Return of Bullpup football ignites excitement in kids, community

SANDPOINT — The return of the Sandpoint Middle School football team delivered plenty of excitement to the community this fall.

After a hiatus that lasted over 10 years, Bullpup football charged back onto the field and it didn’t disappoint.

Across the seventh and eighth grade teams, SMS had about 70 kids join the program in its first year back.

Troy Holt, head coach of the eighth grade team, said enthusiasm surrounding the program’s return was apparent when the announcement was made early this year and he wasn’t surprised at all by the turnout.

“The whole buy-in to school sports is just amazing,” he said.

Holt spent the previous 20 or so years coaching high school football, so this season he entered new territory on the gridiron leading the middle schoolers.

Holt said he attacked this inaugural season with a high school mindset.

“I had a plan this year,” he said, “and it was more of a high school plan and the junior high kids love that high school plan.”

Holt, who also helps oversee the seventh grade team, put a lot of energy and time into building and growing the team this offseason. The Bullpups started summer ball on June 15 and practiced three days a week, two hours a day without much disruption.

Holt wasn’t sure what the competition would look like at the middle school level this season, but he said the hard work they put in during the offseason paid off when they took the field for the first time.

“All that progress that occurred in the summertime carried right on into the season,” he said, “and it was pretty amazing where we were at because I felt like as soon as we started the season offensively we were ahead of the game, a long ways ahead of the game, and that’s pretty fun to see.”

Holt said he could tell right away that the Bullpups had a skill advantage over their opponents and he was proud of his team’s ability to pick up the spread offense.

“It’s amazing the leaps and bounds that they improved because we came into the games and a lot of these big teams were stacking the box,” he said. “They think that we gotta stop the run and I made it fun for my kids this year. We would throw the ball to every person on the field.”

The eighth graders finished with a 6-1 record while the seventh graders had a 4-2 mark.

Both teams had plenty of playmakers and on the eighth grade team, quarterback Andrew Lehman led the way for the Bullpups.

Holt said the spread offense demands a lot from a quarterback. From play-action to run-pass option, a quarterback has to be athletic enough to throw from a number of different angles and Holt said Lehman made it look easy.

“I’ve had a ton of quarterbacks over the years but he’s got something,” he said about Lehman. “He’s got something that’s a little bit different than the rest.”

Lehman had a plethora of talented players at his disposal this year including Jesse Turner, Brady Newhart, Dallen Adam and Ashlei Hawkins.

Holt said he also saw some great things from Wylie Wimmer, Melkam Manning, Triston Tomco, Kayden Garcia and Reid Bradburn to name a few.

Bradburn had two interceptions in a 42-6 win over Timberlake on Oct. 27.

“He became this crazy awesome corner that we put on opponents’ best wide receiver and that was a big thing for us,” Holt said about Bradburn.

When Holt first took on the program, he said he had a bit of a hard time finding coaches, but along the way he picked up some great ones.

Holt said Doug Fry, Travis Garrison, RJ Weber and Joe Stover all helped him shape the program into what it is today and Tyler Haynes was a constant from day one.

“He was right there with me every single day,” Holt said. “He was like a staple and these kids knew it, too.”

As the SMS program got on its feet, Sandpoint football head coach Ryan Knowles had his high school players encourage and mentor the middle schoolers throughout the season.

Holt said before the team departed for their game at Lewiston, Knowles brought him a stack of letters the varsity players wrote to each Bullpup. Holt said the boys really appreciated that support and are already excited about taking the next step to become a Bulldog.

Holt said this group of eighth graders has a bright future ahead of them and plenty of room for growth.

“I see some excited linemen that are like itching to get over in the weight room and itching to meet coach [George Yarno Jr.],” he said. “They can’t wait.”

Holt said his seventh graders are already anxious to get back in the weight room and on the field. He said when the track season ends in the spring, he will be full steam ahead to start 7-on-7 in late April.

The Bullpups had to navigate a number of hurdles this season in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and Holt gave credit to SMS Athletic Director Kari Granier for her leadership during these uncertain times.

“She has worked like triple time this year,” he said. “I can’t even thank her enough.”

Holt doesn’t have plans on leaving the program anytime soon and he said this season, his players grasped the true meaning of teamwork.

“The biggest lesson that I believe these kids learned is that no matter what trials and tribulations that we walk through on a daily basis … we’re not alone,” he said. “And it was amazing how they came together for each other on issues that happen during the season.”