Niwot wrestles to big win over Silver Creek as alums watch

The Niwot Cougars posted their most decisive win of the season Jan. 19, coming away with a 60-18 win over Silver Creek on the home mats. While several of the matches were forfeits, Niwot posted wins in four out of the six contested matches.

“It was a solid win and we came out with a lot more passion than we have had up to this point,” Head Coach Bobby Matthews said. “I was very happy to have this performance in front of our alumni.” Matthews had invited all former Niwot wrestlers to the match, and several were in attendance, including Mitch Nissen, Mike Gill, David Voss, Juan Alcantar and Garin Daum, as well as several parents of alums. Matthews hopes to continue the tradition every year.

Connor Carlson, Madysun Vaughan, David Koon, Brandon Barton, Keith Hemenway and Jose Lopez all picked up wins for Niwot by forfeit against the Raptors. The Cougars failed to enter a wrestler at 170 pounds, giving Silver Creek’s Shawn Smith the win, and there was a double forfeit at 120 pounds.

In the contested matches, Silver Creek’s Sawyer Novara won by fall over Niwot’s Max Pecherzewski at 113 pounds, but Niwot’s Luis Sosa, wrestling in the 126-pound division, won by fall over Keldan Stutzman of Silver Creek at 5:37.

Niwot standout Tommy Stager, moving up to 152 pounds to find an opponent, won by fall over the Raptors’ Tanner Eshleman at the 3:36 mark. Silver Creek’s Tyler Young won by fall over Cougar Omar Arriaga at 4:26 in the 182-pound division, but Niwot’s Nathan Hemenway continued his strong season with a pin of Max Ruiz at the 3:03 mark in the 195-pound division.

Niwot’s Daniel Torres, wrestling at 220 pounds, pinned Silver Creek’s Connor Monroe at 1:30 to cap the victory.

At the Soeby Classic in Berthoud Jan. 21, with each wrestler getting five matches, the Cougars went 1-4 in the dual meets.

After the loss, Matthews said, “We need to learn to compete better. We are young and very green but that never is an excuse to not compete.”

Niwot was led by Stager, who was back wrestling at 145 pounds. He won once by forfeit, then pinned Golden’s Dylan Scherer in 46 seconds. Stager also pinned Skyline’s Caden Silva at the 1:47 mark, and followed with a pin of Ryver Gaudreault from Elizabeth in 1:42. He also pinned Loveland’s John Hanna at 152 pounds in 4:34 at the tournament to go undefeated on the day.

Many of the dual matches ended in forfeits on the day. Nathan Hemenway wrestled only twice at 195 pounds, losing to Golden’s Brennen Baker by fall before back to pin Isaac Hesse of Skyline at the 2:39 mark, but came away with a 4-1 record.

Lopez also posted a 4-1 record, but only wrestled twice in the heavyweight division, losing to Skyline’s Ricky Childers in a 6-2 decision before winning by fall over Elizabeth’s DeAndre Haines at 1:59. Daniel Torres, at 220 pounds, also came away with a 4-1 record in the duals.

Niwot hosts Thompson Valley at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26, before heading to the Thornton Invite on Saturday, Jan. 28, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

1/19: Niwot 60, Silver Creek 18

106: Connor Carlson (N) over (SC) (For.) 113: Sawyer Novara (SC) over Max Pecherzewski (N) (Fall 1:03) 120: Double Forfeit 126: Luis Sosa (N) over Keldan Stutzman (SC) (Fall 5:37) 132: Madysun Vaughan (N) over (SC) (For.) 138: David Koon (N) over (SC) (For.) 145: Brandon Barton (N) over (SC) (For.) 152: Tommy Stager (N) over Tanner Eshleman (SC) (Fall 3:36) 160: Keith Hemenway (N) over (SC) (For.) 170: Shawn Smith (SC) over (N) (For.) 182: Tyler Young (SC) over Omar Arriaga (N) (Fall 4:26) 195: Nathan Hemenway (N) over Max Ruiz (SC) (Fall 3:03) 220: Daniel Torres (N) over Connor Monroe (SC) (Fall 1:30) 285: Jose Lopez (N) over (SC) (For.)

1/21: Soeby Tournament in Berthoud

106- Max Pecherzewski 0-5; 132- Madysun Vaughan 0-5; 138- David Koon 1-4; 145- Tommy Stager 5-0; 152- Brandon Barton 3-2; 160- Keith Hemenway 1-4; 182- Omar Arriaga 2-3; 195- Nathan Hemenway 4-1; 220- Daniel Torres 4-1; 285- Jose Lopez 4-1.