwot High boys tennis career with his partner Sebastian Moy. The Cougars senior won six of his last seven regular season No. 1 doubles matches, according to MaxPreps, and continued that momentum with a dominant 6-1, 6-0, match victory in the first round of the Class 4A team state championships on Sept. 27. Despite feeling under the weather, Davidson still had enough strength to help Niwot advance past George Washington High School. "I...
One rough day is all it takes to destroy a golfer's state championship hopes. Emmett Shell learned that lesson last year when he missed the state cut at regionals despite qualifying the prior season. Now another year wiser, the Niwot High School golfer wasn't about to squander another opportunity to compete at the state tournament. Playing cautiously, Shell shot a 2-over-par 74 at the 4A Region 3 meet on Sept. 21 to finish sixth individually, well within the state cut. "This was meaningful in...
It wouldn't be a stretch to describe Manan Gangwar as an eternal optimist. Despite taking some lumps early in his Niwot High School boys tennis career, the senior has remained positive throughout it all and even values those difficult times. "When you lose a lot, it helps you gain a new perspective, which is why losing is really important," Gangwar said. "You just know what to do better next time." Gangwar is now giving out lumps far more than he's taking them. Through Sept. 17, his varsity matc...
Very few high school student-athletes take their work more seriously than Niwot volleyball senior Lizzy Kaus. Prior to the season, Cougars head coach Tony Engel described the work ethic of his middle blocker, saying she "comes to work with a hard hat on every day," and locks in on getting better. An improved Kaus finally got to reap the benefit of her efforts on Sept. 5 when she helped Niwot to a season-opening sweep of Silver Creek High School. The third-year varsity player contributed four...
Six years after his older brother Jason scored 13 goals for Niwot High School in 2017, Josh Rodriguez is currently enjoying his own stellar senior season for the Cougars boys soccer team. The younger Rodriguez owns six of Niwot's eight goals scored, plus a pair of assists through three games. He credited his early success to his teammates, who together have the Cougars off to an undefeated start. "I've known a lot of them for a while, so the chemistry is there," Rodriguez said. "It's obviously...
Switching high schools often comes with its challenges but for Jenna Hobson, her transition from Boulder to Niwot High School was made easier thanks to a "welcoming" softball program. Now in the midst of her third and final varsity softball season at Niwot, the senior looks back fondly on her time with the Cougars. "We've been talking about senior night the whole season," Hobson said. "I'm so sad to leave everyone. They're my best friends. You don't know them and then they're the people that...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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,"...
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...
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...
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....
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...
Recent University of Northern Colorado football signee Kaiden Box is doing something a little different during his final high school semester. The Skyline High School quarterback was looking for a sport to play this spring and with neither baseball nor track enticing him, he was convinced by fellow Skyline senior Erik West to join the inaugural Niwot High School varsity boys volleyball team. It didn't take Box long to learn the sport and he soon developed an immense respect for his new...
Although he thinks of himself as a defense-first catcher, Niwot High School baseball senior Diego Castro has made an equally large impact this season with his bat. The Cougar backstop sports a .429 batting average through April 23 with a team-leading 18 RBIs. Last year, he hit just .162 in a similar number of plate appearances. Castro credited an offseason of facing pitching machines that allowed him to see higher velocities and breaking balls. "Honestly, I think I'm just more comfortable, more...
Although he has his own personal goals, Jeremy Gillett is typically thinking about his team before anything else. On April 1, for example, the Niwot High School track and field senior shared that he took immense pride in representing his school as he competed on his home track at the NoCo Series #1 meet. Gillett ran in the 1,600-meter and as the race remained crowded up front entering the final stretch, his final push was motivated by a force greater than himself. "In that last 100 (meters), I...
Short-distance standout Kimora Northrup is still hunting for some more hardware in the final stage of her accomplished Niwot High School track and field career. Already an individual Class 4A state champion in both the 100 and 300-meter hurdles, the senior has her eyes set on winning gold again in both events to further cement an already strong Niwot legacy. Northrup, however, has been dealt some adversity early this season with knee problems limiting her to competing only in sprint relays in...
While it's not at the absolute forefront of his mind, Niwot High School track and field senior Freddie Ambrose is doing his best to cherish the final days of his prep career. "When I'm running with the other guys that I've been running with for four years, it's kind of like, 'Dang, this is one of the last times I'll ever be able to run with these guys when we're all racing for the same team,'" Ambrose said. Putting on a show at the state championships in May remains his highest priority,...
