Slow start costs Sandpoint in loss to Mt. Spokane
(Photo courtesy of JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPY) Junior wide receiver Elijah Larson catches a 19-yard touchdown pass during the fourth quarter of Friday’s game.
SANDPOINT —Despite a valiant second half, Sandpoint football fell 35-19 to Mt. Spokane on Friday night.
The Bulldogs were down 28-0 at halftime and were only able to muster two first downs in the 24 minutes of action. But the second half saw the Sandpoint offense come to life as they found the end zone three times.
Ultimately, the deficit was too much for the Bulldogs to overcome as they fell to 2-2 on the season. Sandpoint has now lost to Mt. Spokane three years in a row.
“We came out and got dominated in the first quarter,” Sandpoint Head Coach Ryan Knowles said. “It took everything we had to just fight and scrape and that’s just the way it goes.”
Two words can pretty much sum up the first half of the game: Kannon Katzer.
The Wildcats running back was all over the field racking up three touchdowns in the first half; one from 74 yards out, another from 20 and a third from 97.
The Bulldogs defense didn’t have an answer for the quick, shifty back and the offense wasn’t helping the cause either.
In the first half, Sandpoint got inside the Mt. Spokane 7-yard line twice but came away with zero points.
The first time the Bulldogs got deep in Wildcats territory was early in the second quarter after a 37-yard catch by senior wide receiver Christian Niemela at the end of the first quarter. This set up Sandpoint at the Mt. Spokane 24-yard line.
The Bulldogs got down to the 3-yard line and went for it on fourth down but failed to convert after senior quarterback Jaxon Pettit couldn’t connect with junior wide receiver Max Thielbahr in the end zone.
The second drive stalled at the Wildcats 7-yard line after Christian Niemela made yet another 37-yard catch to put the Bulldogs in the red zone. After going nowhere on three plays, Ryan Knowles decided to try a field goal on fourth down but an errant snap went over the holder’s head and Sandpoint came away with no points.
“We put the field goal team out there and we knew it was a little bit iffy but I made that call anyway,” Knowles said. “That one is on me.”
In the second half, the Sandpoint offense got in a rhythm on its first drive of the third quarter as the Bulldogs were finally able to establish a running game. Running backs Gerrit Cox and Tag Benefield traded carries until Benefield was able to punch it into the end zone from a yard out with 8:47 remaining in the third quarter.
But Kannon Katzer had a response and on the ensuing Wildcats possession he broke free and found his way through the Bulldogs defense for a 75-yard touchdown to make it 35-7 Mt. Spokane. He finished with 15 carries for 355 yards and four touchdowns.
Niemela would set the Bulldogs up for another score late in the third quarter when he took a screen pass on 3rd and 13 60 yards to the Mt. Spokane 21-yard line. Cox finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 35-13 after a missed extra point.
The Bulldogs continued to battle and scored a late touchdown with 3:29 left in the game to make it 35-19.
“I was happy with the way we responded in the second half,” Knowles said. “At the end of the day that’s one of the better team’s in the area and I’m glad they are on our schedule.”
Sandpoint will take on Lewiston 7 p.m. next Friday at Memorial Field.
Sandpoint 0 0 13 6 19 Mt. Spokane 14 14 7 0 35
First quarter
MS Kannon Katzer 76 yd run (Cooper Miethe kick)
MS Kannon Katzer 20 yd run (Cooper Miethe kick)
Second quarter
MS Kannon Katzer 97 yd run (Ethan Moczulski kick)
MS Jake Griffiths 5 yd pass from Jeter Schuerman (Ethan Moczulski kick)
Third quarter
SHS Tag Benefield 26 yd run (Dylan Peterson kick)
MS Kannon Katzer 75 yd run (Ethan Moczulski kick)
SHS Gerrit Cox 1 yd run (kick fail)
Fourth quarter
SHS Elijah Larson 19 yd pass from Jaxon Pettit (pass fail)
Individual stats
SHS Rushing: Gerrit Cox 13-57, Tag Benefield 7-58, Jaxon Pettit 13-(-4), SHS Receiving: Dylan Peterson 1-6, Elijah Larson 7-46, Gerrit Cox 2-15, Christian Niemela 5-173, SHS KOR: Christian Niemela 4-105, PR: Gerrit Cox 1-15. MS Rushing: Tommy Madill 4-17, Kannon Katzer 15-355, Jeter Schuerman 4-8, Ky Haney 3-8, Connor Marll 2-5, Riley Buth 1-(-1), Bergen Hughes 1-0, MS Receiving: Casey Howerton 1-15, Hudson Gilbert 1-10, Riley Buth 1-(-2), Jeter Schuerman 1-5, Kannon Katzer 1-1, Jose Alvarez-Renteria 1-6, Bergen Hughes 1-7, KOR: Kannon Katzer 2-30.