SANDPOINT — It would have been easy for Sandpoint mail it in on Friday night during a Homecoming game against Timberlake, after a sloppy and listless start on Senior Night left them trailing 14-0 in the first quarter.

But the Bulldogs (2-2) were resilient, riding the legs of senior running back Dean Knaggs to post three unanswered touchdowns and win 21-14, winning back-to-back games for the first time since 2009.

“The amazing thing was we had offsides, turned the ball over, everything goes wrong for us and we spot them 14 points,” said Bulldogs head coach Satini Puailoa. “We came back and grounded them out.”

Timberlake (2-2) started fast, grabbing an early 6-0 lead on a three yard scoring plunge by Josh Lampert. On the ensuing drive, Preston Rhodes was in the right place at the right time to grab a tipped pass and scamper 50 yards to paydirt, promptly running in the two point conversion for a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter.

After a Sandpoint fumble, the Tigers had a short field and a chance to build the lead even more, but a missed field goal stalled a drive, and they never scored again.

Trailing 14-0 late in the second quarter, the Bulldogs’ offense finally found a rhythm, as Knaggs, Matthew Timothy and Chase Rodriguez each had big gains, before Kyle Perry scored from 10 yards out to put the Bulldogs on the board and build some momentum for the second half.

Knaggs, who finished with a 145 yards on 13 carries and also had an interception on the last play of the first half, tied the game on the first drive of the third quarter with a 49 yard run, breaking ankles with two sharp cuts in the open field.

The Bulldogs’ defense was once again stingy, allowing just 270 yards of total offense and pitching a shutout for the final three quarters. Isaac Johnson, Jarvis Abbott, Devin Fairbanks and Johnathan McCormick each had big tackles for loss.

The Bulldogs finally took the lead for good with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, when Thomas Edwards scored on an eight yard run for the game-winning touchdown. Senior Matthew Timothy also had a big night in the ground game, complementing the between the tackles ground and pound with some nifty end-around runs, picking up 62 key yards and several first downs.

Trailing by seven late, Timberlake drove down to the Sandpoint 27 yard line with less than two minutes left, before Carson Paull intercepted a Bryce Johnson pass to put the game away.

“I’m impressed with the fact that our guys did not lose composure. They hung together and came back and pulled it off,” said Puailoa, who has been saying that a winning culture must be developed and earned. “It (the win) was really, really cool. That was not easy at all. It’s a big deal for us.”

Sandpoint is at Cheney on Friday, looking to make it three in a row.

Timberlake  14   0   0   0 — 14

Sandpoint    0    7   7   7 — 21

TL — Josh Lampert 3 run (kick failed)

TL — Preson Rhodes 50 interception return (Rhodes run)

Spt — Kyle Perry 10 run (Quinn Pearlstein kick)

Spt — Dean Knaggs 49 run (Pearlstein kick)

Spt — Thomas Edwards 8 run (Pearlstein kick)

SHS        TL

First Downs                14        15

Rushes-yds                43-314        53-230

Passing-yds                76        9

QB                    5-14-2        3-9-2

Punts-Ave                4-33        4-39

Penalties                12-85        6-60

SHS Rushing: Cody Millard 13-67, Kyle Perry 5-39, Dean Knaggs 13-145, Nate Loutzenhiser 3-(-17), Matthew Timothy 5-62, Curtis Roop 2-9, Thomas Edwards 2-9.  SHS Receiving: Matthew Timothy 1-9, Thomas Edwards 2-38, Chase Rodriguez 2-29  TL Receiving: Daniel Buck 2-1, Josh Lampert 1-8  SHSQB: Nate Loutzenhiser 5-14-2 76 yds  TL QB Bryce Johnson 3-9-2  9 yds  KO Returns: Dean Knaggs 1-8, Punt Returns: Dean Knaggs 1-10