The fourth and final season of Evan Welding's prep swim career is shaping up nicely. Already an accomplished swimmer for Silver Creek High School's boys team, Welding has qualified for the Class 4A state championships in the 50-yard freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 free, 100 fly and 100 individual medley. He is also a member of two relay teams that have made the cut for state. In a dual meet against Broomfield High on March 16, he took first in the 50 free thanks to a season-best 23.61-second...
Jack Klein squeezed about as much as he could out of his four years at Niwot High School. Now about two months away from graduation, the senior in Niwot's International Baccalaureate Program is also the school's National Honor Society Treasurer and the youth board executive director of the Community Food Share, a local food bank focused on fighting hunger in Boulder and Broomfield counties. To complement his community work, Klein owns an accomplished athletics resume as well. In his primary spor...
Although the Rocky Mountain slopes are within reach, there are surprisingly few young athletes in the Front Range who ski competitively. Why? Skiing can't exactly be learned in a backyard or driveway; effort and time are required to fully appreciate the thrill of gliding down Colorado's infamous powder. But for those who've gone the extra mile, the payoff can be fruitful. Since joining the Boulder Nordic Junior Racing Team in seventh grade, Sophie Spalding has been glued to the slopes and has be...
The bigger picture doesn't go unseen by Niwot High School senior Veer Gandhakwala. In an age where demands on students only seem to be increasing, Gandhakwala has dedicated countless hours of his time toward helping Niwot students with disabilities through the school's unified sports teams. Over the past two years, he has volunteered as a "partner" for unified basketball and bowling, two programs that offer athletic opportunities for special needs students. As a student-athlete himself in both...
After falling just short the past two years, Jamieson Legh finally got over the hump of winning an individual state championship in her final run. The fourth-year Niwot High School swimmer finished runner-up in the 100-meter butterfly as both a sophomore and junior, plus she took second in the 100 backstroke last year and placed third the season prior. But given one last opportunity as a senior, Legh took advantage and won both events by a combined 6.73 seconds at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic...
Everything is coming together at the best time possible for Izzy Fay, the lone diver on the Niwot girls swim and dive team. In Niwot's final meet before the state championships, Fay ran away with a first-place finish at the Longs Peak League Championships on Feb. 4. Her score of 450.85 was about 85 points higher than the next-closest diver. "This is probably my best meet so far, to be honest," Fay said soon after her final dive at the Mountain View Aquatics Center in Loveland. "But my season is...
Looking back at her nearly-complete Niwot High School girls swim career, the relationships Rowan Lavigne has built come to the senior's mind almost immediately. "Since freshman year, I've made my best friends on the team," Lavigne said. "I'm (grateful to) have my last season with them and everybody." Lavigne has grown particularly close with a pair of fellow seniors who've joined her at the state championships the past three seasons, Julianna Strope and Stephanie Mow. Four years ago as freshmen...
The first two years of Eric Falcon's Niwot High School wrestling career didn't go according to plan. Beset by the COVID-19 pandemic and a leg injury, he was unable to dedicate his complete focus to the sport until his junior season. Success began to follow and now as a senior, the 165-pound Falcon has cemented himself as one of Niwot's top wrestlers. Two of his best meets this season resulted in second-place finishes at the Wheat Ridge Invitational on Dec. 10, and at the Alameda Wrestling...
While Niwot High School girls basketball's first win of 2022-23 was inarguably a team effort, few Cougars were as critical to the victory as Molly Slupik. A junior starting forward, Slupik had dominant runs in multiple aspects of her game, all contributing to a 42-39 win at Skyline High School on Jan. 14. Her physicality on the boards, particularly on the offensive side, stood out the most for head coach Jon Hill. "I told her she's got to get on the offense glass," Hill said. "She worked her...
Although only a sophomore, Ryder Evans has proven early on that he can compete against Colorado's top wrestlers. The 126-pound Niwot High underclassman owns an 18-5 record so far this season and his focus remains locked on qualifying for the state tournament. With several of the area's best wrestlers coming to Evans' home gym at Niwot High School for the Gary Daum Classic on Jan. 7, he was given an opportunity to test his skills against other state hopefuls. Evans made quick work of his first...
