Dawgs No. 1 team wins Junior Tackle championship

The Sandpoint Dawgs No. 1 team defeated Riverside 12-0 at Joe Albi stadium recently to win the 2008 5th-6th grade football championship. Riverside entered the game with only two losses the entire season and had previously beaten Sandpoint 19-14.

"It was our first game of the year, their team had been together for a few years, and our kids had never even played a down of tackle football," said head coach Steve Russo of his team. "They were still learning how to buckle their chin straps."

Not only did Sandpoint learn to buckle their chin straps but they were ready to prove they had become football players and were not the same team that Riverside had previously faced.

"We came to play, focused on our defensive game plan and told our kids that we had something to prove," Russo said. "These kids worked extremely hard all year and now they had the opportunity to show everyone how much they had improved."

Sandpoint dominated the game on both sides of the ball, racking up more than 250 yards of offense on big runs by Walker Jacobson, Jackson Rands and Nate Loutzenhiser behind the blocking of Brandon Carlin and Chayton Silva. Sandpoint's defense, lead by Tyler Harris, Daniel Lacascio and Tanner Jacobson, held Riverside to less than 30 total yards and delivered big hit after big hit the entire game.

Entering the second quarter with the score still tied 0-0, Rands, behind the blocking of Nate and Jake Porter, took a pitch from Colton Engel around the left end, dodged two defenders and outran three others on his way to a 70 yard touchdown.

"That was huge," said offensive coach Bob Jacobson. "Jackson has been running the ball very well the last few games for us."

After a Sandpoint fumble and a Riverside completed pass it looked as if the game would be tied going into half time as Riverside had 1st and goal from Sandpoint's six yard line. But the defense unleashed big hits by Jeff Kappen, Dylan Hancock and Zach Alimillo which forced Riverside into a 4th and long. Working out of shotgun the Riverside quarterback was forced to scramble out of the pocket by Anrdew Loutzenhiser and threw a pass high into the end zone. The wide receiver was covered by Justin Dunkel but the ball was intercepted by Gabe Lutz, which halted the drive and preserved the 6-0 lead going into half time.

In the second half the Dawgs started to pound the ball behind their offensive line, lead by Chandler Brewington and Troy Mitton. But the real story was the play of the defense that took over and delivered big hits that at one point left four Riverside players on the ground after a play.

"Our defense came to play, we had something to prove today," said defensive coach Chad Loutzenhiser. "The last three weeks our defense has stepped up and today we peaked."

Sandpoints defense came to play as they racked up six sacks, lead by Christian Crossingham and Rob Oakley. Early in the 4th quarter, Sandpoint intercepted Riverside for the second time, with Lutz returning the pick for a 35 yard touchdown and a 12-0 lead.

"At that point we knew all we needed to do was control the ball, limit our mistakes and the game would be out of reach," said coach Clint Brewington.

Sandpoint controlled the ball and the clock in the 4th quarter and sealed the win when quarterback Jackson Russo connected on a pass to tight end Tyler Harris that gave the Dawgs a first down with only a minute left to play.

"This was not only a huge win for our team but a big plus for Sandpoint football and our community," Steve Russo explained. "We can't wait for next year."