THE FRONT ROW WITH BRUCE BOURQUIN: May 2, 2014

Jason Bradbury, a 41-year-old sixth-grade teacher at Twin Lakes Elementary in Rathdrum, has been the head coach at the Lakeland High varsity baseball team for 12 seasons.

Shortly after the Spokane-born man graduated from the University of Idaho in 1996, he was hired to work as a teacher at John Brown Elementary in Rathdrum.

A few years after that, in 2002, he was hired to become the head coach of the Lakeland varsity baseball team.

"The coach there at the time was Brian Graves," Bradbury said. "His JV coach had to move on, so I was hired there. In 2001 I knew him, he was an elementary teacher as well. So it happened Brian's wife got a job in Boise. The position was open and I was hired by (former athletic director) Will Havercroft in 2002."

Through it all, Bradbury has been like a shepherd guiding his flock as the Hawks have taken challenging steps toward competing at the 4A level. The program has qualified for the state tournament six times during the past eight seasons since being a 4A program.

THE REST was history. Bradbury has accumulated a career won-loss record of 158 wins and 134 losses, with quite a few of those losses against bigger 5A teams, as the Hawks typically play eight games or more against those schools.

One of Bradbury's career highlights was in 2005, when Lakeland had just moved up from class 3A to 4A and finished fourth in the state 4A baseball tournament. Bradbury said the Hawks, which at the time had an enrollment of roughly 700, were competing against schools with enrollments of 1,100 or more.

"It was a big jump for us," Bradbury said. "There have been a lot of highlights. My goal was to get involved with the local Little League program, work from the ground up. We won our league six out of the past eight times, we've gone to state six times."

Fast forward to today and Lakeland has continued its success.

Going into Thursday's doubleheader at home against Sandpoint, the Hawks were 10-7 and with a 5-1 record had already clinched the No. 1 seed going into Tuesday's 4A region tournament.

Returning seniors Chris Jackson, a starting pitcher, catcher-pitcher Logan Bruner and Blake Wrotenbery have led the team, along with junior starting pitcher Dylan Piva, and have helped the Hawks stay a strong team, despite losing nine seniors from last year's squad.

With a 16-3 record last season, Lakeland lost in the regional championship to Moscow and did not qualify for state.

"The program's been going well," Bradbury said. "We clinched the league title. They're a good group of kids. Last year was one of the best statistical years. It still doesn't sit well with me. I told them, 'It's a good stepping stone. Don't let it get to your head.'"

Bradbury was also the Lakeland junior varsity football team's offensive coordinator from 1998 to 2006.

ANOTHER ONE of the important things Bradbury implemented into the Lakeland baseball program was encouraging them to play baseball during the summer, whether they were multi-sport athletes or not.

"In 3A, it's not mandatory for kids to play during the summer," Bradbury said. "In 4A, it became a must. It's a ruthless reality that if you want to compete, you have to play during the summer. I understand kids want to have fun or they may have a job, but they've got to do it."

Bradbury, like many coaches out there, also encourages playing other sports. He was also a football player at Priest River High and graduated in 1991, before moving on to attend the U of I.

"I'm also a firm believer in the three-sport athlete," Bradbury said. "Some of my best players I've ever coached were that way. Troy Carr graduated last year and he's now an outfielder at the College of Idaho. Bubba Bartlett, who played from 2003 to 2007, he was a tight end and a linebacker who played at Carroll College. He'd grip the bat so tight it looked like he was going to break it. We told him it's better to play loose."

Since Bradbury has been an elementary teacher - he's been at Twin Lakes since its opening in 2007 - he has coached quite a few players who he used to teach when they were in sixth grade. Either that, or he's had their younger relatives in his class throughout the years.

"There's a boy in my class whose older brother is on my team," Bradbury said. "I get to know some of them in elementary school. It's great seeing them turn into young men right in front of you. I end up being like a second dad, because you spend so much time with them. But the bad thing is, you end up having to say good-bye to them. I try to keep tabs on them after they go to college."

One of the former Lakeland players Bradbury was not able to coach but keeps tabs on is former major league catcher-outfielder Josh Phelps, a 35-year-old who in 1996 was selected in the 10th round of the MLB draft.

"He is really good about talking to our kids," Bradbury said. "He'll come down and talk to them. He was inducted into the Lakeland Hall of Fame last year."

PRIEST RIVER did not have a baseball program at the time, so Bradbury had to play American Legion ball for Sandpoint during his first two years of high school, before having to give it up due to the long drive.

"I grew up a hunter and a fisherman," Bradbury said. "There was plenty of snow skiing. I loved baseball, I always wanted to coach baseball."

Bradbury went to Priest River High with his future wife, Stephanie, who he married when he was 21. The couple is celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary this August and is considering a trip to Hawaii.

They now have two children. Dylan is a 14-year-old eighth-grader who attends Lakeland Junior High and Hallie, a 12-year-old sixth-grader, is currently finishing up her class with dear ol' dad.

"I said when I was younger, I'd never end up teaching my own kids," Bradbury said. "But then I realized that there are not that many people who get to teach their own kids ... next year will be the first one in nine years, where we will not have my own kid who I won't have in my school."

But that's OK, because Bradbury will still have plenty of kids to take care of - both on the baseball diamond and in the classroom.

Bruce Bourquin is a sports writer at The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2013, or via email at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @bourq25