PREP FOOTBALL: Sandpoint squeaks by Raymond with the help of a new face at quarterback

MISSOULA — It wasn’t expected that junior wide receiver Drew Lehman would get the start at quarterback for Sandpoint Friday, but he did, and did well at that, helping to lead the Bulldogs past the Raymond Comets, 27-20 at the University of Montana’s Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Lehman, who was filling in for the injured Hunter Garcia, went 12-for-16 with 183 yards and two touchdown passes on the night. It was his first ever varsity start at the quarterback position.

Another big highlight came from Jorden Tyler, who intercepted Raymond’s quarterback Talan Ralph on the first play of the game. The Bulldogs took advantage of the turnover, going on to score on their 23-yard opening drive after just three running plays; Max Frank had a 7-yard rushing touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 7-0 early.

Raymond scored on the ensuing drive, and again early in the second quarter, to put the Comets up by a touchdown, 14-7. However, right before halftime, Lehman completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Frank to tie the game at 14.

Coming out of halftime, Kody Brewster capped off a long Sandpoint drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. After a missed extra point, Sandpoint went ahead by six points. On Raymond’s next drive, Gage McElroy recovered a fumble for the Bulldogs on the Comet 30-yard line, but the Bulldogs fumbled themselves on the very next play, and Raymond would eventually drive down and score, tying the game 20-20.

Sandpoint’s defense stayed hot as Eli Allshouse intercepted the ball in Raymond’s endzone late in the third, giving the Bulldogs the extra boost they needed. Sandpoint drove down the field, and Lehman threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jesse Turner to put the Bulldogs ahead, 27-20. The Bulldogs defense made a couple of more crucial stops to help Sandpoint defeat Raymond by seven points.

On offense, Brewster ended the game with 15 carries for 86 yards; Frank rushed eight times and picked up 69 yards of his own. Frank also had a team-high six receptions for 97 yards.

“We definitely felt Max Frank’s presence out there tonight,” head coach Ryan Knowles said. “There was that one reception he had in the second quarter where he broke two, three tackles and kept going for a big gain. Overall, we finished more of our plays tonight.”

On defense, Tyson Hudges and Kostas Bauck had a couple of crucial tackles for loss and deflections, which helped the Bulldogs tremendously.

“Those three turnovers we had tonight kept us in this game,” Knowles said. “It was critical, especially playing against a Canadian team with a whole new style of play; we were just adjusting on the fly.”

The teams played using American football rules Friday night, however, Raymond, who hails from Alberta, were allowed to play with Canadian pre-snap shifts and motions.

Sandpoint (1-2) will travel to Oregon to face off against Homedale on Sat., Sept. 16.

Sandpoint 7 7 6 7 – 27

Raymond 7 7 6 0 – 20

First quarter

SPT – Max Frank 7 run, 10:55

RAY – (Unknown) 11 run, 6:33

Second quarter

RAY – Unknown 11 pass from Talan Ralph, 7:30

SPT – Frank 4 pass from Drew Lehman, 0:19

Third quarter

SPT – Kody Brewster 3 run, 8:11

RAY – Unknown 4 pass from Talan Ralph, 5:45

Fourth quarter

SPT – Jesse Turner 4 pass from Lehman, 8:05.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – SPT, Brewster 15-86, Frank 8-69, Lehman 5-45; RAY, N/A.

PASSING – SPT, Lehman 12-16-2-183; RAY, Ralph, N/A.

RECEIVING – SPT, Frank 6-97, Brewster 2-28, Williams 2-19, Turner 3-17, Hindberg 1-23; RAY, N/A.