'We’re confident we can get them again': Sandpoint hosts rival Moscow in state quarterfinal

SANDPOINT — Ding, ding. Who’s ready for round two?

Three weeks ago when Sandpoint football took down Moscow 31-21 at War Memorial Field, head coach Ryan Knowles made it clear there was a chance his team could see the Bears again before their season came to an end.

Well, last Friday that chance came to fruition and now the two 4A Inland Empire League foes will do battle again at 7 p.m. tonight in the state quarterfinals.

The Bulldogs (4-4) are on a three-game winning streak and have hit their stride at the right time.

Knowles said his team grinded in the weight room during the offseason to be at their best when playoffs rolled around and that dedication has shown in recent weeks.

“It’s not a coincidence, this is how we prepared,” he said. “Everything is really falling into place here and to be able to get a second round home game is awesome.”

Sandpoint is fresh off a grueling 30-27 victory over Hillcrest in the first round of the playoffs. Senior Elek Christoferson converted a 25-yard field goal with two seconds left to push the Bulldogs to the quarterfinals.

The Knights utilized an old school style of play, grinding it out on the ground and neglecting to pass the ball very often. Hillcrest ran the ball 49 times for 279 yards and the nature of the game took a toll on the Sandpoint defense.

“That was a pretty taxing game on them physically and mentally,” Knowles said.

But the Bulldogs have shaken off their bruises from that contest and are ready for another bout against the Bears.

Moscow (4-1) got a week off before heading to Jerome last Friday and dismantling the Tigers 45-7 in their state opener.

The Bears had over 500 total yards of offense in the game and quarterback Chad Redinger, a two-time 4A IEL offensive MVP, threw for 245 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

In the regular season matchup with Moscow, the Bulldog defense held Redinger to one touchdown and 187 passing yards and they picked him off twice in the second half.

Redinger played that game with an injury in his knee that he suffered the week before against Lakeland, according to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Knowles said he could tell Redinger was a little hesitant to run in that contest, but otherwise he felt like the QB looked like himself.

“If you’re saying he was off the last time we played him, I would say where,” he said.

The Bulldogs are ready for whatever Redinger shows up Friday.

“It’s playoff time, so we’re going to get his best shot,” Knowles said. “We’re expecting a full speed Chad.”

Another Moscow playmaker the Bulldogs will keep a close eye on his Jonah Elliss.

The Bears list Elliss as a tight end and defensive end but he lines up all over the field on offense and he is a focal point for Moscow.

Elliss caught 10 passes for 133 yards in the first game against Sandpoint. The Bears will certainly feed the University of Utah commit on Friday night and Knowles believes his team is up for the task.

“He’s the type of player that you can never be comfortable with,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve stopped him 20 times, the next one could be the big one … We’re going to know where he is every play.”

Senior weakside linebacker Isaac Webb said the defense isn’t backing down from the challenge of slowing down Elliss and he knows the Bulldogs have the players to get it done.

“Our guys can compete with him just fine,” he said.

Webb has racked up 53 total tackles, six for loss, and four sacks so far this season. Senior linebacker Tag Benefield leads the team with 106 total tackles and his younger brother, Wes Benefield, is second with 92.

Webb said the defense needs to bring it against the Bears.

“We just have to be aggressive,” he said. “They don’t have as many players and I think we just got to wear them out and make big plays and big hits.”

The last two weeks, Sandpoint has played like its season is on the line and for Webb, the end of his SHS football career has been in sight each time.

Webb said it’s been difficult to deal with that mindset, but regardless of what happens Friday he plans on leaving it all on the field.

“It’s been stressful especially with how close all of our games have been, but it just makes the feeling twice as good when we end up pulling off the win,” he said.

Tightly-contested games have been the theme for the Bulldogs this season and they’ve shaped who the team is.

Three games this season for Sandpoint have come down to the final few plays and they’ve prevailed each team.

The Bulldogs seem to enjoy the late game drama and are clearly comfortable under pressure.

“I love it,” Knowles said about the nail-biters. “It shows a lot of grit and a lot of heart.”

In last week’s game against Hillcrest, senior wide receiver Max Thielbahr emerged and went up for a pair of touchdown catches.

Thielbahr had been a little quiet this season before his seven-catch-89-yard performance against the Knights, but he showed up when it mattered most and made some huge catches.

Thielbahr said he has built a strong connection with sophomore quarterback Parker Pettit as the season has progressed.

“When I run a route I can trust that Parker is going to put the ball where it needs to be,” he said, “and Parker can trust me that I’m going to catch it.”

Thielbahr said that trust and confidence in one another has allowed the offense to take off in recent weeks after a slow start to the season.

Pettit has passed for 999 yards this year and nine touchdowns while junior Gerrit Cox has led the rushing attack with 429 yards and four scores. Pettit has also ran for 220 yards and senior Braden Kappen has emerged as a dangerous secondary option at running back with 149 yards on the ground this fall.

Sophomore Cody Newhart leads the wideouts with 24 receptions for 407 yards.

Thielbahr said the offense needs to keep firing on all cylinders against the Bears.

“We have a lot going for us right now and we just need to get everybody involved,” he said. “Everybody has an assignment and everybody has a job that they need to do, and when we execute those jobs, I don’t think we can lose.”

There has been plenty of build up to this state quarterfinal and unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tickets to Friday’s game will be limited to 425 for the Bulldogs and 100 for Moscow.

Knowles said it’s disappointing that the Barlow Stadium grandstands won’t be packed to the brim with Sandpoint fans, but he understands that’s the scenario they are faced with right now.

“I hate that we’re limited in seating capacity because you go to 365 days ago with no restrictions, you’re selling tickets out,” he said.

With a win against Moscow, Sandpoint would advance to the state semifinals for the first time since 2015 and join rarefied air for the program.

“There’s four teams in Bulldog history that have won two playoff games,” Knowles said. “To be in that group of teams, it’s a proud program, there’s a proud history here and the town is alive and feeling it, and excited about what’s going on.”

Thielbahr said it would feel great to join that company and the team is entering Friday’s game with a determined mindset.

“We want to make a run,” he said. “We’ve won our last couple games and we’re on a confidence run, and we feel good about what we’re doing and we’re going to attack Moscow. We got them the first time and we’re confident we can get them again.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at War Memorial Field. You can listen to the game on AM 1400 KSPT, ROCK 103 (FM 102.9) or rock103fm.com. The game will also be livestreamed on Sportscope. The cost to watch is $5.