NAMPA — A back-and-forth second quarter between the Sandpoint Bulldogs and the Columbia Wildcats came to a head in its closing moments as the visiting Bulldogs were knocking on the door of the end zone. 

Down 21-14, No.7-seeded Sandpoint was looking to tie the 5A State quarterfinal up in the final two minutes before getting the ball to open the second half. The Bulldogs found themselves with a 3rd-and-goal from the 3-yard line, which quickly turned into a 4th-and-goal after senior quarterback Logan Iverson couldn't connect with senior wide receiver Brock Yarbrough. 

Sandpoint trotted on their field goal unit to narrow No. 2-seeded Columbia's advantage, but the Wildcats stormed through and blocked Yarbrough's 20-yard kick. A minute later, a 26-yard screen pass to Santiago Carbajal put Columbia in the end zone and up 28-14. 

From there, Columbia never looked back and dominated the second half to the tune of a 52-21 victory over Sandpoint in the state quarterfinals on Friday at Columbia High. 

"We hung around for a half, but the wheels came off." Sandpoint head coach Ryan Knowles said. "It's a good team; they put a lot of strain on a lot of different positions. Ultimately, they're No. 2, and we're No. 7, and they proved it tonight." 

The headline heading into the game was Columbia's power running game led by the junior, Carbajal. Sandpoint focused on slowing that attack and did successfully for much of the game. However, that allowed Columbia to shift to a passing attack, which the Bulldogs had no answers for. 

The Wildcats' senior quarterback Easton Zickgraf threw for seven touchdowns on Friday, four of which went to junior Tyson Winkelman. The two connected twice in the second half for touchdowns, including a 30-yard touchdown in the fourth. 

"I thought we did a good job slowing down their run game... but just put us in some thin coverage that ultimately cost us," Knowles said.  

Early in the game, Sandpoint's offense was doing its job by holding onto the ball and keeping pace with Columbia's unrelenting attack. The Bulldogs found success using senior Jesen Sheetz in the counter running game, which slowed the Wildcats' powerful defensive line. Sheetz ended the game with 146 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown on the ground. 

Sandpoint also used their star running back in the passing game, with Iverson finding Sheetz on a screen pass for an 8-yard score in the first quarter. Iverson battled through an injury in the second half and ultimately ended his day 23 of 41 for 190 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. 

Yarbrough was Iverson's favorite target on the day. The senior finished off his impressive season with 12 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. 

"The offense was doing a really good job with ball control and driving down the field and putting points on the board," Knowles said. "Then that kind of stalled out in the second half as well. You'd go score for score with them for a little while." 

However, three Sandpoint turnovers and a boatload of penalties would stall drives throughout the game, and Columbia took advantage. The Wildcats scored off the Bulldogs' two second-half turnovers, putting the game out of reach for the scrappy No. 7 seed. 

The Bulldogs finish 2026 with a 6-5 record, which includes a state playoff win. Post-game, Knowles embraced his seniors and said he was thankful to have the time with them this season. He added that he knows the seniors will take the lessons learned in the program for the rest of their lives. 

"I'm proud as a head coach, I'm proud of this team and thankful to be able to be on the road with them for 48 hours and enjoy the time with them," Knowles said. "We were a little outmatched today, and that's the way this game works out sometimes... I always say the more they hurt is probably a function of the time they put in; the more they invest, the more it hurts when it's over." 

Knowles said he was grateful to be able to be with the team this season and give something positive back to the community that rallied around him and his family following the passing of his wife in August.  

"Thankful to have a program, a team and coaches that allowed me to do something really positive with my time, something that will help a lot of people out," Knowles said. "[Thankful] I got to be a part of this season, and it's one I'll never forget." 

Columbia 7 21 7 17 — 52 

Sandpoint 7 7 7 0 — 21 

First quarter 

CHS — Tyson Winkelman 26-yard pass from Easton Zickgraf (PAT good), 8:00. 

SPT — Jensen Sheetz 8-yard pass from Logan Iverson (Yarbrough PAT good), 3:00. 

Second quarter 

SPT — Brock Yarbrough 15-yard pass from Iverson (Yarbrough PAT good), 8:00. 

CHS — Easton Lott 34-yard pass from Zickgraf (PAT good), 7:00. 

CHS — Lott 25-yard pass from Zickgraf (PAT good), 6:00. 

CHS — Santiago Carbajal 26-yard pass from Zickgraf (PAT good), 0:40. 

Third quarter 

SPT — Sheetz 2-yard rush (Yarbrough PAT good), 4:28. 

CHS — Winkelman 79-yard pass from Zickgraf (PAT good), 4:00. 

Fourth quarter 

CHS — Angel Arrambula 37-yard field goal, 11:00. 

CHS — Winkelman 30-yard pass from Zickgraf (PAT good), 10:00. 

CHS — Winkelman 11-yard pass from Zickgraf (PAT good), 4:00.  

Individual statistics 

Rushing: SPT — Jensen Sheetz 24-146-1, Logan Iverson 3- -16, Gage Martin 3 - -3, Justice Mansky 1-11, Brock Yarbrough 1-0. 

Passing: SPT — Iverson 22-41-190-2-1, Martin 0-1-0-1. 

Receiving: SPT — Yarbrough, 12-99-1, Martin 5-56, Sheetz 3-16-1, Knox Williams 1-11, Caleb Tomlinson 1-8, Alex Gomez 1-5. 

    Senior guard Gabriel Rogers lifts senior running back Jensen Sheetz in the air following a touchdown on Friday night at Columbia High.