The blood, sweat and passion of the Sandpoint varsity football team
SANDPOINT, Idaho — This year, the Sandpoint High School football team was consistent and very close to winning the 4A state championship in November. Unfortunately, they lost a very crucial match to Skyline at the Kibbie Dome. However, they won eight matches and lost only three out of 11 matches this year under coach Ryan Knowles. In the last 18 years, Sandpoint reached the finals four times.
Sandpoint football’s history of winning a state title is gloomy. The last time the Bulldogs won the state championship was in 1997. That was once in the 102 seasons they’ve played so far. In 2020, the Bulldogs secured the third position in the Inland Empire League (IEL) championship by winning four games.
As the performance of individuals geared up, so as the performance of the whole team. In the case of Sandpoint football players, especially seniors who worked hard to perform well in the 4A IEL championship in 2021, unfortunately, they lost.
The Player of the Year award was crowned to Gerrit Cox of Sandpoint. Other team members were also honored, including Parker Pettit (Offensive MVP), Wes Benefield (Defensive MVP) and Jack Zimmerman (Defensive Newcomer of the Year). Further, Wylan Dorrel, Max Frank, Carson Lybourne, Luke McCorkle, Owen Wimmer, Cody Steiger and Mike Chapman secured their spots on the All-League team.
Cox was the backbone of the Bulldogs in this year season.
“He was our bonafide leader and stood in front of the team and demanded and earned that respect,” Coach Knowles said. “To do what he did is pretty neat and I’m pretty proud of him.”
Pettit took home the offensive most valuable player honor for the second straight year. Coach Knowles commended Pettit’s phenomenal work ethic.
“His dual-threat ability is hard to stop,” he said. “He’s a warrior and he battles and gets beat up just like running backs do, but yet he’s still asked to sit in the pocket and throw passes.”
Benefield is the heart of Sandpoint’s defense and Coach Knowles also admires his active role in the gridiron.
The overall dedication and passion of the team can be judged by the fact that in the final of the IEL championship with Skyline, some of Sandpoint’s players were playing despite injuries. Frank was playing with a broken leg and Pettit was battling hard with the finger injury.
Three of the offensive players in the team secured the position in the All-League team, including Chapman, Dorrel and Laybourne, who anchored Sandpoint’s offensive line predominantly throughout the season. Additionally, McCorkle and Wimmer also played important roles in the team by challenging their opponents.
“We went all the way to the end and came up just a little bit short and we are certainly disappointed about that, but I’m appreciative of my staff,” Coach Knowles said. “I have an unbelievable staff that is extremely competitive and extremely passionate about football.”
Overall, Coach Knowles was satisfied and proud of the team’s performances despite that crucial loss to Skyline in November which made Bulldogs the runner-up of the 4A championship. The whole team is optimistic and preparing to fight back next year.
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