SANDPOINT — MaxPreps lists the Sandpoint Bulldogs boys soccer team as the best 5A team in the state, and thanks to a dominant 8-0 win over Lakeland on Tuesday in the District 1-2 Championship game, they’ll get the chance to prove it in the state tournament. 

The Bulldogs overwhelmed the visiting Hawks to earn their second straight District 1-2 title with five first-half goals. Sandpoint head coach Dan Anderson said the performance was a complete team victory and embodied one of the team’s mantras to be “hard to play against and fun to watch.” 

“That’s what’s so exciting about this team is that we have the depth as well,” Anderson said. “We have 19 to 20 guys ready to contribute in any game, and this game kind of showed that. Every single player played, and every single one contributed.” 

Sophomore Wesley Drube opened the scoring for the Bulldogs in the sixth minute with a header that sent a ball from junior Pax Longanecker into the back of the net to give Sandpoint the lead they’d never relinquished. Next up to score was Longanecker, who scored the first goal of another hat trick off a ball from junior Colton Dickinson. 

Junior Adrian Torres added the Bulldogs’ third goal by finishing a ball from Drube into the bottom left corner. Longnecker followed that up with his second goal of the game six minutes later off a penalty kick to make it 4-0.  

“It was another kind of quiet hat trick for Pax,” Anderson said. “He kind of pops up with these goals without having to be the center of attention or too flamboyant about it. He quietly goes about his business and scores his goals.” 

Torres rounded out the first half scoring with what Anderson described as the goal of the game, a cross-field shot that scorched into the top right corner of the goal.  

Sandpoint’s star senior goalkeeper Landon Brinkmeier scored the first goal of the second half. No, really. The All-League goalie drilled home a penalty kick in the 55th minute to make the game 6-0. 

Anderson said the team has been begging for Brinkmeier to take a penalty kick all season, and his final district tournament game happened to be the right time to let the keeper try. 

“It was just as much giving him a PK for his senior year as much as he actually takes a good PK and could be someone who takes one in a PK shootout for us,” Anderson said. 

Longanecker polished off his hat trick just three minutes later with a goal to extend Sandpoint’s advantage to 7-0. Dixon Reed rounded out the Bulldog scoring explosion with a free kick goal from outside the box in the 66th minute to secure an 8-0 win. 

“We wanted to put together a complete 80 minutes, and I thought we did that, which is exciting for next week,” Anderson said. 

The victory secures Sandpoint a spot in the 5A State Tournament, which will be hosted in Sandpoint next week. Anderson said this team set the bar for success at winning a state title at the beginning of the season, and the win gives them a chance to achieve that goal. 

“We think we’re capable of doing that,” Anderson said. “That being said, a lot of things have to go right and have to go your way to win three games in three days against three good teams. We’re going to do absolutely everything we can to make it happen, leave no stone unturned and really pursue excellence in everything we do.” 

The play-in games for the 5A State Tournament are being played on Saturday. Once those are finalized, the bracket, containing Sandpoint’s next challenge, will be released. 

Sandpoint 5 3 — 8

Lakeland 0 0 — 0

First half — SPT, Wesley Drube (Pax Longanecker), 6:00. SPT, Longanecker (Colton Dickinson), 10:00. SPT, Adrian Torres (Drube), 13:00. SPT, Longanecker (penalty kick), 19:00. SPT, Torres (Longanecker), 26:00. Second half — SPT, Landon Brinkmeier (penalty kick), 55:00. SPT, Longanecker (unassisted), 58:00. SPT, Dixon Reed (unassisted, free kick), 66:00.

Shots on goal — Sandpoint 15, Lakeland 1.

Saves — Sandpoint, Landon Brinkmeier 1. Lakeland, Eli Cantu 7.