Bulldogs lose tough-fought game
SANDPOINT - For the old-school football purist, Friday night's 4A state playoff opener between Sandpoint and Mountain Home had plenty to offer, including plenty of rain, mud, hard hits, even harder earned yardage, exemplary individual efforts and plenty of drama.
And as one would expect in a low-scoring affair, the game hinged on a couple of crucial plays, with the Tigers scoring a touchdown and field goal to edge the host Bulldogs 10-7 under a steady downpour at Barlow Stadium.
The first pivotal play happened with the Tigers (9-1) leading Sandpoint 7-0 early in the fourth quarter. Sandpoint quarterback Jake Semones lost hold of the soaked ball on a snap at midfield and Mountain Home linebacker Jake Lewis scooped it up and rambled down to the five yard line, which set up a field goal and ultimately the deciding points.
The second huge play came after Sandpoint (4-6) had regained the momentum behind the yeoman work of running back Ben Fisher, who carried the ball 23 times for 224 yards in defeat. After a Mountain Home fake punt at midfield fooled nobody, Sandpoint had a short field, down 10-7 and facing second and inches.
Sandpoint head coach Mike Mitchell eschewed the run and rolled the dice, hoping to catch the Tigers off guard. Semones went to throw a fade route, but the ball slipped out of his hand, fluttered in the air, and was intercepted by the Tigers Jesse Donez, effectively ending the game, as the Bulldogs would muster no more offense.
"I wish I could have that one back on 2nd and inches," said a disappointed Mitchell after the game. "It was one of those ball games where nobody could blink. We blinked."
After a scoreless first half featuring both teams' punters, Mountain Home got on the board first when quarterback Kyle Kerfoot took a bootleg four yards around the left side, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead late in the third quarter. Kerfoot finished with 121 yards on 17 carries, as both teams pretty much abandoned the passing game. Running back Tallon Pauley led the Tigers with 171 yards on 27 carries.
"Physical play," said Tigers head coach Brian Floyd when asked about the key to the win. "Our O-line did an excellent job."
After the field goal by Chris Maholick gave the Tigers a 10-0 lead with 12 minutes remaining, Sandpoint went to work behind a solid offensive line. FIsher carried the ball for all five plays on the 60 yard scoring drive, capping it off with a 25 yard run to make it 10-7 with 10:20 left in the game.
The Bulldogs would never threaten offensively after that. Defensively, the Bulldogs were led by some stellar play by linebacker Coleman Frank, who made tackles from sideline to sideline, and defensive end A.J. Smith, who recovered two fumbles. The unit as a whole bent at times, but stiffened when needed most.
"Defensively we played well," said Mitchell, calling the game an old Southwest Conference style slugfest. "At the end they got some stops."
Both teams managed the game well considering the conditions, as the Bulldogs committed three turnovers to the Tigers' two. Mountain Home put the ball on the ground six times, but only lost two of those fumbles. The two quarterbacks combined to throw only 16 times, completing only three of the passes.
Mountain Home will face Hillcrest in the second round next week.
MH 0 0 7 3 - 10
SHS 0 0 0 7 - 7
MHHS - Kyle Kerfoot 4 yd run (Chris Maholick kick)
MHHS - Chris Maholick 22 yd Field Goal
SHS - Ben Fisher 25 yd run (John Brusaw kick)
Team Stats SHS MH
First Downs 13 15
Rushes-yds 35-236 48-312
Passing yds -4 13
QB 2-7-2 1-9-0
Punts-Ave 5-36 3-37
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 6-2
Penalties-yds 9-65 6-30
Individual Stats
MHHS: Running: Kyle Kerfoot 17-121, Taylor Pauley 27-171, Jesse Donez 4-20
MHHS: Receiving: Tallon Pauley 1-13
SHS Running: Ben Fisher 23-224, Jake Semones 9-(-1), Ricky Lang 1-11, Cody Hecker 2-3
SHS Receiving: Shawn Visintin 1-(-6), Ben Fisher 1-2