Bulldogs and Knights set to battle at state

SANDPOINT — After a two-year hiatus from the 4A state soccer tournament, the Sandpoint boys will be primed to make up for lost time with a run at an eighth state title, starting today against Bishop Kelly in Idaho Falls.

The Bulldogs (11-5-2) outscored their opponents 41-21 on the season, and went 5-3-2 against 5A competition. Bishop Kelly (10-6-3) played mostly 4A competition this season, against the likes of Nampa, Columbia, Kuna, SKyview and Caldwell.

Sandpoint head coach Adam Tajan is hoping the saltier schedule will pay dividends for his team today against the Knights.

“We match up real well, it should be an evenly matched game,” said Tajan. “I like to think we’ve played a tougher schedule, which will help us in the long run.”

The Bulldogs are a tough team to mark, with three players capable of carrying the scoring load. Anthony Fox (14 goals, five assists), Jeremiah Gagnon (10 goals, six assists) and Joab Logan (10 goals, four assists) make it tough to key on any one player.

Aaron Crossingham, Matthew Burgstahler and Raleigh Hanson can all create from the midfield, and Jeffrey Rokstad and Nathan Schwartz anchor a solid back four, which will be tested by some dangerous southern Idaho strikers.

The Bulldogs have the luxury of two solid goalies, as Austin Keyes (three shutouts) and Jake Rookey (six shutouts) are both capable between the pipes.

Tajan has coached a few Bulldog girls teams to state titles, and said any deep tournament run will take a collective effort, with everybody contributing in different ways.

“It takes a team effort, everybody helping each other be successful,” he said. “We need some guys to light it up and catch fire. Who’s it going to be?”

The Bulldogs and Knights kick things off today, at 11 a.m. (PST) in Idaho Falls.