SANDPOINT — There was one challenge issued by Sandpoint head coach Ryan Knowles to his Bulldogs ahead of their game against Moscow: start fast. 

The Bulldogs have started behind in their last two contests, and Knowles attributed slow starts as part of the reason Sandpoint has lost in those games. It seems the team heard him as the Bulldogs took the ball first and marched promptly down the field on two long passing plays to set up a sneak touchdown by senior quarterback Logan Iverson. 

Up 7-0, the Sandpoint defense stepped on the field and forced a quick three-and-out to meet the challenge issued by their head coach. 

“That’s what we talked about, literally at our pre-game walkthrough, is we got to start strong. We have to start doing that better,” Knowles said. “They did, and it was nice to see it set the tone for the rest of [the game].” 

Sandpoint did indeed set the tone and cruised their way to a 49-14 win over the Bears on homecoming night on Friday.  

A major reason behind the Bulldogs’ offensive explosion was the return of running back Jensen Sheetz, who missed the last game with injury. Sheetz, who was also crowned homecoming king on the night, scored the second touchdown of the night to put the Bulldogs up 14-0 and finished the day with 73 rushing yards and another 32 receiving.  

“He was running hard tonight, he missed a game, so he was excited to be on. You could just feel him, running through tackles and falling forward,” Knowles said of Sheetz.  

Beside Sheetz, Iverson ended his day with 199 passing yards and four total touchdowns, including a pair to senior pass catcher Brock Yarbrough, who had eight catches for 96 yards. Breakout star senior Knox Williams caught the other touchdown pass, totaling 57 yards and a touchdown on four catches. 

Sandpoint’s quarterback had his first turnover-free night since the Bulldogs won at Post Falls on Sept. 4.  

The Bulldogs’ lone turnover of the night was a muffed punt by senior safety Jack Schriber. Aside from the fumble, Schriber was a star on defense. He nabbed an interception in the third quarter and totaled nine tackles and a pass breakup. 

“It’s nice if we can make a mistake and not be fragile. That’s one of the lessons that you hope to learn over the course of the year,” Knowles said of his defense’s response to the turnover. “We got a bye week and then going into league play and the playoffs, so now is the time where the lessons need to start taking hold.” 

Moscow’s quarterback Keaton Frei showcased his arm for much of the game and completed several deep throws, including a 34-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Knowles said his team didn’t play the ball in the air well against the Bears, and it’s something the Bulldogs will continue to work on. 

“We got to do a better job on assignment and then just playing the ball in the air,” Knowles said. “We’re in a good position, but we got to get to a better finish phase there.” 

Sandpoint’s front-7 had a dominant day, sacking Frei twice and collecting six tackles for loss. Clayton Ernst, Damian Porter and Mason McLain lived in the Bears’ backfield, slowing down any chance the Bears had on offense. 

“I thought our d-line played really well; they were really disruptive,” Knowles said. “Moscow’s quarterback is a good player. I was glad we contained him. His legs have been a big factor in a lot of their games, so I was happy to take care of that.” 

The victory moves Sandpoint to 5-2 on the year. After seven grueling games, Sandpoint is set for some well-earned rest next week as they are off. Knowles said he wants to use this bye week to work on the team’s fundamentals before they get into league play on Oct. 16 when Lewiston comes to town for senior night. 

“We try to get better every week, and our program is built for the long run,” Knowles said. “This is what it’s about, what’s coming up here and this team can be damn good.” 

Sandpoint 14 14 7 14 — 49 

Moscow 0 0 0 14 — 14 

Scoring summary 

1st quarter 

SPT — Logan Iverson 1-yard rush (PAT good), 9:56. 

SPT — Jensen Sheetz 20-yard rush (PAT good), 7:56. 

2nd quarter 

SPT — Iverson 7-yard pass to Knox Williams (PAT good), 11:55. 

SPT — Iverson 15-yard pass to Brock Yarbrough (PAT good), 4:05. 

3rd quarter 

SPT — Iverson 3-yard pass to Yarbrough (PAT good), 5:27. 

4th quarter 

MSC — Keaton Frei 2-yard rush (Conversion good), 8:09. 

SPT — Gage Martin 28-yard rush (PAT good), 7:27. 

MSC — Frei 35-yard pass to Jonah Couch (PAT good), 3:17. 

SPT — Trenton Cross 2-yard rush (PAT good), 1:42. 

Individual statistics 

Rushing: SPT — Sheetz 9-73-1, Martin 7-95-1, Cross 4-22-1, Iverson 5-(-5)-1. 

Passing: SPT — Iverson 16-23-199-3, Martin 1-1-5. 

Receiving: SPT — Yarbrough 8-96-2, Williams 4-57-1, Sheetz 3-32, Tomlinson 1-4.