RATHDRUM — A basketball game, a volleyball match and several Oreos later, the Mountain View Moose prevailed at the inaugural Hubcap Heist against the New Vision Stingrays.

Cheers erupted in the Mountain View gymnasium as Assistant Principal Mark Gorton announced the winner after chronicling the various contests each team won throughout the morning.

Alas, only one school could walk away with the shiny chrome trophy. 

"We won some, lost some, but it was really fun overall," New Vision Alternative High School sophomore Hunter Johnson said Wednesday. "It felt really good. It was definitely a rewarding experience for our school."

The schools have played each other in basketball games the past three years, but this was the introduction of a larger Mountain View-New Vision event that will most likely continue to grow next year and beyond. 

"This went exactly like it should," Gorton said. "Both schools participated very well. Even the referees during the basketball game said it was a very clean game. Both groups did really good in that."

He complimented New Vision students for bringing their A game and showcasing their school spirit.

"They did that very well," he said.

The Hubcap Heist serves as a way to build community between two of North Idaho's alternative high schools, which are less than 20 minutes apart, with Mountain View in Rathdrum and New Vision in Post Falls.

"We've wanted to develop things to where the students understand, 'Hey, we're not different,'" Gorton said. "This is the first step."

Liam Goold, a New Vision junior, said he thought the Hubcap Heist was awesome.

"It was a very good event," he said. "When I was a sophomore we had a basketball game against Mountain View at New Vision, it was fun. But this was a lot better, there was a lot more stuff to do here."

Freshman Evelynn Brekke represented the Mountain View Moose as she and her teammates defeated New Vision in volleyball. The girls jumped for joy when the score was announced.

"I'm feeling pretty great," Evelynn said.

She said the Hubcap Heist was a great event for New Vision and Mountain View.

"Alternative schools don't get to do things like this a lot," she said. "The fact that we brought two alternatives together to do this is pretty great."

An objective third party from Timberlake High School served as the judge for the Heist activity. Leadership student Caleb Royce, junior, volunteered to help.

"It's definitely a lot different from our spirit competition, Backwoods Brawl," he said. "But it was great. It was definitely fun to come out. Everyone had a lot of spirit. If we don't have these events, what's the point of having sports? It's part of our culture."

Daniken Desens, a Mountain View sophomore, was the champion of the no-hands Oreo eating contest. 

"It was really fun," he said with a grin.

The day also included an art contest, a Frisbee toss, a cup stacking game and informational tables run by friendly staff members from area colleges and universities.

    New Vision High sophomore Hunter Johnson shows off his Stingray pride on Wednesday during the inaugural Hubcap Heist competition against Mountain View Alternative High in Rathdrum.
  

    New Vision junior Liam Goold, left, shakes hands with Mountain View freshman Lucas Jessop in a show of good sportsmanship Wednesday at the conclusion of the Hubcap Heist, a new event featuring friendly competitions between the alternative schools.
  

    New Vision freshman Liam Leathers, left, and Mountain View sophomore Daniken Desens go Oreo to Oreo during the Hubcap Heist hands-free eating contest Wednesday.