Sandpoint to kick off season in Kibbie Dome

SANDPOINT — There was good news, bad news, and then more good news for the Sandpoint football team recently.

The first good news is the Bulldogs open the season as the No. 3 ranked 4A team in the state in the first media poll of the year, trailing Bishop Kelly and Blackfoot. The bad news is smoke continues to permeate the air, forcing the postponement of the Bulldogs’ scheduled season opener on Friday in Post Falls.

Finally, more good news arrived on Wednesday when it was announced that Sandpoint will play Post Falls on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. in the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

As a thick layer of smoke lingers over North Idaho, the comfy confines of the Kibbie Dome are serving as a football hub for area teams scrambling to find indoor contingency plans for this weekend’s football openers.

The Bulldogs were originally scheduled to play at Post Falls, but if the Air Quality Index is above 150, as it was on Wednesday in Sandpoint, school district policy mandates that all activities must either be postponed or moved indoors.

For Sandpoint athletic director Kris Knowles, playing the games runs a distant second to the health of the athletes.

“We’re trying to err on the side of being cautious,” said Knowles, calling the situation uncharted territory for the local athletic directors. “If parents don’t want their kid out there, we don’t want them out there.”

On Friday, the Kibbie Dome will host a trio of games, pitting Lake City against Rocky Mountain, Coeur d’Alene against Skyline and Moscow against Grangeville.

On Saturday, Kellogg and St. Maries will play in the afternoon, followed by the Bulldogs and Trojans.

Rescheduling the game was a preemptive way to deal with the rash of hazardous air. Today’s girls soccer and freshman football games will be played if the AQI is under 150, and most likely moved to Saturday if it is not. A decision will be made around noon.

“If the air is good, we play as scheduled, if it’s bad, we’ll reschedule,” said Knowles.

Mornings have seen better air, with conditions mostly worsening later in the day. Knowles and Sandpoint head coach Satini Puailoa are just happy that the University of Idaho was willing to work with the local teams.

“I’ve got to thank the University of Idaho,” said Knowles. “They’re kind of the center of the universe for North Idaho football. This could be pretty cool for us.”