Niwot football loses in the last minutes

In an intense back-and-forth contest on Friday, Oct. 25, the Niwot Cougars fell to the Greeley Central Wildcats, 34-27.

The game marked the closest finish for Niwot this season, as the Cougars took their first lead since the season opener. "We've been working all season to try and get something going, and made a lot of offensive changes and went up-tempo tonight," Head Coach Nik Blume said. "It's taken way too long for us to find an identity, but that definitely was a piece of it tonight."

The action started with a Wildcat touchdown, quickly answered by junior Caleb Roby's kickoff return for a touchdown, leveling the score at 7-7 after Roby's extra point. Niwot then surged ahead when quarterback Wyatt Volf, a junior, connected with senior running back Haden Shaw for a touchdown on a swing pass, giving the Cougars a 13-7 lead.

Blume noted the newfound energy that the early lead brought to the team, saying, "We finally came out and put all the pieces together tonight." This marked the first time Niwot has held the lead since their season opener against Thomas Jefferson High School on Aug. 21. Greeley Central answered with a touchdown to pull ahead, 14-13.

As the Cougars pushed downfield, Volf found Roby on a deep pass. This set Niwot up at the Wildcat's 16-yard line, but a fumble shifted the momentum back to Greeley Central. Niwot's defense then made a series of crucial plays, with junior Eli Quesada executing a big tackle for a loss and a sack by senior Moises Gonzalez Avina for an 8-yard setback. Unfortunately, Niwot's drive before halftime lost momentum following a delay of game penalty and a fumble, keeping the Cougars down by one point at the break.

After halftime, Niwot opened the third quarter with a giant punt return by Roby, setting up Volf to connect with Avina for a touchdown. A successful two-point conversion gave Niwot a 21-14 lead. As the game progressed, Greeley Central scored another touchdown, but missed the extra point attempt, bringing the score to 21-20, in favor of Niwot

A 40-yard punt return set up the Cougars with good field position, but a turnover on downs ended the drive. Greeley Central capitalized on a Cougar fumble in the fourth quarter, scoring to pull ahead 26-21. Niwot's determination was on display late in the game as they launched a comeback. Volf connected on passes to sophomore Kaleb Noterman, Roby, and Avina to march down the field, ending with a touchdown pass to Avina, putting Niwot up 27-26 with just 1:52 remaining.

However, after an onside kick and a penalty against the Cougars, Greeley Central used the opportunity to drive downfield, scoring a touchdown and converting for two points to take a 34-27 lead with only 25 seconds left. "We were selfish tonight with penalties," Blume said. "We're still growing, a lot of the guys don't have any varsity experience." A last-chance effort from Niwot ended with an interception, sealing the Wildcats' win.

"I'm proud of Wyatt Volf for stepping in last week against Timnath and then having a week to get ready for what we wanted to do tonight," said Blume. "He balled out tonight."

Despite the narrow loss, Niwot's performance showed growth and promise as their season is nearing the end. Niwot now heads into its final home game on Thursday, Oct. 31, against the Northridge High School Grizzlies. The Cougars will celebrate their seniors: Moises Gonzalez Avina, Juan Mares, Haden Shaw, Yovanni Guevara, Max Bedell, Emiliano Flores, Shubham Shrestha, and Maddox Brown. This loss brings Niwot's record to 0-8, and with two games remaining, Blume and his team are still searching for their first win.