Sandpoint 34, Post Falls 31

SANDPOINT — It may have been one of the most thrilling games to have ever been played at War Memorial Field.

Junior Brock Yarbrough, primarily a wide receiver, kicked a 25-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining, junior Jack Schriber hauled in his first career interception with one second left and the Bulldogs hung on for a 3-point win over the Trojans in a 6A/5A Inland Empire League showdown Friday night.

"That's a clutch kick that you cannot take for granted," Sandpoint High head coach Ryan Knowles said. "I'm glad we could; he's that type of kid — he does everything."

Earlier in the drive, tied 31-31 with 2:02 to go, Sandpoint was facing a 3rd-and-15 on Post Falls' 32-yard line. Yarbrough, who tallied three catches for 55 receiving yards in total, caught a screen pass one-handed from senior quarterback Braden Buckhout, broke through three would-be tacklers, and stretched his way to a 16-yard gain.

"There were some beautiful blocks on that play," coach Knowles added. "Every team faces their adversity, and it's good to see us execute there."

Yarbrough also started Sandpoint off with three points in the first, putting his first career field goal, a 26-yarder, through the uprights after a solid opening Bulldog drive. 

Sandpoint, after forcing the Trojans to a four-and-out on their opening drive, then went to their bread and butter and scored again as senior Maverick Gomez, who recorded six catches for 156 receiving yards, turned on the jets and took a 62-yard pass from Buckhout to the house for an early 10-0 lead.

On Post Falls' next drive, junior Devin McEnaney came up with his first career interception on the Bulldogs' own 35-yard line. After another seemingly unstoppable drive, junior Jensen Sheetz, who rushed 23 times for 105 yards, made his way across the goal line via a 1-yard run and the Bulldogs quickly put up a 17-0 first quarter.

"One of our keys to winning was winning the first quarter," coach Knowles said. "Last year, that's what beat us, and that's how Post Falls beat Lewiston (37-27) last week. They have tempo, and it's good and fast, so we needed that good start."

Post Falls responded and put up 14 points in less than four minutes to start the second quarter with a 62-yard rushing touchdown and 30-yard passing score. Buckhout, who tallied 338 total yards — 217 passing and 121 rushing — was facing pressure under a blitz and found Gomez for his fifth receiving touchdown of the year on a 36-yard throw to make it a 24-14 game.

Sandpoint knew it was going to be a fight, however, and the Trojans responded with two solid drives and 10 more points to tie the score 24-24 by halftime.

"We gave up a big punt return in the second quarter and some big plays defensively that really ignited them," coach Knowles noted. "We needed to plug some of those explosive plays and make them drive... I give them credit, they made the plays, like always. Going into halftime at 24-24 I felt like 'hey, we've been here before.'"

After the break, each team made the correct adjustments, and the shootout was no more. Sandpoint forced Post Falls to miss a 46-yard field goal on their opening drive out of halftime and eventually scored with 6:20 remaining in the quarter when Sheetz scored his sixth rushing touchdown of the year on a 4-yard run.

31-24, Sandpoint in front.

The Sandpoint defense then made a stop on a 4th-and-10 fake punt backed up against their own 42-yard line with 3:52 remaining in the third.

The Bulldogs were about to go up two scores at the start of the fourth, but the Trojans made a momentum-changing interception in the endzone, and, after some back-and-forth, scored once more via a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 5:44 remaining in the game, tying the game 31-31.

Sandpoint, which had 480 yards of total offense on the night, then used almost the entire rest of the clock to kick what was the game-deciding field goal.

The victory wasn't just a statement — it was Sandpoint's third win over Post Falls, a 6A powerhouse, dating back to 2005. The Trojans had won 16 out of the last 18 matchups, including seven of the last eight, entering the game. It was Sandpoint’s first win over Post Falls at Barlow Stadium since 2004; the Bulldogs’ victory in 2015 was at the Kibbie Dome, and their win in 2021 was on the road.

"This team has good chemistry, works hard, and it just shows, especially in the second half of our games" coach Knowles said. "Coming down the stretch they stand tall, make plays, and the defense figures out ways to get off the field. Nothing is easy in high school football, especially against a powerhouse like Post Falls. That's a good program and I have a ton of respect for Blaine Bennett and his crew."

Senior Jeremiah Palmer added 37 rushing yards on eight attempts for Sandpoint (3-0), which will look to remain undefeated when they head to Yakima Friday to take on A.C. Davis High, which defeated Rogers High of Spokane 28-14 in their opener.

"They're well-coached," coach Knowles said. "Jay Dumas is their coach and he's a (Washington State) Cougar and a fantastic guy. We'll be ready to go."

Post Falls 0 24 0 7 — 31

Sandpoint 17 7 7 3 — 34

1st quarter

SPT — Brock Yarbrough 26-yard FG, 9:35

SPT — Maverick Gomez 62 pass from Braden Buckhout (Yarbrough kick), 5:32.

SPT — Jensen Sheetz 1 run (Yarbrough kick), 0:09.

2nd quarter 

PF — Marshall Tomlinson 62 run (Singleton kick), 11:20

PF — Connor Carver 30 pass from Phillip Schmitt (Singleton kick), 8:17

SPT — Maverick Gomez 36 pass from Braden Buckhout (Yarbrough kick), 6:20

PF — Marshall Tomlinson 9 run (Singleton kick), 5:50.

PF — Bradyn Singleton 31-yard FG, 0:02.

3rd quarter

SPT — Jensen Sheetz 4 run (Yarbrough kick), 6:23.

4th quarter

PF — Phillip Schmitt 3 run (Singleton kick), 5:44.

SPT — Brock Yarbrough 25-yard FG, 0:25.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

SPT — Buckhout 15-121, Sheetz 23-105, Palmer 8-37. PF — Felix 24-199, Tomlinson 9-91, Schmitt 12-25, Zazuetta 1-2.

PASSING

SPT — Buckhout 10-19-2-217. PF — Schmitt 9-17-1-140.

RECEIVING

SPT — Gomez 6-156, Yarbrough 3-55, Resso 1-6. PF — Carver 3-72, Mathews 6-68.

    Sandpoint High junior running back Jensen Sheetz makes his way into the endzone for a touchdown during Friday night's matchup with Post Falls.