COEUR d’ALENE — The Bulldogs dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, riding a strong defensive effort and clean offensive performance to a 35-14 win over Moscow on Friday night in 4A Inland Empire League football at Lake City High School.

The Bulldogs (4-5, 1-1 4A IEL) built a 22-0 halftime lead and never looked back, extending their season another week and earning a trip to the Boise area next Friday for the opener of the 4A state playoffs. The Bulldogs will face Emmett, the No. 3 seed from the 4A Southern Idaho Conference.

After a disappointing loss to Lakeland last week in a game they felt they should have won, the Bulldogs responded well with their season on the line.

“Our kids are a great group of kids,” said Bulldogs head coach George Yarno. “Anytime there’s adversity, they keep playing. Last week was close, this week we played better.”

The Bulldogs were sharp offensively on their first drive, as T.J. Davis hauled in a nice pass from Robbie Johnson down near the goal line, and Walker Jacobson rumbled in from three yards out for an early 7-0 lead.

On the ensuing drive, Julian Barajas hauled in a strike to put the Bulldogs in scoring range, where Jacobson once again pounded the ball in from two yards out for a 14-0 lead. Jacobson would finish with three touchdowns on the night, as the two-way starter continues to make a big impact on both sides of the ball.

The Bears (2-6, 0-2 4A IEL) were threatening to close it to a one score game with first and goal early in the second quarter, but safety Clayton Fournier, who had a huge game, made a great pass break up in the end zone and the Bulldogs’ defense held strong to earn the stop on downs.

The Bulldogs’ defense, which continues to get stops, stuffed the Bears on downs again when Zack Alamillo made a big tackle for loss on the line.

The Bulldogs added a third score right before the half, when Barajas hauled in a 32 yard strike from Johnson for a 22-0 lead after getting the two-point conversion.

“These kids just play hard. You ask them to respond, and they did,” praised Yarno. “I feel like we’re starting to click, which is a great time heading into the playoffs.”

The Bears cut the lead to 22-7 on a 10 yard run, but the Bulldogs answered when Levi Irish picked up a huge first down on 4th and four, and after Alamillo caught a pass down to the five yard line, Irish scored from five yards out to make it 28-7.

Irish, who finished with 92 yards on 18 tough carries on a muddy track, was running behind his pads with authority.

“Levi Irish showed back up today,” claimed Yarno of his feature back. “He was pummeling kids on the ground today.”

Moscow cut the lead to 28-14 early in the fourth quarter on a long touchdown pass, but the Bulldogs again had the answer, as Jacobson took a pass, picked up a huge block from Barajas, and made several defenders miss on a 46 yard touchdown catch from Johnson for a 35-14 lead.

Irish and Jacobson were the beneficiaries of some strong line play from Tyler Connolly, Andrew Loutzenhiser, Andrew Greiff, Brent Ducken and Tyrone Larson, who paved some holes in the run game and protected well in the passing game in a strong effort.

Johnson, who has emerged as a dangerous dual-threat quarterback, finished 8-14 for 160 yards and two scores. Barajas led the Bulldogs with 54 yards on three catches.

Irish and his teammates were thrilled to extend the season.

“It’s nice to have that extra week,” admitted Irish, praising the big boys up front. “I couldn’t have done it without the O-line. They blocked better than they have all season.”

The Bulldogs had a strong week of practice, putting in work amid a days of rain and a muddy practice field. It paid off when it mattered most.

“We’ve been grinding all season,” said Connolly of the O-line. “And we finally came together as a unit.”

The defense ended up holding the Bears to just 69 yards rushing, as Alamillo and Brock Browning continue to have strong seasons in the trenches.

Sandpoint would cap the scoring when backup quarterback Preston Pettit tossed his first touchdown of the season from 31 yards out to Austin Greene. The Bulldogs finished with 150 yards rushing and 209 yards passing on the day in a balanced effort. Eric Suhr added an interception late in the game for the Bulldogs.

The win sets up a meeting with Emmett, which was getting top five votes earlier in the season and nearly beat defending champ Bishop Kelly in overtime earlier in the season.

For the Bulldogs, it doesn’t matter who they play, they’re just ready for their third straight playoff appearance.

“We’ll line up in the parking lot and play anybody,” said Yarno. “I’m just so happy to be coaching these kids. They deserve it, this town deserves it. We’ll go down there and play the best we can.”

Moscow 0 0 7 7 — 14

Sandpoint 14 8 6 14 — 42

Spt — Walker Jacobson 3 run (Sawyer Seley kick)

Spt — Jacobson 2 run (Seley kick)

Spt — Julian Barajas 32 catch from Robbie Johnson (Johnson run)

Mos — Bennett 10 run (kick good)

Spt — Levi Irish 5 run (kick missed)

Mos — Clary 50 touchdown pass

Spt — Jacobson 46 catch from Johnson (Seley kick)

Spt — Austin Greene 31 catch from Preston Pettit (Seley kick)