Knights take down Bulldogs in season opener

SANDPOINT — There will be plenty of things to learn from when the Sandpoint players and coaches watch the game film of Friday night’s season opening 42-14 loss to East Valley at Barlow Stadium.

There were plenty of positives to build upon, namely the play of safety Alex Charvoz, but at the end of the day, the Bulldogs had far less experience on the field than the Knights, and it showed in all facets of the game.

Throw in a couple of big injuries to starting receivers Chase Rodriguez and Tommy Fury early in the game, some breakdowns in special teams and a few key mistakes, and it added up to a tough opener for the Bulldogs (0-1).

“You could tell East Valley is a veteran club, and we have a lot of guys who haven’t played a lot,” said Bulldogs head coach Satini Puailoa, who was nonetheless pleased with the effort his team gave in defeat. “Our deal is we’re going to get better every day. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

East Valley, which featured 15 returning starters, rode the legs of senior running back Adam Talley and a strong offensive line to 383 yards rushing on the night.

A mental breakdown on punt coverage led to an easy 65-yard return, which staked the Knights (1-0) to an early 21-0 lead.

The Bulldogs answered after Nick Prindiville threw a 41-yard strike to Jake Steen and a 33-yard pass to Thomas Edwards, setting up a Matt Lockey 2-yard plunge to cut the lead to 21-7. Edwards finished with 81 yards on four catches, stepping up after the aforementioned injuries.

The Bulldogs just missed scoring on the last play of the first half after Charvoz intercepted the first of two passes on the night. Edwards caught a ball in the flat, then threw a double pass to Charvoz, who got behind the defense briefly before being tackled on the 2-yard line as time expired.

The Bulldogs were able to get their running game going in the second half, as A.J. Buratto finished with 18 carries for 117 yards and moved the chains.

“Our offensive line made some adjustments in the second half, and gave the QB time to throw,” said Puailoa. “We saw some great effort, and the kids kept battling and didn’t give up.”

The highlight of the game for Sandpoint came when Charvoz took his second interception of the game 37 yards to the house for the Bulldogs’ final touchdown. Linebacker Jonathan McCormick also had a solid game defensively, making plays from sideline to sideline.

Sandpoint now turns its attention to 5A Post Falls, which comes to Barlow Stadium next Friday.

EV  — 13   15   14   0 — 42

SHS — 0    7    0    7 — 14

EV — Cole Hofstee 4 run (Seth Killingsworth kick)

EV — Dan Kaplin-Jensen 21 catch from Taylor Watkins (kick blocked)

EV — Cole Hofstee 68 punt return (Killingsworth pass from Watkins)

SHS — Matt Lockey 2 run (Pearlstein kick)

EV — Seth Killingsworth 5 catch from Watkins (Talley kick)

EV — Issac Jordon 8 run (Talley kick)

SHS — Alex Charvoz 37-yard interception return (Quinn Pearlstein kick)