The road to state is officially set for the Lakeland Hawks softball team after a dominant run through the district tournament. Facing tough competition from the Moscow Bears, Lewiston Bengals, and Sandpoint Bulldogs, the Hawks battled their way to a district championship and punched their ticket to the 5A state playoffs. Lakeland now enters the postseason as the No. 6 seed and will face Blackfoot in the opening round.
The Hawks showed resilience and confidence throughout the tournament, proving they were ready for the pressure of postseason softball. Lakeland’s offense came alive at key moments while the defense stayed locked in against some of the top competition in the district. Each game brought a new challenge, but the Hawks continued to respond with timely hitting, strong pitching, and steady leadership from their upperclassmen.
Against rival Sandpoint, the Hawks played with intensity from the opening inning and controlled the momentum throughout the match-up. Lakeland also found ways to outlast Moscow and Lewiston, showing the consistency that has helped the team all season long. “We fought really hard throughout the whole tournament,” Ada Blakemore said.
Winning districts marks a major accomplishment for the Hawks program and gives the team momentum heading into state play. After fighting through a competitive bracket, Lakeland now has its eyes set on making a deep playoff run.
The Hawks understand the challenge ahead against Blackfoot, but confidence is high as the team prepares for the first round of the 5A playoffs. Lakeland has continued to improve throughout the season, and the district title proved the Hawks can compete with anyone when they are playing their best softball.
Now, with a championship trophy in hand and the postseason officially underway, the Hawks are ready for the next step in their journey toward state glory. ”We’re all ready to keep the season going,” Delilah Zimmerman said.
Staff Report
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The Lakeland Hawks softball team has been successful for our spring sports this season.
Earlier in the season the Hawks went down to St. George and played some bigger schools to get a jump on the season. That tournament showed them different levels of competition and how to adjust to many different circumstances.
“St. George was an amazing experience for us knowing that we are able to compete that early in the year against very similar pitching we would see back at home,” Sophomore Katie Nave said.
The Hawks have been playing consecutively all season, having two plus games a week. The hard work and dedication they have put into making an impact this season is unbelievable. After the long days every week and giving 100% each day, the Hawks showed everything they had worked for was worth it.
LHS had a double header against the Post Falls Trojans on Apr. 30 and made a statement. LHS hasn’t beat PFHS in 18 years and the Hawks were able to make a clean sweep against them. This had set a good tone for them heading into their last two league games and made them want each game more.
They had finished the regular season 19-5, making a new school record of wins our softball team has had at this school, without including districts and state. They had gone 8-0 for all of their home games.
On May 8, the Hawks were able to host districts. They played the Moscow Bears the first game and won 12-1. After they secured that win they headed into the championship game against the Sandpoint Bulldogs.
They had come together as a team and worked together each inning holding the bulldogs to 0 runs scored. They had 10 hits and a batting average of .345. This was a huge change for them when averaging .240 against SHS pitchers. Their defense was the most solid we have seen all year with no errors. The Hawks won 6-0 securing their ticket to state for the first time since 2022.
“This has been everything us seniors have been dreaming for since our freshman year,” Senior Kiersten Drake said, “It feels so surreal that we have finally made it to state,” Drake added.
LHS has shown a lot of growth this season and finally reaching their goal they’ve been working hard for the last three years. They’ve been able to draw such a huge crowd that are excited to see them play.
Even with the growth they’ve shown on the field, people don’t always see the hard work they put in to achieve these goals. The girls have had lots of moments to build as a team and have a couple of sleepovers to bring everyone together that helps them build that trust to bring on to the field. The team has built friendships but also confidence within themselves and each other.
As LHS gets ready to head to state, they will continue to work harder each day at practice and work on the things they need to secure before facing some bigger schools.
The 5a state tournament will start on May 14 and until May 16. The Hawks will play their first game of the tournament on May 14 at 3pm against the Blackfoot Broncos at PFHS.
Katie Dewey
