Northfield Boys Basketball Prepares for Second Year in 6A Division

As the calendar turns to December, Northfield’s basketball season is around the corner. Northfield plays its first game away at DSST Green Valley Ranch on Tuesday, December 2, before returning for its home-opener on the 4th against ThunderRidge.

The Nighthawks will look to build off of their first season in Colorado’s highest division of basketball, 6A, where they went 5-5 in league play and 13-11 overall. This record was enough to secure a playoff spot and even earn them a bye into the second round. Northfield ended up being eliminated in the second round, but this run marked a successful year as the team adjusted to a new level of competition. Assistant Coach Kevin Wyatt said, “The increase to 6A was very difficult last year, but it did not change our identity, nor our expectations.” This year, he says, “Our goal is to make a deeper run in the 6A playoffs.”

The Nighthawks will have to overcome the loss of key pieces of last year’s team. The varsity team will only have five returning players from last year and one returning starter. This means the team will mostly be made up of juniors who were not on the varsity roster a year ago. The Nighthawks will be counting on their seniors and returning players to take on a leadership role. Judah Michael is a senior point guard who will look to build on an outstanding 2024-25 season. Last year, he led the team in both scoring and rebounds, averaging 18.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The only other senior who played on the varsity team last year is guard Jeremie Mokalo. Coach Wyatt also has high expectations for junior Evo Montoya, another returning player, as a leader of this year’s team. In his sophomore season, Montoya averaged over six points per game in the five games he played.

Outside of these players, the Nighthawks have a lot of unknowns. New players will take on larger roles and contribute to the team. Coach Wyatt said, “We are excited about the potential of several players, but are not sure yet who will step up and fill [roles left by last year’s seniors].” It might take time to figure out who will earn the playing time and opportunity that is up for grabs this season. This uncertainty could benefit Northfield. Players will have to push each other and compete for major roles on the team both in practice and during the start of the season. Wyatt said, “The competition on our team is stiff, and we have ‘good problems’ with not knowing who will step up.”

The fact that the Nighthawks boys basketball team is composed mostly of juniors gives this specific team two years to develop and improve. The Nighthawks will be able to keep some continuity in their team through the next two years. With the addition of some players currently on lower levels of Nighthawk basketball, Coach Wyatt says, “...we expect that the next 2-3 years will provide some exciting and successful basketball at Northfield!”