All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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One of the first gifts Carly Toothaker could remember receiving as a young child was a soccer ball, and after some time to reflect on her recently-completed high school career, that present can be considered an ember to a life encapsulated by sport. Toothaker's father became her first soccer coach, with her mother doing the same in basketball. The immense early guidance helped her become a multi-year varsity starter in both sports at Niwot High. In soccer, which she considers her primary sport,...
Niwot High graduated senior Easten Leatherwood has just a few more weeks before he leaves for Durango to begin his college football career at Fort Lewis College. A 3A North Central 3 League All-Conference honorable mention last fall for Niwot football, he committed to the Division II Skyhawks in February and created a homecoming of sorts. Both of his parents attended Fort Lewis and Leatherwood grew up in Durango before moving to Longmont shortly after completing fourth grade. He said Fort Lewis...
Having never touched a pole in his life, Niwot senior Nicholas Stade needed just three weeks to learn the pole vault and place ninth in the Class 4A state track and field championships on May 22. Stade said that after he was unable to qualify for state in the 110-meter hurdles, it was his head coach Maurice Henriques who challenged the team player to help Niwot gain an extra point or two. His vault of 12 feet, 9 inches was a pleasant result. "I really surprised myself with being able to do...
When Sydney Rothstein was six years old, her father started taking her to the late lamented Haystack Mountain golf course where, through a series of outrageous bets and parental indulgence, he didn't just teach his daughter how to play the game, but made her fall in love with it. More than a decade later, Rothstein has turned that love for golf into a successful high school career at Niwot High that has included two state tournament appearances, and a lot of fun with friends along the way. But...
When the Niwot Cougar baseball team took the field for the first time March 12, senior Walt Van Riper was on the mound. Van Riper went four innings in the opening 10-9 loss to Skyline in a non-league game, but was not involved in the decision. At the plate he had two hits in four plate appearances, scoring twice and driving in a run. The versatile Van Riper, who also started as a guard on the Cougar basketball team, is in his third season with the varsity squad, which boasts seven seniors. His...
If being a well-rounded student means engaging with a wide range of opportunities for learning and success at school, then the term applies to Niwot senior Mercer Stauch, whose list of high school accomplishments isn't just long, but also varied. Whether in the classroom, on the track, or, most recently, on the stage for Niwot, Stauch almost never says no to a challenge, or fails to reach a goal. Being well-rounded doesn't mean you can't have passions, and for Stauch, music and performing have...
Ashlee Wood didn't have much basketball experience when she joined Niwot's new unified basketball team-just what she'd picked up by playing with her brothers and dad in the driveway. But what the athletic sophomore lacked in experience, she more than made up for in excitement and determination, and, by the end of the eight-game season, Wood had become a force for the Cougars on both sides of the ball. "I did pretty good," she said about her performance during the 2022 campaign. "It was a challen...
Outside of the Cougar cheer squad, you probably won't find a student with more unabashed school spirit than Niwot junior Ryan Gray. Whether it's cheering on the home team at a state tournament, or spearheading a student council fundraiser, if it helps the NHS community, it's likely that Gray is involved. But his Niwot spirit doesn't stay on the campus grounds. As student council vice-president, he is working to forge a stronger relationship between the school and the town's organizations, with...
With five individual state championships and a Class 4A record to her name, there isn't much territory left for standout Mary Codevilla to conquer in high school swimming. But she still has lofty goals for her senior season, and not just in the pool. "Since I've already committed this year, it's just about fun," the fourth-year varsity and Notre Dame-bound swimmer said between events at a recent meet. "It's about being a good leader to the team, and passing down the knowledge that I've gained...
Niwot football's historic 2021 season will be remembered for many reasons, not least the dominating performance of senior Bryce Nemec, a difference-maker on both sides of the ball. Appearing in all 10 games, Nemec's bruising play as an offensive guard cleared the way for a record-setting performance by Cougar rushers, and, as a defensive lineman, helped make Niwot's defense a force to be reckoned with for the first time in many seasons. All of that added up to a 4-6 record in 2021, the Cougars'...
The Niwot girls swim team has faced its share of challenges over the past few seasons, from lack of a home facility, to a coaching turnover, and, of course, the myriad complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But with a new St. Vrain Valley district pool set to open next month, plus a more conventional schedule in 2021-22, senior Rowan Osgood is excited for her best swim season yet. "I absolutely think there's more stability this year," the third-year veteran said of her Niwot swimming...
The 2021-22 Niwot girls basketball team is on the path to redemption after posting just two wins during the prior two seasons. Helping lead them there is senior captain Madison Tajchman, a second-year varsity guard and natural leader, according to Cougars' new head coach Jon Hill. "Maddi represents our program and Niwot as a whole in a positive light, and is probably our biggest voice, along with Carly [Toothaker]," Hill said after a recent win. "She's an amazing student, on and off the floor....
