Sandpoint football program raises $50,000 in raffle
<p>SHS players show their support for the Sandpoint businesses that bough blocks of raffle tickets to support SHS football. Pictured clockwise from front left: Rob Wentz (No. 80), Litehouse representative Paul Kusche, Mountain Lake Dental’s Ty Corbridge, Jake Maynard, Jennifer Stevens from Cornerstone Physical Therapy, Jonathan McCormick, Nate Stangel, Schweitzer’s Rod Engel, Puckett and Teague’s Tom Puckett, Michael Murray and Ryan Navarro. (Photo by ERIC PLUMMER)</p>
SANDPOINT — “The Bite is Back.”
The Sandpoint football program hopes to add some teeth to its new motto, and thanks to a $50,000 cash infusion raised by raffling off a fully-restored 1965 Mustang, one of the first big steps has been accomplished.
Local football players, from high school to junior tackle, sold all 10,000 raffle tickets for $5 each, with James Bopp of Seattle winning the car raffle drawing, picked by Carolyn Gleason on Sunday at 2nd Avenue Pizza.
The money is earmarked for new equipment, as new head coach Satini Puailoa already has more than 170 SHS students signed up to play next season. He held similar car raffles in a previous stint as coach, and called the town’s support gratifying.
“We can’t run these programs without support from the local community. Dollar by dollar, it’s about the need to get on the field,” said Puailoa, appreciative of all the people and businesses to purchase tickets. “To have people step up like this is huge for the kids. They’re supporting football in this town from the 3rd grade to 12th graders.”
If you play in Sandpoint, you’re part of what Puailoa calls football nation. Half of each ticket sold by the Junior Tackle players went to help with their league fees, while the high school players will reap the reward of new equipment.
On behalf of the more than 400 youth football players who benefited from the raffle, Puailoa wished to thank Chris Lassen, Yogi Vasquez, Martin’s Alignment Center and Martin Rodriguez, Joe Duarte, Gary Vanhorn, Napa Auto Parts, SHS office staff Patsy Sletager, Lynn Evans, Barb Oler and Beth Dean, Dennis Flores of Yokes, Aaron Potter from Frito Lay, Jim Lippi from Ivano’s, Wrenco Arms, Ken Pearlstein at Insight Distributing, Safeway, Super 1 Foods, Dan Moering and U.S. Bank, Sheryl Rickard and Bonner General Hospital, Steve Garcia and Pepsi, and all of the parents and volunteers that helped make the fundraiser successful.