SHS football takes on Lake City for Homecoming

SANDPOINT — Sandpoint football will wrap up the nonleague portion of its schedule when they host Lake City tonight for Homecoming.

It will be the Bulldogs’ fourth game against a 5A Inland Empire League opponent this fall, and the Timberwolves are no stranger to Sandpoint.

Last year due to COVID-19, the teams met twice. Sandpoint secured the first meeting at War Memorial Field 20-15, while Lake City won the second on its home turf 21-13.

Since 2010, the Timberwolves have had the Bulldogs’ number, winning nine of 12. However, Sandpoint has won two of the last three matchups and is eager to add to that on Friday and get over .500.

Lake City (2-2) has a new quarterback under center this season — Jackson Pettit. The junior made his first start at quarterback two weeks ago in a 28-21 home loss to Moses Lake. Josiah Weaver, an all-league safety in 2020, started the first two games for the Timberwolves.

Last week, Lake City forced five turnovers, including four interceptions, and limited Moscow to 264 total yards in a 26-12 home victory over the Bears. Weaver had two of the interceptions and Sandpoint head coach Ryan Knowles said the Timberwolves’ secondary and defensive line will present some challenges for the Bulldog offense.

“We played them quite a bit in summer league and got a feel for them,” he said. “They’re very multiple in their coverages, they do a lot in the backend. We just got to be on point with our stuff.”

Through two games, Jackson Pettit is 31 of 45 for 348 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. On the ground, he has rushed for 56 yards and one score.

“He’s a guy that’s more than capable,” Knowles said, “and makes good throws and can use his legs a little bit, not as much as we’ve seen lately, but they certainly have the zone read component built into what they do, so they really spread the field.”

The Bulldog defense will also be keeping a close eye on Lake City’s Zach Johnson on every play. Johnson, who had six catches for 78 yards and one touchdown against Moscow, is a dynamic playmaker on the outside and the Timberwolves have also featured him in the rushing attack recently to spark their offense.

“When you turn on the highlights you see a lot of No. 80,” Knowles said, “so we obviously got to be ready for Johnson and everything that he brings to the table.”

Sandpoint (2-2) is coming off a dramatic overtime victory over Lewiston, which saw both teams light up the scoreboard. A gutsy two-point conversion attempt was the difference for the Bulldogs, who overcame a 34-20 deficit late in the third quarter to earn their second win over a 5A IEL opponent.

Knowles said his team faced plenty of adversity in that game and overcame a handful of momentum swings in the Bengals’ favor. It was an impressive victory.

“That’s what we’re building our program on is toughness,” he said, “and the ability to not be doing so well for three quarters and then to do what we did in all phases in the fourth quarter against a much bigger school, a high level opponent and a team that is ranked higher than us, that’s definitely something we can hang our hat on.”

Sandpoint surrendered over 600 total yards to Lewiston, but those numbers don’t tell the full story. The Bulldog defense made the Bengals’ explosive offense punt four times and they forced three turnovers on downs and a trio of three and outs.

“That usually equates to a pretty good defensive game, but it was the big plays ultimately that were the Achilles’ heel for us,” Knowles said.

Sandpoint also played the entire second half without their top three defensive linemen after senior Will Hurst went down with an injury late in the second quarter. Juniors Tyssen Case and Ryan McElroy and senior Dakota Wilson stepped up for the Bulldogs and allowed them to stay in the game against the Bengals.

Knowles said it’s still up in the air if any of his top three defensive linemen will be on the field against Lake City.

Sandpoint has given up 79 points and over 600 yards rushing in its last two games, but junior middle linebacker Wes Benefield continues to be a tackling machine. Against Lewiston, he tallied 16 total tackles, including three for loss.

Knowles said he can’t say enough good things about Benefield’s play this season.

“He’s doing everything he’s supposed to, he really is,” Knowles said. “He’s just on point and aggressive. He makes the plays he’s supposed to, and then makes a bunch he’s not supposed to.”

Knowles said he loved the support the team received from the fans and student section last week and he expects the same passion during Friday’s Homecoming game.

“I’d love to see everyone in red Friday night,” he said. “It’s a huge game in our season right now … and I’m really excited about what we’re doing, but at the same time, I want to hit on all cylinders."

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. You can listen to the game on AM 1400 KSPT, ROCK 103 (FM 102.9) or rock103fm.com. You can also find a link to a livestream of the game on spbulldogs.com.