SANDPOINT — So much for the long-held theory that winning the turnover battle will lead to a win.

The Sandpoint freshman football team finished its season with a hard fought 6-0 win over Lakeland last Thursday night at Lakeland. The Bulldogs lost eight fumbles, including three in the red zone, yet still emerged victorious.  

Paul Sundquist scored the game’s lone touchdown on a two-yard  run in the final three minutes. The Bulldogs moved the ball all night long but were plagued by turnovers, or the score could have been much higher.

The offense was led by the passing of quarterback Bear Youngdahl, who completed 5-8 passes, with Jake Timothy catching three passes for 42 yards, Sam Johnson one for 17 yards and Tyler Presser one for eight yards.

The offensive line of Rob Wentz, Marcus Rodriguez, Troy Nutt, Alex Feyen, Garin Morgan and Derrick Dalton provided the interior blocking for the inside running of Tyler Presser, Jacob Williams and Sundquist, while the perimeter blocking was secured by Zaren Stoddard, Jake Timothy and Adriano Cardona.  

The defense kept the offense in the game by stopping the Hawks every time they had the ball. The defensive shutout was led up front by Carlos Collado, Tyler Murray, Mike Plaster and Oakley Petit applying pressure on the Lakeland quarterback.

The linebacking corps of Jesse Thompkins, Justin Gugliemana and Sundquist helped to stuff the run. Safeties Rayvn Smith and Ty Newton broke up many long passes, while corner Caiden Oliver had two interceptions and Colt Engle one as the Bulldogs shut down the short passing game.

Sandpoint posted wins over East Valley, Post Falls, West Valley, Timberlake, Cheney and Lakeland, tied Lake City and lost to Clarkston, to finish the season with a tidy 6-1-1 record under the stewardship of head coach Tony Delewese.

The freshman and sophomores represent the key building blocks for the future of Sandpoint football, as it looks to return to prominence both in North Idaho and at the state level.