Student-Athlete of the Week: Easten Leatherwood

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 was his best college offer and that it was a "dream come true" to reunite with his mountain roots.

"It's a blessing that I get to go and further my college career in football, especially going back to my hometown," Leatherwood said. "I'm going to be playing the sport that I love and I really think that it's such a great opportunity for me to go and show myself, show my talent and show what I'm made of."

Although he expects to play strictly in the defensive secondary at Fort Lewis, Leatherwood was a do-it-all player for the Cougars. The speedster rushed for 362 yards while recording 35 tackles and two interceptions on defense during his senior season. But perhaps most noteworthy, he landed a formidable 42-yard punt against Greeley Central. His valuable versatility helped Niwot achieve its best record (4-6) since 2008.

"My senior year was definitely the best because I was one of the team captains and I could kind of set the tone of the game," Leatherwood said. "I just really showed my talent because it was my last year (and) because I've always wanted to play college football. I really wanted to ball out this year and I did ball out on defense especially."

Being part of a group that essentially rebooted Niwot football was a special accomplishment for Leatherwood.

"It was honestly amazing," Leatherwood said. "I really believe that the seniors this year like Thomas Carnagie, Jackson Ackerman, Bryce Nemec, we all stepped into this role of trying to make a change for Niwot. I'm hoping that it's going to stay there and whatever we left, we left a mark, and I really hope that it's going to stay there."

In the spring, Leatherwood played baseball for the Cougs and was a threat on the basepaths with seven stolen bases.

"Obviously, baseball wasn't my first sport, but I made a lot of memories with some buddies that I wasn't super close with (initially) and I became really close to the team this year," Leatherwood said. "It's cool to venture out and try to show your ability in a different way than like what you're used to."

Leatherwood said he'll arrive at Fort Lewis on July 11 to begin a two-week summer football camp. The Skyhawks open their season at home on Sept. 10 against Arizona Christian.