Football roundup: Niwot football wins for the first time in two years

When Niwot football grabbed a 12-7 lead over Fort Lupton at halftime on Friday, it was the first time they’d led in a game since 2016.

The Cougars weren’t satisfied with that.

They went on to win 26-13 for the program’s first win since September 2016. The victory snapped a 19-game losing streak.

Liam Flanagan rushed for three touchdowns and 154 yards on 43 carries for the Cougars. Cory Rathburn led the defense with five tackles.

Niwot is in its second season under coach Jeremy Lanter.

PrepsCast recap

A recap of the night from Colorado Preps:

4A/3A: (4A 8) Montrose 41, (3A 8) Durango 36

The two teams traded scores all night, but it was Montrose who got the final points.

Montrose’s Emmert Kastendieck scored on a four-yard run to give his team the lead for good with 41.2 seconds to play, according to the Durango Herald.

Chris Eckerman had 220 yards and two touchdowns for Montrose, per the paper.

The game was delayed in the third quarter due a lightning in the area.

6-man: (3) Kit Carson 50, (5) Arickaree/Woodlin 8

Kit Carson controlled the game from start to finish in moving to 2-0 this season.

“We ran the ball really well,” coach Curt Connelley told the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show. “Our special teams really got us on the board quickly.”

Joe Bryan returned a kickoff for a touchdown, and his brother, Chris Bryan, returned a punt for a score.

8-man: Fowler 28, (4) Akron 20

Fowler knocked off the previously-unbeaten Rams with a late score. The Grizzlies recovered a kickoff after a fortunate bounce to set up the touchdown.

“It was a lot of smashmouth football. Akron had a couple of big plays on us. They did a great job defensively,” coach Mark Van Sickle told the Scoreboard Show. “We were three- to four-yards and a cloud of dust. It was great to get back to what I think Fowler football is.”

Notables

Ponderosa got a huge win by upsetting No. 3 Windsor in 4A, 17-13. Nick Hoff and Ethan Waite each rushed for a touchdown.
In 5A, No. 1 Cherry Creek cruised to a 3-0 start with a 35-8 win over No. 10 Mullen. A photo gallery of the game is available here.
Hinkley is off to its first 2-0 start since 2014 following a 7-0 win over Gateway. The Thunderbirds have opened the season with consecutive shutouts.
Pagosa Springs knocked off 1A No. 3 Centauri 31-12.
Smoky Hill is now 3-0 for the first time since 2007. The Buffs beat Northglenn 21-6.
Quite the stat line for Bryson Long of No. 6 Peetz in 6-man: He rushed for 270 yards and had five touchdowns in a 67-22 win over No. 9 Fleming.
It’s always a big rivalry game, and even though they’re now in different classes, this matchup was no different as 1A No. 1 Strasburg beat 2A No. 8 Bennett 32-8.
In a game that featured six lead changes, 4A No. 4 Chatfield held off Brighton 39-30.
Heritage held off a late Arapahoe drive to win the Milk Jug.
In 8-man, No. 4 Prairie beat No. 10 Briggsdale 56-40. “We had a little bit more offensively efficiency. Our offense clicked a lot more tonight,” coach Justin Kerns told the Scoreboard Show of the difference from his team’s first game to its second. Photos from the game are here.
5A Castle View won a wild back-and-forth game on the final play of the game against Wasatch (Utah), 36-35. The Sabercats are now 2-1 under Todd Casebier in his first year — doubling their win total from last season.
Evergreen blocked a last-second field goal to upset Mead.
Cheyenne Mountain survived a lady bug infestation to rally and beat Sand Creek 21-20.
Denver North QB Erik Flores threw for 370 yards and five touchdowns in his team’s 56-40 win over Englewood. Four of those TDs went to Keon Brickens.
In 5A, Highlands Ranch beat Regis Jesuit in overtime, 20-17.
Eagle Valley snapped a 12-game losing streak with a 57-12 victory against Alameda.
2A No. 7 Basalt cruised to a 47-6 win over Battle Mountain. “The offensive line really played well tonight,” coach Carl Frerichs told the Scoreboard Show.
8-man No. 1 Sedgwick County has now won 25 games in a row after beating Gilpin County 60-0.
In their first game playing under new lights, Byers beat Front Range Christian 72-38 in 8-man.
Cotopaxi QB Frank Ogden threw for four TDs in his team’s 48-6 win over La Veta.
Donovan Garvin grabbed three receiving scores as Berthoud beat Skyview 45-7.
6-man No. 6 Flagler/Hi-Plains rushed for six touchdowns as a team in a 59-6 win over Edison.
Ho-hum, another three rushing scores for Erie star Noah Roper, these coming in a 43-16 win over rival Frederick. He also passed for a touchdown.