No. 3 Huskies break open game with wild first quarter

EMMETT — For all intents and purposes, the Sandpoint season was undone by a mere seven second span of the first quarter, when No. 3 Emmett scored a pair of huge touchdowns en route to a 48-21 win over Sandpoint in the opener of the 4A state football tournament Friday night at Emmett High School.

It’s not often a game swings on just two plays, but such was the case on Friday night, when the Huskies (8-2) turned a 7-0 lead into a 21-0 lead in the blink of an eye in the first quarter.

Gifting a rock-solid team a quick 14 points, on their home field in a playoff game, was simply too much for the Bulldogs to overcome.

“We made some mistakes early that put us in a hole. It takes a shot at you,” lamented Bulldogs head coach George Yarno. “Our kids never quit, battled to the last whistle, and that’s all you can ask. It’s tough to come back from adversity like that. I’m a proud coach.”

Emmett, the reigning 3A state champs who have a former player currently starting for USC in the Pac 12 and several at Idaho, set the tone early with a six minute plus opening drive for an early 7-0 lead.

Sandpoint senior Walker Jacobson had his best punt of the season on the next possession, booming the ball more than 50 yards and pinning the Huskies on their one-foot line. Then the game changed in an instant.

Emmett quarterback D.J. Crump dropped back from his own end zone and found Luc Overton, who beat his defender and raced 98 yards for the 14-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, returner Clayton Fournier fumbled on the return, which was recovered in the end zone by the Huskies for a 21-0 lead and massive momentum.

Coming back against a disciplined and well-coached football team would be a tall order.

“We played a really good football team tonight,” admitted Yarno. “I knew they would be big and strong, but they were really fast.”

The Bulldogs, who were able to move the chains and finished with 20 first downs to Emmett’s 21, were marching on the next drive when a pass went off the receiver’s hands and was intercepted, leading to a 28-0 lead in the second quarter.

After having his helmet ripped off for a 15 yard penalty, Sandpoint quarterback Robbie Johnson threw a long strike to T.J. Davis, which set up Walker Jacobson’s 5 yard scrum run into the end zone for a 28-7 halftime lead. As he has all season, Jacobson had another strong game in all three phases, but it simply wasn’t enough.

“A very tough way to go out,” said Walker after the game. “We started slow on defense and let it slip away.”

Levi Irish rushed 16 times for 100 yards and a touchdown, and Johnson added 43 yards on the ground, but playing from way behind against a solid defense is always tough.

It was the final game for Irish, part of a big but mostly inexperienced senior class that came of age during the season.

“It went by so fast. Not just this game, but the whole season,” claimed Irish. “We came out flat in the first half. If we didn’t, it would be a different story right now.”

Emmett eventually went up 41-7 in the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs scored a pair of late touchdowns on a five yard dive from Irish and a late 25 yard strike from backup quarterback Preston Pettit to Julian Barajas.

Payton Cox had a big sack, Zack Alamillo a couple tackles for loss and Jacobson some big plays defensively, but the Huskies finished with 299 yards rushing on 42 carries, to go with 222 yards through the air, featuring dangerous big play ability. The Bulldogs committed just one penalty on the night.

In defeat, Yarno said he was paid one of the greatest compliments of his life by the referees.

“The ref shook my hand, said what a classy group of kids I’ve got, that they play the game right,” recalled Yarno. “To me, I take greater pride in that than anything I could ever see on the scoreboard.”

Yarno also praised a group of seniors that came a long way during the course of the year.

“They set an unbelievable example for the underclassmen, the way they work. There’s a lot to learn for these younger guys,” said Yarno, also praising the great support, including about 200 Bulldog fans who made the eight hour drive. “I want to thank the sea of red for coming down. We were full force. It’s unbelievable the support Sandpoint gives. It’s a great place to live, a great place to be a football coach.”

Sandpoint 0 7 0 14 — 21

Emmett 21 7 7 13 — 48

Emm — Isaiah Dunbar 1 run (Caesar Leone kick)

Emm — Luc Overton 98 catch from D.J. Crump (Leone kick)

Emm — Wyatt Bailey fumble recovery in end zone (Leone kick)

Emm — Overton 47 catch from Crump (Leone kick)

Spt — Walker Jacobson 5 run (Sawyer Seley kick)

Emm — Dunbar 4 run (Leone kick)

Emm — Overton 3 catch from Crump (kick failed)

Spt — Levi Irish 5 run (Seley kick)

Emm — Gavin Rice 2 run (Leone kick)

Spt — Julian Barajas 25 catch from Preston Pettit (Seley kick)

SHS Rushing: Levi Irish 16-100, Robbie Johnson 11-43, Walker Jacobson 5-19, Zack Alamillo 3-22

SHS Receiving: Alex Stockton 1-5, Walker Jacobson 1-5, Julian Barajas 1-25, TJ Davis 3-44, Taran McLaughlin 4-22,

KOR: Clayton Fournier 4-59, Nick Holland 1-22

QB: Robbie Johnson 9-21-1 84 yds; Preston Pettit 2-3-0 32 Yds, 1 TD pass.

EMM Rushing: DJ Crump 7-43, Isaha Dunbar 13-103, Jake Whittemore 12-89, Michael Walker 7-57,Jake Lockett 2-6, Gavin Rice 1-1

EMM Receiving: Cayden Crume 1-9, Mitchel Maxfield 1-12, Luc Overton 6-202, Zack Jewkes 1-4