The Timberlake High School Tigers pounced on their opponents to come out on top for the ninth consecutive time when they won the Backwoods Brawl spirit competition Jan. 17 against Bonners Ferry High School.

"I’m so happy to be a part of this long reign of victory that we’ve had," Timberlake Senior Class President Lincoln Wyndham said Monday. "I’m super proud of the students we have here."

Timberlake won the Battle of the Buck spirit competition against Priest River Lamanna High School five years in a row. When Priest River changed to the Idaho High School Activities Association 2A conference four years ago, Timberlake remained in 3A and became paired with Bonners Ferry High for the Backwoods Brawl.

The Tigers are hungry for a 10th win next year when they will again face Bonners Ferry to see if the boxing gloves trophy will stay in Timberlake territory.

"I’ve been proud to be a part of Timberlake," said ASB President Rhylee Yetter, a junior. "I'm proud to be part of a school that wants to win."

Anthony Kraack, English teacher and Timberlake ASB adviser, has been along for the ride all nine years. He said winning the spirit competition has little to do with the advisers.

"It is all student led, so from the beginning they have to plan, coordinate and create every piece of this competition," Kraack said. "My students do a great job of passing on their experience and knowledge to the next group."

While the Brawl culminates with basketball, the buildup and the execution of the event are steeped in school pride. Students this year dressed up for spirit days including Twin Day, Dress to Distress in formal wear, Villain Day and Class Colors. The theme was Heroes vs. Villains, with Timberlake assuming the villain persona.

“It's cool because I had a really special opportunity; as the senior class president, I was in front of the whole student section," Lincoln said. "I yelled and directed cheers, I was one of the ones coordinating, I was able to interact with the cheer squad and the band up top. It was really cool to see the collaboration, and everybody was included."

Students at both high schools worked for months to make this a tradition to showcase each school's great spirit and school pride, Kraack said. Judging for the spirit portion starts at the tip-off of the first varsity game and continues throughout the evening. Decorations, cheerleading, battle of the bands, lip sync competitions and sportsmanship between the student bodies are all considered by judges.

A cornerstone of these friendly rivalries is community service. Each school was expected to collect a minimum of 500 pounds of food. Both schools met and exceeded their goal this year. Timberlake collected 1,623 pounds and Bonners Ferry collected 1,681 pounds, for a grand total of 3,304 pounds of food that were distributed throughout each respective community.

"This event has come to be a great undertaking for both schools but is also one of the highlights of the year for students at each school," Kraack said. "Students at each school go to great lengths to have a fun and exciting environment that goes unmatched the rest of the year. Most, if not all, of the credit goes to the leadership students of each school because they truly have earned the praise through their patience, hard work and collaboration throughout those months."

Lincoln was proud of how Timberlake beat Bonners Ferry in the decibel competition, during which the Tigers roared their loudest.

"As the ‘foreign’ party, we were able to beat Bonners Ferry in this competition on their own home turf, it was so cool,” he said.

As he prepares to pass the torch to the next wave of leadership students, Lincoln said he wants them to be brave and believe in themselves as they map out plans for the 2027 Brawl.

"Be confident," he said. "Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there."

Rhylee said the decorations and cheers take a lot of work.

"The lip sync is a big part of Backwoods Brawl," she said. "The judges were saying it was the best lip sync they’ve ever seen. It was a lot of dancing with people who were not dancers."

She said she'll never forget waking up at 4 a.m. and cramming with her classmates into a bus full of decorations for an all-day event at Bonners Ferry.

Rhylee's advice for next year: "Stay calm no matter what."

"Don’t bear the weight of the whole Backwoods Brawl. Have the idea in your head to be the most spirited," she said. "Have fun, that’s the most important part."

Timberlake Principal Ryne Eberlin said school spirit is an important part of school culture.

"I’m proud of the kids!" he said.

    Archer Higgins, 11th grade, pumps his fist into the air Jan. 17 as Timberlake High wins the spirit contest against Bonners Ferry High during the fourth annual Backwoods Brawl.
  

    Timberlake Principal Ryne Eberlin leads the crowd in cheering for the Tigers during the Backwoods Brawl basketball games and spirit contest Jan. 17 at Bonners Ferry High. This was the ninth consecutive year Timberlake won the spirit competition against a rival school.
  

    Bane, played by Timberlake junior Archer Higgins, lifts up Batman, played by junior Caleb Royce, as Timberlake and Bonners Ferry high schools duke it out Jan. 17 at the Backwoods Brawl. This year marked the ninth consecutive spirit win for Timberlake.