'Unreal': Sandpoint goes for the dagger, wins overtime thriller over Blackfoot to punch ticket to state title game

SANDPOINT — Nothing seems to faze this team.

Backed up on their own 15 with just over two minutes left and trailing 21-14, the Sandpoint Bulldogs could have caved and settled for defeat in Friday's 4A state semifinal game against Blackfoot. But they fought on — and found a way to get it done.

On a third-and-16 from that spot, quarterback Parker Pettit connected with running back Gerrit Cox down the sideline and the senior rumbled all the way down to the Blackfoot 8. Two plays later, Pettit hooked up with wide receiver Nathan Robere for a 3-yard touchdown with 1:05 in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 21-21 and force overtime.

Blackfoot (6-6) found paydirt to open overtime to take a 28-21 lead and it was Sandpoint's turn to respond. The Bulldogs did just that when wide receiver Arie VanDenBerg caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Pettit to pull SHS within one point.

Just like their 42-41 overtime shootout with Lewiston on Sept. 24, the Bulldogs had a chance to win the game with a two-point conversion — and they weren't going to pass it up. After a timeout by both teams, Pettit took the snap, ran left and found a gap, sailing into the end zone to give Sandpoint a thrilling 29-28 overtime victory over Blackfoot. The win allowed the Bulldogs to punch their ticket to the state championship game for the first time since 2015 and the fifth time in the last half-century.

Trailing late in the fourth quarter, Pettit said the Bulldogs weren't going to let a trip to the state title game slip away for a second straight year. Sandpoint fell to Skyline 20-0 in the state semis last year.

"We've just put in too much work to quit," he said. "We're too invested to just give up."

When Pettit crossed the goal-line for the game-winning conversion, he could hardly contain his emotions.

"It was the best feeling of my life," he said.

Head coach Ryan Knowles wasn't surprised to see Pettit push the Bulldogs to victory. The junior came in clutch, scoring three total touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime. Knowles said Pettit just finds a way to make it happen.

"Who else?," Knowles said. "He's magic sometimes and there he was.”

When Sandpoint won the coin toss in overtime and elected to defend first, everyone at War Memorial Field knew the Bulldogs were going to go for the two-point dagger if the opportunity came. Knowles said there was some back-and-forth about the decision once it came to fruition, but the team knew they could seal the deal.

"We were willing to go out and play some more defense and attempt the extra point," he said, "but if you got a chance to win the game at the 3-yard line, why not? They stop us, it would hurt, but that's football and we practice those plays all the time. I give a ton of credit to [offensive coordinator Jeremy] Thielbahr."

The Bulldogs called a speed option on the game-winning conversion. Pettit said it was a play that got stuffed earlier in the game, but Thielbahr believed it would work this time.

"I was getting ready to pitch it to Gerrit [Cox]," he said, "and I was trying to get on the edge, but then a hole opened up, so I just went in."

The game was a defensive battle for the first three quarters, but six touchdowns were scored in the fourth quarter and overtime. Knowles called the state playoff classic "unreal."

"I think it lived up to the name dogfight," he said.

The spark that gave the Bulldogs the momentum they needed to mount the remarkable fourth-quarter comeback was that 77-yard pass from Pettit to Cox. Knowles said prior to that play, it almost felt like the Bulldogs had no life.

"[Blackfoot] made some adjustments that we had a real hard time stopping and I give them credit," he said, "but we found one more play."

When Pettit saw Cox running wide open down the sideline on the wheel route, only one thing was on his mind.

"I was just thinking don't overthrow it because we ran that play in practice [Thursday] and I overthrew him," he said. "I think every time we've run that play in a game, we've completed it and it's been a big hitter."

The Sandpoint defense silenced the Broncos (6-6) in the first half. Luke McCorkle intercepted a pass in the end zone on Blackfoot's third possession of the game and Shane Sherrill forced a fumble on a punt return to set up a 34-yard field goal by Lasse Kuhn in the first quarter.

Levi Balison, Blake Sherrill, Cox and others were all over Blackfoot quarterback Jaxon Grimmett in the opening half. He had nowhere to go.

“I thought our defensive line put a ton of pressure on their quarterback in the first half which made a big difference,” Knowles said.

Kuhn hit another field goal late in the second quarter and the Bulldogs took a 6-0 lead into the locker room.

Blackfoot erased that lead on its first drive in the second half when Austin Ramirez scampered in from 12 yards out. The Broncos carried the 7-6 advantage into the final quarter.

With 9:40 left in the game, Sandpoint regained the lead when Pettit snuck into the end zone from a yard out and then connected with Connor Hindberg for the two-point conversion to put the Bulldogs up 14-7.

But the Broncos came right back and tied things up about two minutes later when Carson Trejo took a handoff on a reverse into the end zone for a 25-yard score.

Sandpoint went three-and-out on its next possession and the Broncos capitalized. Ramirez ran it in from 10 yards out to give Blackfoot a 21-14 lead with 2:24 left in the game.

Blackfoot had all the momentum, but the Bulldogs managed to pave their own path to victory, refusing to let their state playoff journey end.

“That's a tough Blackfoot football team,” Knowles said.

Pettit finished 10 of 20 for 202 yards and two touchdowns through the air. On the ground, he carried the ball 17 times for 90 yards and one score. Cox caught five passes for 140 yards and racked up 87 yards on the ground.

The Bulldogs were without two of their top receivers on Friday — Cody Newhart and Max Frank. They made a commitment to pounding the rock with Cox, which opened up the passing game and allowed Sandpoint to make just enough plays to get the job done.

Ramirez tallied 157 yards rushing and three touchdowns to lead the Broncos. Grimmett was 15 of 27 for 191 yards and two interceptions. The Sandpoint defense held the mobile quarterback to 9 yards on the ground and they finished with three turnovers in the game.

Sandpoint (8-2) will meet the winner of the other semifinal game between Skyline and Pocatello in the 4A state championship next week at the Kibbie Dome.

Knowles, a 2002 University of Idaho grad, can't wait to return to his alma mater. He was a four-year starter at defensive end for the Vandals and he said it still hasn’t sunk in that the Bulldogs will be playing for a second state title in school history in just a handful of days.

"Personally, I can't wait to get down to the Kibbie Dome," he said. "What a great opportunity."

Blackfoot 0 0 7 14 7 — 28

Sandpoint 3 3 0 15 8 — 29

First quarter

SHS — Lasse Kuhn 34-yard field goal, 4:23.

Second quarter

SHS — Kuhn 31-yard field goal, 1:23.

Third quarter

B — Austin Ramirez 12-yard run (Tyler Vance kick), 7:44.

Fourth quarter

SHS — Parker Pettit 1-yard run (Pettit pass to Connor Hindberg), 9:40.

B — Carson Trejo 25-yard run (Vance kick), 7:43.

B — Ramirez 10-yard run (Vance kick), 2:24.

SHS — Nathan Robere 3-yard pass from Pettit (Kuhn kick), 1:05.

Overtime

B — Ramirez 4-yard run (Vance kick).

SHS — Arie VanDenBerg 14-yard pass from Pettit (Pettit run).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — B, Ramirez 23-157, Grimmett 14-9, Capson 1-2, King 1-10, Trejo 1-23. SHS, Cox 20-87, Pettit 17-90, VanDenBerg 2-7, Benefield 1-2, Kuhn 1-2.

PASSING — B, Grimmett 15-27-2-191. SHS, Pettit 10-20-0-202.

RECEIVING — B, King 7-73, Hale 6-93, Moore 2-25. SHS, VanDenBerg 2-22, Benefield 1-12, Cox 5-140, McCorkle 1-28, Robere 1-3.