13 Bulldogs grab all-league honors; Pettit, Benefield claim MVP's

SANDPOINT — The Sandpoint football had names all over the 4A IEL all-league team that was released Monday.

In total, 13 Bulldogs received all-league honors, including eight on defense. The honors come as no surprise after the Bulldogs claimed the league title for the first time since 2017 and advanced to the state semifinals.

Sophomore quarterback Parker Pettit earned Offensive MVP, senior linebacker Tag Benefield took home Defensive MVP for a second time and his younger brother, Wes Benefield, was named Newcomer of the Year.

Gerrit Cox, Cody Newhart, Marcus Anderson, Elek Christoferson, Keith Jensen, Will Hurst, Isaac Webb, Cody Steiger, Elijah Larson and Adam Bucholtz all claimed spots on the all-league team.

Pettit stepped in and took a firm grip on the starting quarterback job in the third game of the season. He passed for 1,138 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 298 yards and two scores on 94 carries.

Head coach Ryan Knowles said Pettit really played well down the stretch and his ceiling couldn’t be higher.

“He’s a good thrower, but he’s also a great runner and the dual threat in him is alive and well,” he said. “To get the experience he did as a sophomore is amazing and we’re very excited about his future.”

Tag has been a leader on the Sandpoint defense the last three years and he led the team with 121 total tackles. He also had 14 tackles for loss, two defensive touchdowns, one sack and one forced fumble.

Knowles isn’t looking forward to life without Tag and his physicality will truly be missed.

“He’s the man in the middle,” he said. “He’s been everything to [the defense] … He emulated what we were trying to do as a whole unit and he led by action and it really showed.”

Wes stepped into a starting role at linebacker as sophomore and finished second on the team in tackles with 107. He tallied four tackles for loss and two interceptions and forced one fumble.

Knowles said seeing Wes’ dedication during the offseason made naming him a starter a “pretty clear cut decision.”

“Wes’ goal was to play by his brother and at the beginning of last offseason I didn’t know if that was going to be the case and he made it happen,” Knowles said. “He willed it upon himself with hard work and dedication in the weight room.”

Cox, a junior, earned all-league honors at running back and returner for a second straight year. His 62-yard punt return touchdown in a 6-0 win over Lakeland helped Sandpoint reclaim the district crown.

He ran the ball 139 times for 564 yards and four touchdowns and he had three tackles for loss and a sack on defense.

Knowles said Cox’s versatility is endless.

“The guy can do just about everything,” he said. “He’s your all-around player that you really wish he could never come off the field. Next year he might not, who knows.”

Newhart, a sophomore, was Sandpoint’s leading wide receiver and Pettit’s go-to target. He caught 31 passes for 477 yards and three touchdowns.

His most memorable game came on Oct. 16 when he caught eight passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-21 win over Moscow.

“His game against Moscow was just legendary with the amount of yards he had,” Knowles said. “It shows you again, the future is now.”

Anderson, a senior, held strong at left tackle all season for the Bulldogs. He has started on varsity since his sophomore year and been the one constant on an ever-changing offensive line, but he had never received all-league honors until now.

“He had an amazing year,” Knowles said. “He was kind of overshadowed by some other guys last year and he’s been steady all along. It’s great to see him breakthrough and get the recognition he deserves.”

Christoferson served as the team’s kicker this fall. He made all five of his field goals and converted 15 of his 17 extra-point attempts.

Kicker is an underappreciated job that comes with a lot of pressure, but he will never be forgotten thanks to his clutch 25-yard field goal with two seconds left in a 30-27 victory over Hillcrest in the state playoffs.

“He was great all year,” Knowles said. “For a senior to step up like he did, it was pretty impressive.”

Jensen earned all-league honors for a second straight year at defensive tackle. The senior started at DT and on the offensive line at right tackle this season.

Jensen had 33 total tackles, seven for loss and one sack. Knowles said he was a beast.

“He had a great game last Friday against Skyline and was in the backfield constantly,” he said. “He did a mountain of work for a mountain of a dude. I’m very proud of his efforts.”

Hurst, a junior, earned all-league honors for the first time for his play on the defensive line.

He had 34 total tackles, including two for loss. Knowles said teams kept a close eye on where Hurst lined up throughout the season.

“He had a solid year,” he said. “When we were talking at all-league, people knew No. 81. He earned his recognition through making plays against the other league teams.”

Webb, a senior, grabbed all-league honors for a second consecutive season, this time at linebacker. Webb played weakside linebacker and tallied 63 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks and one forced fumble.

Knowles said Webb will be tough to replace.

“He’s been as steady as a rock for the last two years,” he said. “He was our best pass rusher and got to the quarterback when we needed him to.”

Steiger made the all-league team in his first year starting on varsity. The junior had 61 tackles, three for loss, one sack and four interceptions.

Knowles said Steiger brings a toughness to the field that the Bulldogs hope to build on next season.

“He’s a great football player,” he said. “He has a knack for getting the interceptions but we also had to put him in the box quite a bit.”

Larson served as Sandpoint’s shutdown corner for the second straight year and continued to frustrate opposing wide receivers. The senior earned a spot on the all-league team after winning Defensive MVP in 2019.

Larson had 39 tackles, one forced fumble and one interception. He also caught 22 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns.

“We’re going to miss him,” Knowles said. “We predicate a lot of our stuff off of him … he deserves a lot of credit for our success.”

Bucholtz, a senior, claimed a spot on the all-league team for his play at defensive back. He had 36 tackles, one for loss.

“Adam wasn’t as flashy of a player as maybe some of the other guys, but from a coaching standpoint, he was the rock,” Knowles said. “He was always there and you knew what you were going to get and there were no ups and downs with him. I was very proud of his year coming off a junior year on JV. He was a big surprise for us.”

Knowles also wanted to give some recognition to seniors Blake Sherrill, Max Thielbahr, Trevan Adam and Max Knight for their play this fall.

Knowles was also named Coach of the Year. He led the team to a 5-5 record in his third season at the helm.

Knowles said the award should be given to his staff.

“It means I’ve got the best staff in America,” he said. “I mean that. I’m the head coach and I got the award because we won the conference, but it’s the staff. It’s the guys around me that make it all work … they won’t get the recognition but they deserve it and I’m very thankful for all of them.”