RATHDRUM — Courtesy of a comeback effort fueled by two goals by Pax Longanecker, the Sandpoint boys squeezed past the Lakeland Hawks, 4-3, to secure the top spot in the Inland Empire League.

Despite being outshot 24-6 in this game, Lakeland made the most of their opportunities early. The Bulldogs found themselves down 2-0 early after the Hawks jumped on them to the tune of two goals in the first 11 minutes of action.  

"We came out a bit slow and felt Lakeland came out flying out of the gates, which kind of set the tone for a bit of a roller coaster ride of a game," Sandpoint head coach Dan Anderson said. 

Sandpoint stopped the bleeding in the 31st minute thanks to a hustle goal from Wesley Drube. Not to be outdone, Lakeland's junior Cole Zlateff finished off his second goal of the game in the 34th minute to give the Hawks their two-goal lead back.

Longanecker's first goal of the day off a ball from Blake Bogadi added to a chaotic first half, sending the game to halftime at 3-2. The Bulldogs' star midfielder continued to stay involved in the offense, sending a corner kick to the box, which was finished off by Colton Dickinson in the 53rd minute.  

Just one minute later, Longanecker polished off a scramble in the box to complete the Bulldog comeback and seal the No. 1 seed in their league. Sandpoint rose to 9-1-1 in the season and 6-0 in the league. 

"Very happy with our second half after Lakeland put us on our heels in the first half," Anderson said. 

With the top seed secured, Sandpoint will play host to all its matchups in the Inland Empire tournament in October. With the 5A state tournament being hosted by Sandpoint, the Bulldogs' post-season home field advantage will extend to the end of their season. 

Sandpoint will face one of its toughest tests yet on Saturday, as they travel to Coeur d'Alene for a showdown with the 10-0 Vikings at 12 p.m. Following that game, the Bulldogs will have three regular season games remaining, two at War Memorial Field, before the district tournament begins Oct. 10.