Niwot football '22 season recap

The Niwot High School football team finished the season last Friday, ending with a record of 3-7, which put them out of playoff contention. The Cougars had five all-conference second-team players -- Nico Kemp, Gavin Burrage, Chad Volf, Harrison VanSelus, and Garret Eker -- with kicker Matt Hansen being their only all-conference first-team player.

Niwot came into the '22 season after finishing the last campaign 4-6 and were looking for a record above .500. Everything looked promising when they started the season off with three wins in the first four games: 22-16 against Greeley Central High School, 15-6 against Skyview High School, and 42-13 against Battle Mountain High School, all sandwiched around a 37-32 loss to Thornton High School. Niwot then went on to lose six straight games, with only the season-ender against Denver North High School being a 1-score margin game, 23-15.

Niwot's season opener was against Greeley Central, with Niwot coming out on top in a back-and-forth game. This was a promising start for the Cougars as they hadn't yet started a season with a win under Coach Nicolas Blume. This was also a good game for Niwot as it showed off their competitive offense.

Their week-2 matchup was against the Thornton Trojans who dominated the first half of the game. Niwot was able to put together a huge comeback in this game, but fell short, resulting in their first loss of the season 37-32.

Their week-3 game was also the first homecoming game in Niwot's 50 years held at Niwot High School. This game marked a milestone victory as they won against Skyview amidst sloppy weather.

Following a bye week, Niwot's fourth game of the season came against Battle Mountain, which is three hours away from Niwot all the way up in Vail. Niwot showed up and stomped on the Huskies, winning in a blowout 42-13 victory.

That victory was short-lived as it was soon followed by a series of blowout losses. The first came in a 50-7 game against Thompson Valley High School, putting Niwot at a 3-2 record by midseason.

Niwot's next game was a 49-0 loss to Frederick High School, but the game's pivotal moment was the concussion suffered by Niwot's quarterback Chad Volf, resulting in Chad's absence for the next three games of the season.

While the final score of the seventh game matchup against George Washington High School looked better compared to the previous two weeks, a 35-7 loss, it still wasn't the level of play the Cougars showed in September. Niwot did manage to score its first touchdown in two games, but the offense suffered with Volf out.

The next two weeks were troubling for Niwot as Mead High School and Riverdale Ridge High School beat them 43-3, and 34-3 despite Volf's return in the second contest. With the final game of the season against Denver North, expectations were high for a season-ending victory, and though the Cougars fought in every minute of the game, they ended up losing on the last drive of the game, 23-15.

With only three seniors on the squad, many underclassmen gained valuable experience. But injuries and the lack of depth on the roster made it challenging for the Cougars to maintain the momentum of the first four weeks of the season. With such an up-and-down season for Niwot, it's hard to predict what will happen next year, but if this season taught us anything, the Niwot football program is one that will fight in every game, no matter the score or the team.