Bulldogs looking to bounce back at West Valley

SANDPOINT — The start and end of Sandpoint’s 35-34 loss to Clarkston last Friday may have been tough to stomach, but Bulldogs coach Mike Mitchell found plenty of positives from the rest of the game, which he hopes will carry over to tonight’s tilt at West Valley.

After a couple of early miscues led to a quick 21-0 deficit, the Bulldogs (1-1) dominated the next three quarters and came back to grab a late lead, before a 95-yard kick return proved the difference. Mitchell was happy with how his team kept their composure, and as he put it, kept sawing wood.

“When you look back at film, it was a great comeback,” said Mitchell, lamenting a couple of missed tackles on the decisive kick return. “Too bad we lost, because there were more bright spots than dark spots in that game. We’re playing pretty well and need to keep that up.”

One of the bright spots was the smash-mouth play of the offensive line, led by senior guard Larry Shaffer, who garnered Offensive Player of the Week for his solid play.

The line helped pave the way for 199 hard-earned yards rushing from Anthony Gold, despite Clarkston stacking the box with eight players on a regular basis, something the Bulldogs might see more of as their running game keeps producing.

Mitchell was also pleased with the play of senior linebacker Brian Remsen, who stepped up at middle linebacker after Luther Morgan was taken out of the game. Mitchell expects Morgan back for the game, further strengthening a defense that essentially allowed just 14 points against the Bantams, with a third score allowed on a five yard field.

Mitchell will continue to diversify the offense with quarterback Brandon Hawkins, trying to keep defenses honest and opening up more real estate for Gold and Morgan in the backfield.

The Bulldogs will face their third consecutive Great Northern League opponent tonight when they travel to West Valley (0-2), in a matchup of teams that finished second in state last year in their respective divisions. Despite returning a host of starters from the 2A Washington runner up team, the Eagles (0-2) have underachieved to this point, suffering lopsided losses to both Moscow and Colville to start the season.

“Everybody is confused. They’re supposed to be a good team, but are off to a slow start,” said Mitchell of his next opponent. “The coaches think they’re going to wake up one of these days.”

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at West Valley High School.