Sandpoint downs Mt. Spokane in thriller
SPOKANE — It was only fitting that the Sandpoint defense stuffed Mt. Spokane on 4th and goal from the two yard line in the final minute, with the game hanging in the balance.
Led by the stellar play of defensive tackle Carlos Collado and linebacker Tyler Harris, the Bulldogs’ defense held a high scoring Greater Spokane League offense in check, leading to a hard-hitting 21-14 win on Friday night in nonleague football action at Joe Albi Stadium.
Mt. Spokane (2-1) came into the game having scored 74 points in the first two games, with much of the damage coming by way of a vaunted running game. The Bulldogs (2-2) would have none of it, holding the Wildcats scoreless for the first three quarters and allowing just 117 yards on 35 carries.
The Bulldogs’ defense came up with big stop after big stop on fourth down, none more important than the second to last play of the game, with Mt. Spokane looking to tie the game on the goal line in the final seconds.
“We knew if we stuck with our rules, we could handle what they threw at us; trust the 10 guys next to you,” said linebacker Quinn Pearlstein, one of a host of defenders to register tackles for loss on the night. “We knew the defense was going to have to make a stand. One of the biggest things we’ve worked on all season is living in the moment.”
The Bulldogs drew first blood in the first quarter, when Harris took a screen pass 50 yards to set up Matthew Timothy’s five yard screen pass from Nate Loutzenhiser to put the Bulldogs up 7-0. Loutzenhiser, who finished 11-23 for 190 yards and three touchdowns, was also intercepted three times, but each time the defense seemed to pick him up and get the key stops.
Harris, who continues to be a physical force on defense, set up the next score with an interception. Wyatt McCormick then hauled in a 61 yard touchdown catch on a pass that was tipped by a Wildcat defender to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead. After a Mt. Spokane fumble, Curtis Roop caught a swing pass from Loutzenhiser and rambled in from seven yards out, giving the Bulldogs a commanding 21-0 halftime lead.
“This team is ranked No. 1 in the GSL, we’re not supposed to come down here and win. That tells you how far we’ve come,” said Bulldogs head coach Satini Puailoa, currently in the midst of what he called a grinder schedule. “The defense was unreal tonight. This was a grind through win, a character win, against quality competition. We came in their place and knocked them off. These guys are on a mission right now.”
Mt. Spokane scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to cut the lead to 21-14 with 3:40 left in the game, but the potential game-tying drive was stuffed in a fitting end.
Kyle Perry carried 17 times for 83 yards and Curtis Roop 10 times for 63 yards, against a big and physical front seven. The Timothy brothers combined to catch six balls for 70 yards, and the offense kept the chains moving against a defense that had allowed only seven points coming into the game.
“Our whole team stuck through it. It was a grind, but we pulled it off,” said Loutzenhiser. “The defense played the best they’ve ever played. We wanted to prove ourselves, and that’s what we did.”
Sandpoint hosts East Valley next Friday for Homecoming.
Sandpoint 7 14 0 0 — 21
Mt. Spokane 0 0 7 7 — 14
Spt — Matthew Timothy 5 catch from Nate Loutzenhiser (Michael Plaster kick)
Spt — Wyatt McCormick 61 catch from Loutzenhiser (Plaster kick)
Spt — Curtis Roop 6 catch from Loutzenhiser (Plaster kick)
MtS — Matt Pulliam 3 run (Tucker Jones kick)
MtS — Mike Schupp 1 run (Jones kick)