Sandpoint 42, Teton 28

DRIGGS — Another long road trip didn't seem to faze this team.

Senior quarterback Braden Buckhout's composure in the pocket helped him throw for 299 yards and four touchdowns on 16-for-21 passing as the Bulldogs outscored the Timberwolves 22-8 in the second half to capture a 14-point non-league victory Friday night at Teton High.

After the Bulldog defense registered a stop on 4th-and-2 on their own 45-yard line on Teton's first drive of the game, Buckhout capped off a 56-yard Sandpoint drive with a 2-yard pass that was fumbled into the endzone. Luckily, junior Jack Schriber was right there to pick it up and complete the score to give Sandpoint a 6-0 lead.

Tied 6-6 after one quarter of play, Buckhout and the Bulldogs' air raid started to pay dividends in the second. With all eyes on junior Brock Yarbrough, who had six catches for 52 yards in the contest, Teton's secondary overplayed their hand and senior wideout Maverick Gomez, who celebrated a birthday on Thursday, made them pay. The "speedster" hauled in seven receptions for a career-high 220 receiving yards on the night and got loose for receiving touchdowns of 87 and 65 yards in the quarter. Teton did respond with touchdowns of their own on both occasions to tie the game at 20-20 as halftime approached. Driving with 1:30 remaining in the half, the Timberwolves were about to score and take the lead until Yarbrough intercepted a pass on the 11-yard line and returned it 41 yards to help keep it an even game heading into the locker room.

"It's a long trip and a lot of preparation, travel — the whole deal — I wasn't really surprised," Sandpoint High head coach Ryan Knowles said of the halftime score. "Teton is a good operation and we knew it was going to take a lot to bottle up their quarterback; he's a really good player, and he showed that in the first half."

To start the third, Sandpoint went back to the air and Buckhout connected with Gomez for a 37-yard score — his third receiving touchdown of the game — as the Timberwolves continued to focus their energy on Yarbrough, often double-teaming him on every play. However, Teton bounced back, completing a 69-yard touchdown pass of their own and converting the 2-point try to take a 28-27 lead midway through the quarter.

The Bulldogs needed to find a way to slow things down and take control, and they did that with their running game. Sandpoint clapped back with a methodical 67-yard drive that ended in junior Darrin Flanigan's first catch and receiving touchdown of his varsity career — a 9-yard strike from Buckhout, who extended plays with his legs all night, on a rollout to the right side of the field. Buckhout would find junior Jensen Sheetz, who rushed 18 times for 64 yards, in the back of the endzone on a 2-point attempt for the 35-28 advantage.

Heading into the fourth, Sandpoint knew the game was going to be in the hands of their defense. Similar to the week prior, they made some more crucial stops, including sacks on both 3rd-and-4th down attempts on Teton's last drive. Mid-way through the frame, Sheetz carried the ball four yards for his fourth touchdown of the season to give Sandpoint the two-score lead, which stood until time expired.

"I didn't think we were playing exceptionally well, but the game just had that feeling," coach Knowles said. "It was a hot day, high elevation, it just wasn't the norm. For them to weather that storm and take care of business in the second half was a big feather in their cap. They went out and made plays. I'm really proud of our guys for everything, including things leading up to the game — really proud of every one of them."

Senior Jeremiah Palmer added a team-high 93 rushing yards on 10 carries and Buckhout ran for 46 yards on 11 carries for the Bulldogs, which ended up with 543 yards of total offense compared to Teton's 411 total yards, 399 of which senior quarterback Luke Nelson was responsible for.

The road ahead certainly doesn't get any easier as Sandpoint (2-0) looks to remain hot for their home opener against Post Falls on Friday, Sept. 5.

Sandpoint 6 14 15 7 — 42

Teton 6 14 8 0 — 28

1st quarter

SPT — Schriber fumble recovery in endzone (two-point no good), no time

TET — Nelson 36 run (kick no good), no time

2nd quarter

SPT — Gomez 87 pass from Buckhout (Yarbrough kick), no time

TET — Moss 34 pass from Nelson, no time

SPT — Gomez 65 pass from Buckhout (Yarbrough kick), no time

TET — Nelson 30 run (two-point no good), no time

3rd quarter

SPT — Gomez 37 pass from Buckhout (Yarbrough kick), no time

TET — Moss 69 pass from Nelson (Moss pass from Nelson), no time

SPT — Flanigan 9 pass from Buckhout (Sheetz pass from Buckhout), no time

4th quarter

SPT — Sheetz 4 run (Yarbrough kick), no time

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

SPT — Palmer 10-93, Sheetz 18-64, Buckhout 11-46, Gomez 1-18, Beers 1-17, Smith 2-6. TET — Nelson 21-149, Kay 5-10, Brown 1-2, Borg 1-1, Oliveas 1(-1).

PASSING

SPT — Buckhout 16-21-4-299. TET — Nelson 11-20-2-250, Unknown 0-2-0-0.

RECEIVING

SPT — Gomez 7-220, Yarbrough 6-52, Sheetz 1-9, Flanigan 1-9, Schriber 1-9. TET — Moss 7-166, Kunz 1-36, Brown 1-27, Kay 1-12, Taylor 1-9.

Maverick Gomez