Sandpoint football soars past Lake City for Homecoming victory

SANDPOINT — Sandpoint football kept rolling Friday night, picking up a 28-13 Homecoming victory over Lake City.

The Timberwolves pulled within 8 points early in the fourth quarter, but a 1-yard touchdown run by Gerrit Cox with 3:49 left sealed the deal for the Bulldogs.

That 17-point loss at Homedale seems like a lifetime ago as Sandpoint has now reeled off back-to-back home victories. They are the No. 1 ranked team in 4A, according to MaxPreps, and they showed why Friday night.

Cox, who was crowned Homecoming King at halftime, wasn't surprised by the Bulldogs' performance.

"We prepared well and I knew that we would come out and get the job done," he said.

With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 3-1 against 5A Inland Empire League schools this season. Knowles loves how his team has responded since their second loss of the season.

"It just shows you where the program is and what we're doing," he said. "When I first got here one of my mentors, Satini Puailoa, said, 'Hey, if you want to compete at the state level you got to beat the 5As in the area,' and three wins against them with a 2-point loss to the other one is putting us at that stage."

The Sandpoint defense rose up and held Lake City to 232 total yards, including 77 on the ground. They also did enough to limit the impact of Lake City playmaker Zach Johnson. He had six catches for 98 yards and one touchdown, and three carries for 27 yards.

"They're putting him at tight end, running back and receiver, I'm surprised they didn't put him at quarterback," Knowles said. "He just does it all and I give him credit, he's a dynamite player, but I was proud of our defense."

The Bulldogs started fast, energizing the fans that were packed into the Barlow Stadium grandstands. Cox had a 40-yard touchdown run and caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Parker Pettit on a screen play in the first quarter to give SHS a 14-0 lead.

Lake City broke through for a score in the second quarter, and the Bulldogs took a 14-7 advantage into halftime.

It only took SHS five plays to find the end zone to open the second half as Pettit connected with a wide open Max Frank for a 30-yard touchdown to give Sandpoint a 21-7 lead.

With 3:15 left in the third quarter, Lake City's Johnson intercepted a pass by Pettit. The Timberwolves took over at their own 29 and marched down the field. Lake City's Brayden Ross punched the ball into the end zone from a yard out with 11:57 left in the game. They missed the extra point and trailed 21-13.

The two teams traded punts after that and with 7:27 left Sandpoint got the ball. It was their chance to put away the game, and they did as Cox and Pettit made several key plays on the drive to set up the game-clinching score.

Cox finished with three total touchdowns in the game and carried the ball 21 times for 171 yards.

"The third [touchdown] was great just because it was the nail in the coffin," he said, "but those first two [touchdowns] felt good because they were quick and really set the tone for us early and got us going from the start."

The Sandpoint offensive line was dominant in the trenches and created huge holes in the running game. The Bulldogs had 232 yards on the ground. Cox said Ben Stockton, Carson Laybourne, Mike Chapman, Austin Smith and Wylan Dorrel were monsters all night and definitely deserve some credit for their play so far this season.

"They're dogs," Cox said about the O-line. "They are just some big boys that like hitting people."

Pettit was 12 of 20 for 164 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 46 yards. Frank reeled in five catches for 93 yards and a score.

Knowles said there were plenty of distractions surrounding Friday's game for the Bulldogs, but they stayed focused and took care of business.

"This game was a big deal," he said. "That team over there has some talented players and they are doing a lot with what they got ... and I credit them for staying in it as long as they did, we just found a way to make a play."

The Bulldogs' motto this fall is "Red Alert," and they continue to make waves across the state.

"We expect to win every game, it doesn't really matter who the opponent is," Cox said. "We think we're No. 1 in the state overall and we're going to keep playing like that."

Sandpoint (3-2) gets a bye before returning to action on Friday, Oct. 15 for a road game against Moscow.

Lake City 0 7 0 6 — 13

Sandpoint 14 0 7 7 — 28

First quarter

SHS — Gerrit Cox 40-yard run (Jacob Gove kick), 7:08.

SHS — Cox 33-yard pass from Parker Pettit (Gove kick), 3:10.

Second quarter

LC — Zack Johnson 12-yard pass from Jackson Pettit (Kyrus Condon kick), 9:57.

Third quarter

SHS — Max Frank 30-yard pass from P. Pettit (Gove kick), 10:06.

Fourth quarter

LC — Brayden Ross 1-yard run (Condon kick no good), 11:57.

SHS — Cox 1-yard run (Gove kick), 3:49.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — LC, Johnson 3-27, Ross 17-63, Condon 2-1, J. Pettit 5(-14). SHS, Cox 21-171, P. Pettit 11-46, Wimmer 4-15.

PASSING — LC, J. Pettit 12-28-0-155. SHS, P. Pettit 12-20-1-164.

RECEIVING — LC, Johnson 6-98, Hill 3-25, Ross 2-14, Adkinson 1-13. SHS, VanDenBerg 3-26, Frank 5-93, Cox 4-45.