For the first time since breaking his ankle as a sophomore, Alexander Long finally feels like a "complete basketball player" midway through his senior season at Niwot High School. "I didn't really rebound until this year - just strength and stuff in my ankle," Long said. "It's good to finally be able to run and have it not hurt or bother me, it's not in my mind." On the court, Long takes the most pride in his defensive abilities. He may not light up the scoreboard offensively, but the Cougar...
The term downhill guard doesn't suit many better than it does Rose Pacheco. Her ability to drive towards the hoop may appear reckless at times, but it frequently results in two points for the Niwot High School girls basketball team. Through the first seven games of her sophomore season, Pacheco is averaging a team-best 11.3 points per game. Pacheco's success remains one of the few bright spots of what has been an otherwise difficult 0-7 start for the Cougars. Still, she remains optimistic that N...
After moving to the United States during his sixth-grade year, Vithal Arya was tasked with learning a culture far different from the one he had experienced growing up in India. "It's a culture shock because there's not really middle school, high school, it's just K-12, and that's practically every school (in India)," Arya said. "Extracurriculars don't really matter as much as they matter here. In India, schools are basically all for academics. We're not really big on sports. The only big sports...
It was only game No. 1, but when Jerek Funkhouser scored 27 points in Niwot High School's season opener on Dec. 1, it was a great omen for the Cougar boys basketball team. The senior's career-best output, part of a 73-13 home blowout of Regis Groff, was aided by an all-in team effort on offense. "It was just awesome to see that our offense is playing for each other this year," Funkhouser said. "Most of our buckets were off just easy cuts to the basket and within the offense. It's awesome to see...
Zoie Chociej's dominant senior season has her feeling optimistic that she can continue her softball career in college. The Niwot High School second baseman had highs in batting average (.645), RBIs (33) and home runs (six) while striking out only six times in 73 plate appearances for the fall 2022 season. She was also named the MaxPreps/NFCA National Player of the Week in August thanks to her 10-for-10 start to the season, including three home runs. Chociej said that her success helped put her...
The admiration gymnast Nia Terrell's teammates have for their senior leader is abundant. As Niwot High School entered its final event at the Class 4A team state gymnastics championships on Nov. 4, all anyone in green and white wanted to do was ensure that Terrell's prep career would end on a high note. Niwot was in the mix for a top-three finish and the Cougars just needed a strong performance on floor, Terrell's only event of the day, at host Thornton High School. Niwot delivered. Freshman...
Raiden Stahly, Niwot High School football's only four-year varsity member this season, played his final high school snap on Nov. 4 in the Cougars' finale against Denver North. It was a mix of emotions, but all of them were real for the tight end/outside linebacker. "Going into it I was excited and sad," said Stahly, who also lent his voice to the National Anthem prior to the game. "I saw the end of the season and (my) high school career ending. (There are) a lot of good people on my team and...
Digesting his No. 2 singles state individuals tournament semifinals loss hasn't been easy, but Niwot boys tennis junior LiChen Liao is surrounded by a support system which should help him return next season with a vengeance. Liao, who won the No. 2 singles title last year, said that his No. 1 singles teammate, senior Luke Weber, was there for him following his 6-1, 6-2 loss to Kent Denver's Will Moldenhauer at City Park in Pueblo on Oct. 14. Weber had a similar experience last season when he...
Thanks in part to a position change, Eric Walker has been a valuable producer for the 12-3 Niwot High School boys soccer team, which begins Class 4A state playoff action on Oct. 27. Cougars head coach Stephen Dimit moved Walker from center back to striker and the senior responded by becoming one of Niwot's leading scorers. His six regular season goals were third-most on the team, behind juniors Javier Alvira (9) and Josh Ary (10). "After a few games, just getting the experience up there (at...
Hannah Waldron has erupted during her senior season for the Niwot girls volleyball team. The four-year varsity player recorded her first-ever 10-kill game against Roosevelt on Oct. 5 and then proceeded to have back-to-back 14-kill performances against Frederick and Mountain View. She believes that much of her recent success can be credited to her teammates, including sophomore Anne Haley, who leads Niwot with 346 assists. "My connection with Anne has been just really on fire," Waldron said....
The final chapter of Madison Shults' Niwot High School cross country career has been a good read. In the month of September alone, Shults had top-10 finishes in the RE-1J District Meet, the St. Vrain Invitational and the Desert Twilight XC Festival - which all also resulted in team wins. Shults gave special recognition to head coach Kelly Christensen and a slew of others for helping make her senior season memorable. "I definitely have to credit it to our coaches," Shults said. "Our coaches are...
