SHS football looks for revenge in season opener

SANDPOINT — Nearly a year ago to the day, Sandpoint football fell to Post Falls in their 2019 season opener.

Today, the Bulldogs will be seeking revenge when they play under the lights at War Memorial Field for the first time this fall.

It will be the first football game on the new artificial turf and after a summer filled with questions about if a season could even be played, head coach Ryan Knowles said his players are hungry and ready to take the fight to the Trojans.

"It's just been a weird offseason," he said, "and they need to play football, they need to see another opponent. They've been anxious and its been fragile. It's like every day is what's going to get taken away, what's going to get canceled."

Last year, the Bulldogs went back-and-forth with Post Falls in a first-half shootout that saw the Trojans take a 35-28 lead at the break. In the second half, the Post Falls defense shut down the Sandpoint offense and claimed a 49-28 victory.

"When you're giving up 35 points in the first half that's pretty humbling with the work that you put in, so I was thankful for our offense that kept us in the game," Knowles said.

Post Falls wide receiver Tommy Hauser shredded the Bulldogs defense in the game, catching 11 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns. Hauser is back for his senior season and Knowles said his defense will need to slow the playmaker down tonight if they want to avoid having nightmares about him again.

Knowles' defense relies on three core principles: Stopping the run, eliminating big plays and forcing turnovers. Last year, the Trojans no-huddle offense wore out the Sandpoint defense and they couldn't get off the field. The team also dropped a pair of interceptions.

But with veterans Isaac Webb, Tag Benefield, Keith Jensen and Elijah Larson coming back, Knowles is confident his defense can keep the Trojans behind the chains and get them off the field on third down.

Both teams have question marks at quarterback and for Sandpoint three players are in the mix — sophomore Parker Pettit, junior Auggie Lehman and junior Gerrit Cox. Who will start under center tonight remains up in the air, but all three will see playing time in the game, according to Knowles.

The Sandpoint offensive line will also have four new faces on it when the team takes the field Friday and Knowles said the returners need to make the younger players feel comfortable in their roles.

"They need to act like they played a lot of football," Knowles said about his returners, "and some of these new guys stepping in, we need to help them and support them by doing the right things around them to let them shine."

Every season opener is filled with uncertainty, but this one more than most due to the coronavirus pandemic.

To walk away with a win against Post Falls, Knowles said the Bulldogs need to worry about what they can control and avoid doing too much.

"I think we need to play within our means," he said. "I have saying that sometimes it's real simple to be good. Don't overdue it, don't overstretch yourself and make sure that you're doing the details right ... A lot of times with first games, they are lost not won, so if we can take care of our business we'll certainly have a chance against a very strong opponent."

Post Falls has won 14 of the last 15 games between the two teams. The last time Sandpoint won was 2015. Knowles said the team is eager to turn the tables on the Trojans and start a winning streak of their own.

The 450 people socially-distanced in the grandstands at Barlow Stadium will be looking for a show and Knowles said his team put in the effort this summer to make that possible.

"They deserve any success that they get," Knowles said. "It's not going to be given to them, but with the way they worked since we opened back up ... they won't surprise me with success, that's for sure."

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. tonight and the gates will open at 5:30 p.m. No tickets will be sold at the gate and anyone that can't make it to the game can watch it live on SWX, or listen to it on AM 1400 KSPT or ROCK 103.