Northwest Notes May 31, 2025

Schoening promoted to Sandpoint High head girls basketball coach

SANDPOINT — Madi Schoening, a former Sandpoint High standout athlete and assistant girls basketball coach for the Bulldogs the past four seasons, has been named head coach at her alma mater.

Schoening replaces Will Love, who accepted the Sandpoint boys basketball head coaching job earlier this spring.

"This is something I've always wanted to do, so it's a bittersweet feeling," Schoening said. "Even in high school, I always thought coaching was in my future... I knew I had to get some years under me to learn and I think coaching both basketball and soccer double-timed that for me."

The Bulldog girls went 66-32 the past four seasons, including a state 4A championship in 2023.

Schoening, a 2016 Sandpoint High graduate and a fourth-grade teacher at Washington Elementary, said she's learned a lot about the ins and outs of coaching from Love as well as from her fiancé, former Timberlake High standout and now head boys baseball coach and assistant football coach Bryce Johnson.

"It's definitely sad not being able to coach with Will anymore, but I'm excited to take advantage of the opportunity," Schoening said. "Coach Love took a lot of opportunities to teach me the 'behind the scenes' aspects of the job and said he would help me out wherever needed. As for Bryce, he's been a great resource to bounce off of. I have been working really hard over the years to learn as much as I could."

Schoening led the Bulldog girls basketball team to two third-place finishes at state. She is second in career points at SHS with 1,418, including a school-record 49 in a game against Lakeland.

She also helped Sandpoint to two state titles in soccer. 

Schoening was a four-year starter in basketball at Montana.