Trojans come back to edge Bulldogs
SANDPOINT - Nikk Reinhardt had a huge game at quarterback to lead Post Falls, throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns and running for 46 yards and a score, leading Post Falls to a come-from-behind 54-35 win Friday night at Barlow Stadium in a wild homecoming game that much closer than the final score.
Sandpoint (3-2) couldn't have scripted a better start, jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Senior running back Ricky Lang took a screen pass from Jake Semones and made a couple shifty cuts before picking up some down field blocks for a 55 yard score on the Bulldogs' first drive.
On the next offensive play, Post Falls quarterback Nikk Reinhardt had a screen pass batted into the air and picked off by Ben Fisher, who returned it 25 yards to give Sandpoint a 14-0 lead.
Post Falls (2-2) would answer on the ensuing drive, capped by a Cole Amende 5 yard rumble, the first of two touchdown runs for the bruising fullback, which made it 14-7.
Sandpoint would cap an exciting first quarter with an 11 yard strike on a slant pass from Semones to wide receiver Mike Hubbard to put the Bulldogs up 21-7. Post Falls would answer quickly, as Cody Clark would haul in the first of his two touchdown grabs on the game, an 11 yard slant from Reichart that brought the Trojans to within 21-14.
On the ensuing drive, the Bulldogs broke out some razzle dazzle, scoring on a 61 yard double-pass from Brandon Lawrence, who hauled in a screen from Semones before launching a strike to a wide open Hubbard for the easy score, giving the Bulldogs a 28-14 lead early in the second quarter.
Post Falls had an answer, keeping the first half shootout going with a beautiful 53 yard bomb from Reichardt to Clark, who out-jumped the defensive back to bring the Trojans within 28-21.
With just under two minutes left in the first half, Trojans safety Brady Ryan made perhaps the play of the game, jumping an out route and intercepting Semones, then racing 48 yards untouched into the end zone to tie the game at 28-28 heading into the half, swinging the momentum pendulum back in their favor.
In a game featuring more than 800 yards of offensive pyrotechnics, the third quarter offered surprisingly little, as the punters finally saw some action and neither team could score. Like they were all game, the Bulldogs were snake bitten by penalties, as Hubbard returned the second half kickoff 98 yards, only to have it called back by a clip very late in the play.
Fisher, who finished the game with a hard-earned 162 yards on 21 carries, rambled in from 20 yards out to give Sandpoint a 35-28 lead with 11:37 left in the fourth quarter.
From then on, it was all Post Falls, which rode both the arms and legs of Reinhardt to score 26 unanswered points. After three big completions, he would tie the game at 335-35 on a slick quarterback draw from eight yards out.
The biggest offensive play of the game came on the Trojans' next drive, when Reinhardt launched a high-arcing spiral into the corner of the end zone, where receiver Brett Winn made a sensational catch, laying out and reaching over his shoulder to somehow make the catch, which put the Trojans up 42-35.
Amende would add another touchdown run and Sean Rollins would add the final score late in the game for the Trojans.
Sandpoint hosts Lewiston next Friday.
SHS 21 7 0 7 - 35
PFHS 7 21 0 27 —54
SHS - Ricky Lang 55 yd pass from Jake Semones (Crossingham kick)
SHS - Ben Fisher 25 yd interception (Crossingham kick)
PFHS - Jordan Johnston 5 yd run (Griffen Hoerner kick)
SHS - Mike Hubbard 11 yd pass from Jake Semones (Crossingham kick)
PFHS - Cody Clark 8 yd pss from Nikk Reinhardt (Griffen Hoerner kick)
SHS - Mike Hubbard 58 yd pass from Jake Semones (Crossingham kick)
PFHS - Cody Clark 54 yd pass from Nikk Reinhardt (Griffen Hoerner kick)
PFHS - Brady Ryan 42 yd interception (Griffen Hoerner kick)
SHS —Ben Fisher 20 yd run (Crossingham kick)
PFHS - Nikk Reinhardt 8 yd run (Griffen Hoerner kick)
Brent - Winn 33 yd pass from Nikk Reinhardt (Griffen kick)
PFHS - Cole Amende 10 yd run (kick fail)
PFHS - Shawn Rollins 3 yd run (Griffen kick)
Team Stats SHS PF
First Downs 13 14
Rushes-yds 33-190 27-123
Passing yds 235 279
Passes 12-22-2 17-30-1
Punts-Ave 2-34 4-35
Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-0
Penalties-yds 12-96 7-85
Rushing: SHS: Ricky Lang 5-43, Ben Fisher 21-164, Jake Semones 7-(-17)
PF: Kenneth Bartholomew 5-7, Cole Amende 4-27, Nikk Reinhardt 8-46, Sean Rollins 3-18, Brett Winn 1-25
Receiving: SHS: AJ Smith 2-11, Sean Visintin 1-11,
PF: Dakota Allert 3-69, Kevin Muncey 1-11, Brett Winn 5-36, Cody Clark 8-160, Jeremy Cragin 1-3