Exceptional decision

SANDPOINT – Bailey Hewitt is thankful that Sandpoint High School allowed her the opportunity to play soccer.

Sandpoint had to make an exception so Hewitt could continue to attend Clark Fork High and play the sport she loves the most. For Hewitt to play, Sandpoint had to count 1A Clark Fork’s enrollment, moving from 4A to 5A.

Although Hewitt wanted to play at Sandpoint as a freshman, the school didn’t make the concession until last fall when she was a junior.

Hewitt and her family asked Sandpoint’s administration four years ago for permission to play. But she ran into closed doors.

Finally, Sandpoint coach Adam Tajan, who was familiar with the talented Hewitt from the Sandpoint Strikers club program, pleaded Hewitt’s cause. He convinced Sandpoint’s administration to allow her to play.

“I just thought ‘Why shouldn’t this happen?’ ” Tajan said.

Hewitt, who considered transferring to Sandpoint before the school reversed its position, said she is forever indebted to Tajan.

“Adam really went to bat for me,” Hewitt said. “I really appreciate it more than he knows.”

It’s been a win-win situation for both Sandpoint and Hewitt. She had an immediate impact last year. She scored a team-high 16 goals and had 10 assists as the Bulldogs qualified for the state tournament.

Hewitt was named to the Inland Empire League’s all-conference first team.

She decided to challenge herself this fall. She wants to score 20 goals. Through eight matches, she’s on pace with seven.

Hewitt plays basketball and does track at Clark Fork. She’s also played volleyball. All those sports don’t come close to fulfilling her athletic itch, though.

“It’s been my favorite since I was 3 years old and kicked a ball around with my brothers in our front yard,” Hewitt said.

She started playing in first grade and made the U-12 Strikers team when she was 10. That’s when she started playing with most of Sandpoint’s seniors.

Two former U.S. National Team players – Kristine Lilly and Mia Hamm – have been Hewitt’s heroes. She has an old sports card of Lilly on her thumbtack board in her bedroom along with two motivational quotes from Hamm.

“The first one says ‘Never miss an opportunity to elevate your game’,” Hewitt said. “The second one says ‘I’m building a fire and every day I train I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match’.”

Hewitt draws much inspiration from the quotes, and it shows on the field.

“She’s in an elite class of players that we’ve had,” Tajan said.

Tajan includes Hewitt among Sandpoint’s top three players. The other two are Abby Jensen, a senior midfielder at Eastern Washington University, and Jesy Rosholt, a forward who played at Northern Arizona and Oklahoma State.

“They’re all comparable in that they were in a class by themselves,” Tajan said. “Abby is purely a distributor, an assist maestro, while Bailey and Jesy are goal scorers. Bailey is a little more creative and gets involved in many ways. She brings a physical presence.”

She caught the attention of a University of Idaho coach at a camp two summers ago. Although colleges have continued to recruit her, she gave Idaho an oral commitment in late April.

“She’s got all the tools and talent to be a real force at the college level,” Tajan said. “She’s certainly athletic enough and certainly smart enough. I expect her to make an impact right away in college.”

Her intelligence has been mined in the classroom. She carries a 4.0 grade-point average and is in the running to be Clark Fork’s valedictorian.

Soccer has required quite a commitment from Hewitt, including a steep financial investment from her parents.

Hewitt drives 30 miles to Sandpoint each day after school for practice. She drove well over 4,000 miles last fall – beginning in early August with preseason practices through the end of the season. She’ll put in that many miles again this fall.

“Gas is expensive, obviously,” Hewitt said. “I’m so lucky that my parents are able to support me. There’s no way I could do it on my own. I’m so blessed.”

Soon after word got out about Sandpoint moving to 5A last year, Bulldogs assistant coach Ed Bock heard that some Boise-area teams were saying that Sandpoint would qualify for state when pigs learn how to fly.

That provided Sandpoint with plenty of motivation.

“That was our motto all year – pigs can fly,” Hewitt said.

Sandpoint was shell-shocked at state when it was beat decisively in two of three matches.

The Bulldogs returned 10 of 11 starters this year, and Sandpoint is chasing nothing less than a state title.

“We’re still trying to figure out a few things. We have a lot of talent on the team,” Hewitt said. “We’re so hungry for a state title it’s not funny. But we’re definitely going to have to step up our game because there are so many good teams in the league.”

Tajan is thrilled Hewitt was granted approval to play.

“I know she runs track and plays basketball, but soccer is definitely her love and you see that on the field,” Tajan said.