Bulldogs looking to start a winning streak tonight
SANDPOINT — The ever-improving Bulldogs got a rare taste of winning last week, and they hope it’s just the start of things to come when they host Cheney tonight.
The Bulldogs (1-3) beat Timberlake last week for their first win of the season and second in two years, and will look to make it two straight tonight against a dangerous Cheney team.
The Blackhawks (1-3) beat West Valley of Yakima for their lone win, and trailed Lakeland by just three points in the fourth quarter before falling to the 4A North Hawks.
Cheney has around 30 players, and they like to spread the field on offense and get the ball to their dangerous playmakers. The Bulldogs, who have more depth than in years past, will look to wear Cheney down with another smash-mouth, ground and pound game plan.
“They’ve got some good athletes, but a lot of their guys play both ways,” said Bulldogs coach Satini Puailoa, who has a select few players on both sides of the ball. “If we can withstand the initial onslaught, we can wear them down.”
The Bulldogs have shown steady improvement all season while enduring some growing pains, and Puailoa said you can hear the difference in the way the pads are popping in practice this week from the start of the year.
The improvement in practice, where players are fighting for playing time, will no doubt manifest itself on the field.
“Nobody is going to give you anything in this sport, you have to come take it,” said Puailoa of the spirited practices. “This is not club sports or junior tackle, you need to earn your time on the field. You can see it in practice, we’re starting to compete.”
The Bulldogs are averaging about 350 yards of offense a game, as running back A.J. Buratto and fullback Matt Lockey are getting lots of touches in the running game. Chase Rodriguez returned from injury last week and promptly caught seven passes, and with Thomas Edwards gives quarterback Nick Prindiville some options when teams invariably stack the box with eight or nine players to stop the run.
Alex Charvoz, arguably the fastest and best athlete on the Bulldogs, has five interceptions already this season and always seems to be around the action. The defense has posted a lot of stops on fourth and short, a sign that the defensive line is getting a good push.
The Bulldogs have strung together solid stretches of football, but are still making the critical mistakes that can cost a team games.
“We look great, and then all of the sudden it’s like ‘where did that come from?’” said Puailoa of the inconsistency plaguing his young team. “It literally happens in all three phases of the game.”
The 2012 Sandpoint Bulldog Athletic Hall of Fame inductees will be honored at half time.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Barlow Stadium.