Battle for the Paddle… the biggest event of the year for the rival schools.
Sandpoint High School (SHS) vs. Lakeland High School (LHS).
Every year the event brings in athletes, students and community members to the gym to watch this high school rivalry.
The event is built up for weeks and tension is high, especially for the senior classes about to have their very last Battle for the Paddle (BFTP).
LHS Seniors have had the paddle for the last three years of their high school experience because the Lakeland Hawks are on a six year win streak.
The event is held at LHS this year so the Bulldogs will have to travel down to Lakeland to compete.
With the Bulldogs being on a six year loss they should want it more than ever this year.
“Sandpoint doesn’t want to lose seven years in a row so they are gonna bring their best,” Jake Larcher said. “Yes it definitely puts more pressure on it because you don’t want to be the class to end it really.”
For the Hawks senior class it means they are competing their last Battle for the paddle at home, and hoping to keep the paddle right where it belongs.
“I am really excited about it, I feel like it is gonna be really sad because it is our last year,” Gracee Jamison said.
This also means for the past three years when the winner was announced, the class of LHS 2026 seniors have heard their school name called. All at once, the student body rushes off the stands to the floor. That feeling is motivation that the Bulldogs do not have.
“I think they are gonna be pretty desperate to win it, so I think they are gonna put a lot in it,” Jamison said.
For the last three years on the Bulldogs side it has been a feeling of disappointment, having to go home without the paddle and having to watch LHS celebrate on their home court.
Jamison believes that the Hawks have more spirit than the Bulldogs and that is where a lot of the successes has come from in the last three years.
“Hopefully we can win so it is a sweep all four years,” Larcher said.
Looking back on last year’s Battle for the Paddle the intensity also goes up. The score was a lot closer than the Hawks wished.
The Hawks lost in the majority of the little events but were able to overcome the Bulldogs in sports and fundraising.
Girls basketball, Cheer, and Wrestling won for sports for the Hawks. The boys basketball team lost by a questionable buzzer beater call. The dance team also lost.
“The refs were on their side because clearly after the buzzer the ball was in his hands,” Brayden Carrol said. “We just need to play 100% and believe in ourselves.”
The Hawks hope to make the gap a lot bigger this year and are ready to make sure the gap is very big.
