BOYS 

Sandpoint 5, Coeur d’Alene Charter 1 

SANDPOINT — Despite conceding the first goal, the 5A Sandpoint Bulldogs were able to shake off 11 days' worth of rust and roll past the 4A Coeur d’Alene Charter Panthers 5-1 on Monday night at War Memorial Field. 

The Panthers got on the board first in the 34th minute, with their lone goal from senior captain Creighton LeHosit off a corner kick, but it wasn’t long before the Bulldogs responded. Sophomore Marlon Rohm found the back of the net two minutes later, taking advantage of a nifty free kick by junior Ethan Pelhemus to tie the game. 

“Going down 1-0 really lit a fire under the boys and from that point on I thought we really took the game by the scruff of the neck,” Sandpoint head coach Dan Anderson said.  

With the game tied at halftime, Anderson said the team’s game plan was to stay aggressive. Their plan paid off in the 46th minute with Blake McGrann blooping a pass from Wesley Drube over Cd'AC’s keeper for the lead-taking goal. 

From there, it was all Bulldogs as they scored twice in the next 15 minutes. Senior Pax Longanecker found junior Dixon Reed for a goal in the 57th minute, followed by fellow junior Deacon Schicker’s first varsity goal off a cross from Reed in the 58th minute to give Sandpoint a 4-1 advantage. 

Sandpoint rounded out the scoring off a penalty kick, which was drawn and scored by sophomore Ashton Porter, to seal the team’s third win in a row and move them to 6-1 on the season. 

“Overall, very happy with the second half performance after a bit of a shaky start,” Anderson said. “Very pleased with the way the entire group played, especially the subs that came in in the second half.” 

Sandpoint 1 4 5 

Coeur d’Alene Charter 1 0 1 

Columbia Falls 2, Sandpoint 2

COLUMBIA FALLS — The Sandpoint Bulldogs drew with the Columbia Falls Wildcats 2-2 in a non-league showdown on Tuesday night. 

The Bulldogs got on the board first with a goal by Dixon Reed in the 8th minute and controlled much of the possession against the Wildcats. Sandpoint ended the game with 11 shots to Columbia Falls' two, but struggled to finish goals in front of the net and were called for offsides several times.

"Felt like we dominated the game from the opening whistle, but struggled to apply the finishing touch," Anderson said. "I'm very happy with the boys' effort and the way we approached the game, intensite and focus that we brought was very solid. However, we have to make sure that we apply the finishing touch in games we are dominating."

Though Sandpoint spent most of the game attacking, they found themselves in danger of losing the game late. Columbia Falls scored twice in the second half to take a 2-1 lead; Anderson said his team is continuing to work on eliminating the mistakes that led to those goals.

Sandpoint escaped with the draw thanks to late heroics from Wesley Drube, who sent a ball from Ashton Porter past the keeper in the 75th minute.

The Bulldogs moved to 6-1-1 with the draw, they'll travel to Moscow for a league matchup on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Grangeville 2, Priest River 1 

GRANGEVILLE — A second-half goal from senior Gunnar Pettit wasn’t enough to help the Priest River Spartans move past the Grangeville Bulldogs in an Intermountain League match on Friday afternoon. 

Pettit led the Spartans’ offense with four shots, with one finding the back of the net thanks to an assist from junior Jayden Sams. Freshman Maverick Pettit added one shot to round out Priest River’s team total with five. 

Priest River fell to 2-4 overall and in league play with the loss. The Spartans will look to enact revenge when they host Grangeville on Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. 

Grangeville 1 1 2 

Priest River 0 1 1 

GIRLS 

Sandpoint 4, Lewiston 1 

LEWISTON — Sandpoint’s head coach Alan Brinkmeier was looking for a confident performance from his Bulldogs against Inland Empire League opponent Lewiston, and that’s exactly what he got. 

The Bulldogs jumped on the Golden Bengals early, scoring two goals from Willow Betz and Harper Overland, both assisted by Bayah Ratigan, in the first half to take a lead they’d never relinquish. Despite Sandpoint taking the lead, they didn’t take their foot off the gas. Ratigan scored two times in the second half to cap off her impressive day. 

“The team was making adjustments all game, and several players worked hard to keep a several-goal lead,” Brinkmeier said. 

Lewiston notched their lone goal in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Sandpoint from improving to 4-5 overall and 3-1 in the Inland Empire League. 

Lewiston 0 1 1 

Sandpoint 2 2 4 

Sandpoint 3, Columbia Falls 3 

COLUMBIA FALLS — A first-half brace from Bayah Ratigan wasn’t enough to lift the Sandpoint Bulldogs over Columbia Falls in a non-league game on Tuesday afternoon, as they earned a 3-3 draw. 

Ella Lett opened the scoring early for Sandpoint, pushing a shot over the Columbia Falls keeper and into the top left corner in the 8th minute. Both teams settled into the game after the goal with the Wildcats and Bulldogs splitting chances until the 30th minute when Sandpoint gained full control of the first half. 

Ratigan’s first goal came five minutes later, launching a shot from downtown Columbia Falls to extend Sandpoint’s lead to 2-0. Just three minutes later, Ratigan got possession of the ball again and made two Wildcats look silly before sending a ball into the lower right corner for her second goal of the day. 

Though they struggled early, Columbia Falls stormed back out of the halftime break. The Wildcats scored two goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half, including a penalty kick goal in the 52nd minute which made it 3-2. The Wildcats scored the tying goal in the 78th minute, after stopping several quality chances from the Bulldogs. Sandpoint moved to 4-5-1 overall with the draw. 

“For the next game we will work on composure up top and quick movement in the midfield,” Brinkmeier said. “A good couple of games to build up to Moscow on Thursday.” 

Sandpoint will host Moscow at War Memorial Field on Thursday at 4 p.m. for an Inland Empire League showdown.

Columbia Falls 0 3 3 

Sandpoint 3 0 3 

Grangeville 3, Priest River 1 

GRANGEVILLE — Priest River's senior Lilly Kennedy found the back of the net in the Spartans’ 3-1 loss in an Intermountain League matchup with the Grangeville Bulldogs on Friday afternoon. 

Kennedy’s goal was assisted by sophomore Rachel Roberts, who helped lead the charge for the Spartans’ offense. Both players had three shots on goal, and Kennedy took a penalty kick. The Spartans fell 3-5 in the season and in league play. 

Priest River 2, Orofino 2 

OROFINO — Both Priest River and Orofino notched two second-half goals to earn a draw on Monday afternoon in an Intermountain League game at Orofino High. 

Sophomore Rachel Roberts scored twice for the Spartans off four shots on goal. Freshman Heidi Burress had three shots on goal, while Lilly Kennedy added two more.  

In goal, sophomore goalkeeper Jasmine Zylstra posted a clean sheet in the first half, making three saves. Junior Aleigha Razo let up the two Orofino goals but made seven saves in the process to ensure the team earned a draw. 

Priest River moved to 3-5-1 overall and in league play ahead of their rematch with Grangeville on Sept. 18. 

Priest River 0 2 2 

Orofino 0 2 2