1997 state champs to reunite

SANDPOINT — The 1997 Sandpoint state champion football team will be having a 10 year reunion this weekend in conjunction with the Sandpoint/Lake City football game, replete with a golf tournament, gator tournament (basically 7 on 7 touch football) and a social gathering at Passtime after tonight's game.

The 1997 team, which beat Lake City twice, downed Lewiston for the first time in nearly two decades and defeated Eagle 24-21 in the state championship game, will be honored before the kickoff of tonight's game against Lake City.

Head coach Satini Puailoa shared some of his recollections of the team recently, noting they won the North Idaho Sports Banquet awards for male team of the year and coach of the year.

"We had to overcome everything you could imagine, a lot of outside stuff," said Puailoa, who was still in the early stages of building up a football power. "The amazing thing about that group is that 40 kids came in as freshman (in 1994) and 34 of them played as seniors on that team."

Puailoa had nine coaches on his varsity staff, almost unheard of in high school, and one of the biggest challenges was raising money to pay them all. Each kid played one-way, and Puailoa said it was set up like a college team, with 22 starters and about 35 kids that knew they would play a big part in each game.

Pualioa said they practically should have had Lighthouse and Taylor-Parker on their jerseys that year, as they were instrumental in raising the money required to build a strong program within a cash-strapped school budget.

Prior to Puailoa taking over the program in 1994 it was a real challenge to get the best athletes to turn out for football. Caleb Bowman, Kurt Berkley and Paul Nieman, each of whom scored more than 20 touchdowns that season, might not have even been on the team.

"The most amazing thing about that group is Bowman, Berkley and Nieman," said Puailoa. "None of them would have been football players. Maybe basketball, soccer or track, but because of how we did things, football was their main sport."

The team will play a gator tournament Saturday morning, and a golf tournament at the Elk's Club Saturday at 2 p.m.