SANDPOINT — The dress rehearsal is over for the Bulldogs, at least as far as playing the games that don’t factor into the playoffs, when they welcome the Moscow Bears tonight in Homecoming football action.

The Bulldogs (1-5) and Bears (1-5) boast identical records, but Sandpoint has clearly played a far tougher schedule by playing up in class, and will look to reap the rewards of that hard work tonight when 4A Inland Empire League football kicks off.

The Bears allowed 176 points in four losses to 2A Grangeville, 3A Timberlake and Great Northern League foes Pullman and Clarkston. Their lone win was a 55-15 thumping of 3A Bonners Ferry last Friday.

The Bears offense has scored 146 points on the year, more than doubling Sandpoint’s 72, but again strength of schedule must be factored in.

“They like to throw the ball with four wide receivers. The quarterback is athletic and does a good job running their offense,” said Bulldog head coach Ryan Knowles of the Bears. “Their defense stacks the box, so we will have to work hard to run the ball.”

Speaking of which, the Bulldogs are coming off an 18-13 double overtime loss to Lake City last weekend. The Bulldogs employed some ground and pound football, with a whopping 49 rushes for 194 yards.

A bright spot in defeat was the play of the Bulldogs’ defense, which played its best game of the season, absolutely stuffing the T-Wolves run game. Linebackers Payton Cox, Tag Benefield and Tyler Lehman continue to emerge, as the front seven has been tough to run on of late.

“Effort and tackling. We had a lot of guys around the ball,” described Knowles of last week. “I thought it was our best tackling execution this year.”

Last year heading into this game, the Bears loaded up the box to stop Dillan Mitton, who was coming off a game with more than 340 yards from scrimmage the previous week.

Quarterback Jaxon Pettit made them pay dearly, scorching the Bears for 377 yards passing and five touchdowns, including two to Hunter Elliott, who finished with 111 yards receiving. Pettit has thrown for five touchdowns in seven starts since, and will look to try and find a rhythm in the pass game.

After Mitton carried 35 times last week for a bruising 122 yards, and the Bulldogs struggled to move the ball through the air, the Bears will no doubt scheme again to stop Mitton. Knowles is just hoping his team can play what he termed a clean game.

“Less penalties, less missed assignments, make the opponent beat us,” he said, eager to return home after a tough stretch of three games on the road. “Looking forward to playing at home, it has been awhile.”

With a 16 team state playoff, the 4A IEL will get two playoff berths, so a win tonight is huge. The league winner hosts the 4th place Southern Idaho Conference, while the runner up has to travel a ways to face the District 6 champ from eastern Idaho.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Barlow Stadium.

n Clark Fork travels to Lakeside

The Wampus Cats (4-2) will face the Knights again in a nonleague affair, after Clark Fork won the first meeting 42-8.

The game will serve as a nice tune-up for the big upcoming home showdown with No. 5 Deary.