Bulldogs host Hawks tonight with football season on the line

SANDPOINT — While not official, playoff football ostensibly returns tonight when the Lakeland Hawks invade Barlow Stadium to face Sandpoint, with a state playoff berth on the line.

It’s pretty simple, the winner advances to the 4A state playoffs and will host Skyview of Nampa in the first round, while the loser will be done for the season.

The Bulldogs (4-4, 1-0 4A IEL) and the Hawks (4-4, 1-0 4A IEL) are virtually even on paper, with the Bulldogs downing Moscow 21-14 and the Hawks beating the Bears 42-14 last Friday to set up tonight’s showdown.

“It’s all in, win or go home,” said Bulldogs head coach Satini Puailoa. “It’s what you play, practice and lift weights for, to be in this scenario. Can we win this game? You bet we can.”

To win, Puailoa believes his team will need to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, which bodes well, as the Bulldogs offensive line has been playing strong down the stretch.

Tackles Josh Travers and Carlos Callado, guards Billy Webber and Nate Lunde, and center Ryan Bush have gelled to power the running game and protect quarterback Nate Loutzenhiser.

“Our tackles are rangy and athletic, the guards are stockier and more powerful and Ryan is just scrappy,” said Puailoa of the unit. “They’ve meshed into a strong group.”

Senior receiver Chase Rodriguez will look to build off last week’s breakout performance, when he hauled in five catches for 165 yards and three scores.

Carson Paull and Kyle Perry will carry the rushing load, as the Bulldogs continue to get their athletes touches in the running game, including receivers Jake Steen, Tyler Harris and Matthew Timothy, each of whom are dangerous on reverses.

Defensively, the Bulldogs will miss Dean Knaggs and Devin Fairbanks, who will miss the game with injuries. To stop the Hawks’ pistol offense, which features the same misdirection attack they’ve employed for years, the Bulldogs will need a strong performance from their defensive line.

“We match up with them well. They’re quick, and rely a lot on execution and deception,” said Puailoa, who feels his team has made giant steps in the past three weeks to get where they are, which is all he ever asked. “If we win this game, it’s whipped cream.”

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

n Wampus Cats hit road to face Warriors

Clark Fork (3-4, 2-1 1A Division II North Star League) travels south to face North Star League power Kootenai (5-3, 3-0) tonight at 7 p.m.

Kootenai can clinch the top seed to the state 1A Division II playoffs with a win, and would host top-ranked Salmon River next week in the first round. Kootenai won 50-0 at Clark Fork earlier in the season.

The Wampus Cats are coming off a 79 point outburst last week, and will be looking to continue the hot offense and close the gap against the Warriors.