Student Athlete of the Week: Josh Ary

Joining the Niwot High boys team last fall was one of the best decisions Josh Ary has made regarding his thriving soccer career.

Then a junior, Ary was playing academy soccer before committing to play for his high school. Not only did Ary lead the Cougars in total points (32) en route to winning the Longs Peak League, but he also revived his love for the game along the way.

"I think it just challenged me more on a technical level," defender Ary said. "It was also just the environment. It was a lot of enjoying soccer and not trying to win everything. Winning was obviously the main goal, but it was more about having fun and being a team. You just don't get that with academy stuff, it's really individual-based."

With 11 goals and 10 assists on the year, Ary helped Niwot reach the Class 4A state quarterfinals and was later named to CHSAA's All-State first team. His senior season is now about two months away and Ary is looking to build on both personal and team success.

"Individually, I'm hoping to have a better season than I did this year," Ary said. "As a team, we're obviously hoping to win state."

The optimism is warranted because, including Ary, Niwot returns a senior group that scored 42 of the Cougars' 62 total goals in 2022.

"I think we'll be pretty good this year," Ary said. "Every senior will be good and I think we'll all be starting. I think we can definitely make a deep playoff run."

As his senior season looms, Ary hopes to continue being a versatile asset for head coach Stephen Dimit, but he also realizes that more will be asked from him as a leader.

"I can play wherever Coach needs me, and I think that will continue into next year," Ary said. "Obviously, being a senior, I'll have to be a little more of a leader this year than I was last year. That'll definitely be a new thing, but I'll continue to be used wherever Coach needs me."

This summer, Ary is back playing club soccer for Real Colorado ECNL, a Highlands Ranch-based team that he has been a part of for over three years. Ary said that he'll soon be traveling to North Carolina for a national tournament.

The highlight of his summer, however, came in May when Ary committed to the Colorado School of Mines to continue his soccer career after high school.

"I went to a camp last summer, played well. They (Mines coaches) really liked what they saw, so we kept in contact ever since then," Ary said.

"They've been able to come to quite a few games for club this spring. I've seen them quite a bit. The academics was a big part of it as well. My sister goes there. She has told me all about how good of an academic system they have. I think that definitely drew me in and then obviously, they offered me in May, and I was like, 'This is where I want to go. This is a really good college, not just for soccer, but also (one) that can give me a good career afterward.'"

Ary is considering a major in mechanical engineering.