Bulldogs set to attend Border League Camp
<p>More than 100 members of the Sandpoint football team practiced on Thursday in anticipation of next week’s Border League football camp. (Photo by ERIC PLUMMER)</p>
SANDPOINT — It may be June, but area football fans can get their fix next week when Sandpoint will host Mead and Shadle Park high schools in a scrimmage on Thursday, June 21, starting at 11 a.m. at SHS.
It’s part of the Bulldogs’ return to the old Border League football camp, which includes Lake City, Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Central Valley, University, Gonzaga Prep, Ferris, Mead and Shadle Park.
The camp starts Monday when the Bulldogs travel to University High School, then head to Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday, Gonzaga Prep on Wednesday, before finally getting to host the action on Thursday.
New head coach Satini Puailoa said Thursday will be a festive affair, and a chance to see the new-look Bulldogs up close and personal.
“It will be full contact football on Thursday morning,” said Puailoa. “If people are hungry for some football, they can come out and grab a burger and see some pads popping.”
In years past, the Bulldogs would travel to a team camp at Montana or Idaho, and the cost would run nearly $300 per player. The Border League camp will cost only $50 per player, and offers the best competition in the Inland Northwest.
The Bulldogs have more than 30 seniors, 30 juniors and 40 sophomores taking part in the camp, as the numbers continue to climb under the stewardship of Puailoa. The camp features a sophomore vs. sophomore, junior vs. junior and senior vs. senior format, so all levels will see plenty of action.
Wednesday’s camp at Gonzaga Prep features a goal line tournament, which will no doubt bring out some physical and spirited competition. Puailoa addressed the team after Thursday’s first practice, and lauded their effort.
“We’ve got some guys that like to hit,” he told the team. “We’re going to be physical.”
Thursday’s scrimmage at SHS will feature both 7 on 7 action, and full-contact, 11 on 11 scrimmages against two of the top teams from Spokane.
Mead features Danny Mattingly, a linebacker/tight end who is being recruited by Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, UCLA, Washington and Washington State, and defensive end Langston Ward, who is being recruited by Northwestern, Stanford, Harvard and Cornell, among others.
Shadle Park will feature a quarterback with a familiar last name, as Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien’s nephew Brett Rypien is now running the show at the same school his uncle played for.