Niwot trumps Battle Mountain in a 42 - 13 blowout

The Niwot Cougars made the 3-hour trip to Battle Mountain High School on Friday, Sept. 23, upsetting the Huskies in their Homecoming game as they beat them, 42-13. The defense played a huge role in the victory, and the offense didn't shy away from the scoreboard.

The game started slowly with both offenses failing to get a first down for a combined seven drives. It ended up being Battle Mountain that got the first first-down as they strung together some short plays with two longer rushes that helped put the ball in for six points and a Huskies touchdown.

The slow-starting Cougars ended up getting back on track in the second quarter. Their drive started a little sluggish with a couple of 5-plus yard runs, but 11 and 22-yard catches by wide receiver Sergio Pimentel helped set up a 13-yard touchdown grab by fellow wide receiver Raiden Stahly, tying the game up at 7 apiece after Matthew Hansen kicked the extra point. .

Niwot stole all of the momentum during the second period, however, as the defense forced a 3-and-out, while the offense seemed to figure out Battle Mountain's defenders. The second play of Niwot's seventh drive was a 50-yard scramble by quarterback Chad Volf, but a holding penalty took them back to the 40-yard line.

The Cougars did not let this deter them, as they continued their drive down the field, scoring off of a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Volf, giving Niwot a 14-7 lead after a successful extra point kick. The Huskies went 3-and-out again because of a stellar Niwot defense, giving the Cougars the ball back with 12 seconds left in the half. A quick out route and timeout put Niwot 61 yards away from a field goal, which would have been one of the 10 longest field goals ever made by a high schooler in-game, but Hansen's kick fell just short, ending the half with Niwot leading, 14-7.

The second half started up just as the first finished, with a failed Battle Mountain drive as defensive end Gavin Burrage and cornerback Sergio Pimentel knocked down passes on back-to-back plays to end the Huskies' drive.

The Cougars were back to work when they got the ball back as they only needed one play to score a touchdown. A pitch outside to running back Charlie Shaw did the job as he went 37 yards for the TD, putting Niwot up 21-7. Battle Mountain continued their series of unfortunate events as they broke free for a 31-yard rush that was called back because of a holding call, and after sacks by Cougars Kevin Chen and Garrett Eker, the Huskies lost possession.

Niwot's offense was stopped for one of the few times in the second half when they couldn't get the passing game going. But the Cougar defense took more advantage of Battle Mountain's situation as Gavin Burrage got a pick-six, putting Niwot up 28-7 with Hansen's extra point kick. Battle Mountain started a comeback of sorts with their next drive as they were able to march down the field and score a touchdown, but a missed PAT put the score at 28-13 at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter ended it for the Huskies as they gave up a 26-yard touchdown run by Jesus Rosas, putting Niwot up 35-13, and after more incomplete passes, Battle Mountain gave the ball right back to Niwot. Cougar running back Hayden Shaw punched it in for six more points on Niwot's final drive of the game and Hansen kept his perfect PAT night with the conversion. Battle Mountain got the ball back but didn't make anything happen as the clock hit 0.

The next game for the Cougars is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Longmont's Everly-Montgomery Field as they face off against Thompson Valley, which has a 2-2 record.