On Nov. 13 at the Class 4A state championships, senior Morgan Daugherty played her final match in a Niwot volleyball uniform, ending a short but highly impactful career. In two seasons for the Cougars, the left-handed six-footer provided a powerful threat as an opposite side hitter, ending with 337 kills and 47 blocks, second only to fellow senior Zoe Gibbs. Earlier that week, Daugherty signed a letter of intent to continue her playing days at the South Dakota School of Mines, becoming Niwot's...
At 6-foot 3-inches and 225 pounds, Niwot senior guard/tackle Brad Bair is a force to be reckoned with on the football field, as opponents across the scrimmage line from him can no doubt attest. But underneath that intimidating exterior lies a quiet workhorse who leads by example as he consistently does his job well, Niwot head coach Nikolas Blume said. "We actually give him a hard time about how nice he is, because no matter how hard you coach him, he's just so polite all the time. It's almost...
During four seasons as a varsity winger for Niwot, Azael Marrufo has been the Cougars' most productive attacker, with 34 goals in 34 games, the most recent a game-winner against Regis Groff in the first round of the 2021 Class 4A soccer playoffs. But that isn't the most memorable moment of Niwot soccer for the talented senior. That moment came during the 2020 postseason, and it isn't a wholly pleasant one. "Making it to the semi-finals was wonderful, because my brother made it to the...
In September 2020, Niwot distance runner Eva Klingbeil was on the cusp of a breakout season when she suffered an injury that ended her racing year prematurely. For the first time since joining the varsity as a freshman, she would be on the sidelines for the Class 4A regional and state championships, instead of helping Niwot win the titles. That was "really hard," Klingbeil acknowledged, so she was determined not to let history repeat itself during her senior season. "I definitely have gotten a...
With his varsity tennis season now behind him, Niwot senior Raaghav Agarwal is turning his attention to another type of head-to-head match. This year, he is taking on a key technical role for the Up-A-Creek Robotics' Team 1619, one of the top high school robotics teams in Colorado. Though competition season is still a few months away, Agarwal is excited about the youthful squad, and looking forward to getting back into the arena. "This year, we're going back to in-person challenges, which is...
Through Oct. 3, Jasmine Aldama has put on the Niwot softball uniform a whopping 83 times in her career. The versatile senior cleanup hitter has been a valuable asset for head coach Bobby Matthews. Aldama has primarily started at third base, but has also been an option in the circle during her career. Additionally, Aldama has recently played innings in center field, a position she was familiar with on her club team. It's with a bat in her hands, however, that Aldama truly shines. Matthews said...
During his first three seasons as a Niwot varsity golfer, talented left-hander Christopher Gunlikson was one of the league's strongest performers during the regular season, but struggled with consistency when it came to high pressure and postseason tournaments. He wanted his fourth and final season as a Cougar to be different, so he spent last off-season getting "tournament tough" at local and statewide junior golf events, while making a few adjustments to his game here and there. The ultimate...
Niwot senior Isaac Robinson describes himself as "a little bit of a perfectionist" when it comes to academics, a tendency that has paid off with a top GPA and a selection as a 2021 National Merit semi-finalist. Now the senior is taking those perfectionist tendencies to the cross country course for Niwot, where they have been paying off with top finishes in challenging varsity races. He said that's a result of increased training and focusing on "the little things," that actually have a big...
Whether she's gliding down the snowy slopes of Winter Park or mastering the balance beams, Olivia Sroka does so with ease. The multi-talented athlete has reached impressive heights in both skiing and gymnastics throughout her life. Sroka, who plans on graduating from Silver Creek High School in December, began skiing at just four years old. While skiing for Winter Park, she soon specialized in the freestyle mogul where she placed 24th in nationals last year for the junior North American (NorAm)...
Niwot's 26-20 win over Thornton in the final football game of the 2020 season wasn't just the team's sole victory of the year, it was also a breakout game for running back Thomas Carnagie, who ended the night with an impressive 227 yards rushing and his first career touchdown. In 2021, as a senior, Carnegie has picked up where he left off, and is now one of the Cougars' most potent offensive weapons. In two games for Niwot, he has 201 yards on 35 carries, and was a key factor in the season-openi...
Playing NCAA Division I college volleyball has long been a dream for Niwot senior Zoe Gibbs and, after three impressive seasons as a varsity middle for the Cougars, one clearly within her reach. Unfortunately for the versatile Gibbs, her optimum recruiting period coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, making an already fraught process even more of a headache. But Gibbs didn't let the hassle derail her plans, and after months of patiently making highlight videos and sending out emails to coaches,...
The Niwot track and field program has produced its fair share of talented athletes, most notably Elise Cranny, who will be representing the U.S. in the 5000-meter Olympic race on Friday, July 30. But Taylor James stands out even in that elite group. During a storied track and cross country career at Niwot, the versatile performer earned seven individual state track titles, a handful of relay titles, a runner-up title in cross-country, and set at least two Class 4A records. For longtime Niwot tra...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
