Bulldogs make case for Paddle honors

SANDPOINT — Beastquake doesn't have anything on the Bulldogs.

Shortly after the girls basketball game ended in the 2025 iteration of the Battle for the Paddle, the crowds were quieted and the Lakeland Hawks were turned loose to make as much noise and be as loud as possible. They yelled, they stomped and they whistled.

And they were loud — 113.3 decibels loud.

The Bulldogs, however, were louder. When it came time for the Sandpoint students to make some noise, the sea of red-clad students cheered and stomped until the bleachers shook as they chanted while a school resource officer sped down the sidelines to encourage the Bulldogs on.

The decibel reading for the first competition had the students rattling the proverbial rafters with a rating of 113.5 — just enough to eke out the win.

The contest was just one of many in the friendly competition of spirit, sports and community service between Sandpoint and Lakeland high schools. The theme for the Hawks this year was "FBI" while the Bulldogs laid claim to "Firefighters."

In addition to the spirit contests, which featured the cheer squads, dance teams and school bands, there were also art competitions, a rap battle featuring original music and a lip sync contest that tested the students' lyrical talents. Finally, paddlers were put to the test as students from each school made their way from one side of the gym to the other in makeshift cars and boats.  

An energetic rap by a four-member squad delighted the Lakeland crowd, with each riff and move inciting cheers and screams as the Hawks ended their performance with a repeated chant of "six-peat."

When it came time for the Bulldogs to take the mic, Johnathan Lofthus took to the floor and performed an acapella rap that made clear the Bulldogs were the school with the most spirit.

"Music is something which I've been really adamant about," Lofthus said after the rap battle ended. "It's something I want to take as a career in my future because I think I can impact a lot of people."

Lofthus said he made the choice to go acapella so the crowd could hear him and get immersed in the song. He wanted, he said, to show he could lyricistically dominate the rap, with each verse building from one to the next, telling a story with no swearing and showing support for the Bulldogs.

"I figured if I built a story, people could hear it and say that that's kind of catchy," the SHS student said. 

And if the crowd's reaction was any indication, the rap was a smash hit with loud cheers, applause and stomping showing the Sandpoint crowd's delight with the song.

Taking part in the battle is a lot of fun with the entire school banding together to have fun and show why the Bulldogs have the most school spirit, Fisher Dail said of why he likes the event.

"It's really exciting and it's bringing together the whole school," the SHS senior said. "Everyone's here and there has to be at least a few hundred people on each side cheering their school on."

A group of students decked out in bright red fire-engine red shirts said they came to the battle to show their school spirit and have fun supporting the Bulldogs.

"We love Sandpoint High School," the quartet said in near unison.

    Johnathan Lofthus raps in support of the Bulldogs during a rap competition at Friday's Battle for the Paddle.
  

    A Sandpoint High School student turns on bright LED lights to show her support for the Bulldogs during Friday's Battle for the Paddle.
  

    Mable Mort shows her support for the Bulldogs as she attends the Battle for the Paddle with her family on Friday.
  

    Sandpoint High School students cheer on the Bulldogs at the Battle for the Paddle on Friday.
  

    Sandpoint High School students show their support for the Bulldogs at Friday's Battle for the Paddle.