All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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After a truncated 2021 high school season, full-scale wrestling tournaments are back in 2022, and, locally, that means a packed house at Niwot High for the ninth annual Gary Daum Classic, held Jan. 8. More than two hundred wrestlers plus their fans and coaches turned out for the all-day event, named for legendary Cougar wrestling coach Gary Daum (1977-2005), who passed away in 2013 after an illness. On the mat, Cougar wrestlers delivered mixed results, landing Niwot in the bottom quarter of the...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
Niwot seniors Jovani Lopez and Daniel Torres accomplished much more than they thought possible during their four-year high school wrestling careers, but in the immediate aftermath of grueling losses in the 2020 Class 4A state championships, it was hard for them to accept falling short of their ultimate goals. "It was a good experience," Lopez said, though without much conviction. Minutes before, he had lost a close third-round match in the heavyweight consolation bracket, putting him out of...
Niwot wrestler Daniel Torres was restless as he watched his lighter teammates take on their first opponents at the Class 4A Region 3 tournament, held at Windsor HS on Feb. 14-15. He was anxiously awaiting a mat assignment-his first since suffering an elbow injury on Jan. 11. The senior was worried that the six-week layoff had cost him too much strength and conditioning, and that his high school career might come to a premature end in the Wizards' gym. But those worries dimmed after an impressive...
On Feb. 6, six seniors took the mat for Niwot one last time, as the Cougars hosted Broomfield and Mountain View in the season's final home event before the Class 4A Region 3 qualifying tournament. It was a good night for the seniors who were able to find a contested match against either of their two opponents. Senior Max Pechersewski went 2-0 on the night in the 113-pound class, his win coming by fall over Alex Church of Broomfield (3:14) in his only contested match of the night. Senior Keith...
It was a light crew for head coach Bobby Matthews at the 2020 Diny Pickert Invitational at Berthoud High on Jan. 26, as several Niwot wrestlers battled illness. That made for a light score in the final team standings, where Niwot placed 14th overall with 34.0 points. Niwot heavyweight Jovani Lopez earned his seventh trip to the podium this season with a 2nd-place finish in the 285-pound class. He was runner-up for the third time to Oscar Aranday of Skyline, who won in a 2-1 decision. Lopez went...
Niwot heavyweight Jovani Lopez earned his fifth trip to the podium this season with a third-place finish in the 285-pound class at the Frederick Warrior Invitational on Jan. 11. Lopez was methodical in his final match against Wheat Ridge's Samuel Mondragon (12-7), steadily accumulating take down and nearfall points that would ultimately result in an 8-1 decision. "My strategy was not to rush the moves, to just move around until I saw the opening," the senior said after the win, his 16th of the y...
The Niwot High gym was stacked to the rafters on Saturday, Jan. 4, as the largest field ever took to the mat for the eighth annual Gary Daum Classic. While more teams may have meant more problems for tournament host and Niwot head coach Bobby Matthews, he said it has been tremendously gratifying to see the competition named for the legendary Cougar coach grow into a can't miss event. "When I came here five years ago, one of my goals was to make this a really tough tournament. This year, our...
Niwot's Jovani Lopez (far left) took seventh overall out of 35 competitors in the 285 lb. bracket at the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament at the University of Northern Colorado on Dec. 21. It was the third podium appearance in three tournaments for the senior, who took first in the heavyweight division at the Mike Stanley Invite on Dec. 7 and again at the Frank Palmieri Invitational on Dec. 14....
The memorable moments have been few and far between for the Niwot wrestling team over the past few seasons, but fifth-year head coach Bobby Matthews thinks this could be the year it all turns around. With two returning state qualifiers, plus a solid class of newcomers, the 2019-20 squad has at least one key thing the 2018-19 team lacked. "We have a little more experience this year than we've had in years past," Matthews said. "Last year, we didn't have any state qualifiers returning, we didn't...
