Last season: 7-4, 4A Inland Empire League district champions with key wins over Lewiston (41-22), Lakeland (49-21), Moscow (35-7) and Bonneville (48-0) in the state playoffs.
Coaches: Ryan Knowles (head coach and defensive coordinator), George Jarno (offensive line), Jeremy Thielber (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks), Chad Lautzenheiser (running backs), Scott Albertson (wide receivers), Dylan Benefield (inside linebacker), Matt Majors (outside linebacker), Brian Ursan and Chris Taylor (secondary), Matt Waters (JV head coach), Travis Garrison (JV defensive coordinator), Warren Egger (JV assistant coach and varsity kicker), AJ Smith (assistant coach).
Players to watch: Drew Lehman (Sr.), Ashley Hawkins (Sr.), Jesse Turner (Sr.), Van Lee (Sr.), Gage McElroy (Sr.), Jorden Tyler (Sr.), Wiley Wimmer (Sr.), Kayden Garcia (Sr.), Triston Tomko (Sr.), Lucas Garrison Jr. and Gage McElroy (Sr.).
With 24 seniors set to compete for the Bulldogs this year, expectations are high that they can win another state championship. Sixth-year head coach Ryan Knowles, a 1997 Sandpoint High School graduate, is looking to lead Sandpoint to its fourth consecutive winning season. He has the coaching staff and a ton of talented players to make it happen.
“What’s unique about this year is we have 24 seniors,” Coach Noles said. “If you look back at past years, there were times when we only had nine. This year is definitely our largest senior class. We’re very excited because having seniors makes a big difference. We have a lot of good players who are deserving of it and who perform well on the football field and are very involved in the program.”
Ranked third in a preseason poll by statewide media in the 5A classification, the Bulldogs return senior Drew Lehmann, the Inland Empire League’s offensive MVP, at the quarterback position. Lehmann, who was named quarterback after an injury in last year’s third game of the season against Raymond (Alberta), has thrown for 12 touchdowns and 1,545 yards in nine games in 2023. In his junior campaign, he completed 69.2% of his passes (108/156) with only five interceptions for an overall QB rating of 113.3. He also rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns.
“He’s our guy and he’s going to be taking the snaps,” Knowles said. “What you learn quickly as a coach is the quarterback makes more decisions than anybody on the field. We’re putting the ball in Drew’s hands and he’s going to affect the outcome of the game more than anybody. We have a great guy in Drew Lehman. He’s very smart, he’s a hard worker and he’s very talented. He has all the pieces in him.”
Lehman returns one of the best offensive lines in the entire state, led by seniors Cayden Garcia and Triston Tomko, both 2023 IEL First Team selections, with senior Gavin Walters also returning for the Bulldogs.
“I’m really trying to set a good example for the future generation,” Tomko said on behalf of the offensive line. “I’m just trying to focus on being tough, working hard and making sure I know what I’m doing mentally. We have a lot of guys that are ready to play and it’s going to be a total battle. I’m really confident we’ll be successful this year and I think our offensive line in particular will be the engine that leads our team to victory.”
Losing IEL Player of the Year Max Frank and IEL First Team selection Cody Brewster won’t be easy, but senior Ashley Hawkins, who had a breakout season last year despite battling injuries, is ready to rise to the challenge.
“I feel like I’m ready. I’m a little nervous, but I know I can perform,” said the 5-foot-4, 150-pound Hawkins. “I’ll have a big role at the position, but I want to do great things. I have confidence in them (the offensive line) and I have confidence in the guys in front of me.”
Juniors Jeremiah Palmer and Weston Smith will also figure into Sandpoint’s run-heavy offensive scheme.
“Not much has changed from last year with those three guys,” Knowles said. “I expect a lot from them and with the way we like to run the ball, I think they’ll take a step forward in that area this year.”
Returning at wide receiver will be senior Jesse Turner, a North Idaho Boys Player of the Year and IEL First Team selection. Last year, Turner scored two touchdowns and had 257 yards receiving.
Defensively, Sandpoint returns its top three tacklers Van Lee and Wiley Wimmer, as well as the team’s punter, Jorden Tyler. Lucas Garrison is also a player to watch. The junior has been promoted from junior varsity and will start at strong safety for the Bulldogs this season. Gage McElroy, the 2023 IEL Defensive Freshman of the Year, led the defense with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries last season. McElroy transferred to Sandpoint from nearby Hermiston, Oregon, prior to his freshman year and has settled into his role very well.
“Gage is a really good football player,” Coach Knowles said. “There are a lot of factors to a defense, but one of them is being able to quickly assess what’s going on, and he’s the best I’ve seen at that. He can read the difference between the run and the pass very quickly and pull the trigger. He’s great at coming downhill on the run and twisting his hips to drop a pass. He might fool you once, but he probably won’t fool you again.”
Overall, Sandpoint’s 2024 schedule is a little different compared to last year…actually a lot different. The Bulldogs are at home today against Twin Falls, a team that was consecutively ranked in last year’s MaxPreps rankings. There are no Canadian football teams on the schedule this season.
“Being a two-team district, we had an open date for our Week 9 game and it was really hard to fill, so we started looking early for a ‘Week 0’ game because it’s a lot easier to find an opponent for Week 0 compared to finding an opponent for Week 9,” Coach Knowles said. “After some digging around, we found Twin Falls and it’s awesome to have them on the calendar.”
The following week, Sandpoint will play St. Mary’s, the only school outside of the usual squad that agreed to play in North Idaho against the Bulldogs. The Noles thought it would be nice to play a local team from North Idaho, and the Lumberjacks answered the call. Of course, Sandpoint also got a chance to get a late start to the “6A IEL Gauntlet,” which begins in Week 3 against Post Falls.
In Week 4, they host Davis High School in Yakima, a school that coach Jeremy Teilbar has ties to from his days playing at Washington State. In Week 5, the Bulldogs face Pocatello, who beat Sandpoint in last year’s state quarterfinals. Sandpoint will close out the season with matches against current 5A IEL rivals Lewiston and Lakeland.
SHS Football Schedule
*The match was played at a neutral venue
**Homecoming and Senior Night
Aug. 23 โ vs. Twin Falls, 7 p.m.
8/30 โ @ St. Mary’s, 7pm
9/6 โ @ Post Falls, 7pm
9/13 โ vs. Davis, 7 p.m.
9/20 โ vs. Pocatello*, 7 p.m.
9/27 โ vs. Coeur d’Alene, 7 p.m.
10/4 โ @ Lake City, 7pm
10/11 โ vs. Lewiston**, 7 p.m.
10/18 โ @ Lakeland, 7pm
Sandpoint High School senior Ashley Hawkins makes a big gain during a game against Moscow last season.