PREP FOOTBALL: Outexecuted
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Post Falls quarterback Jaxon Anderson attempts to escape the rush of Sandpoint linebacker Gerrit Cox during Friday's game at Trojan Stadium.
By JASON ELLIOTT
Sports writer
POST FALLS — At times, Post Falls showed glimpses of that fast, up-tempo style that has put them in the playoffs the last five seasons.
Other times, they looked like a work in progress, replacing seven receivers and running backs due to graduation.
Post Falls senior quarterback Jaxon Anderson completed 8 of 24 passes for 112 yards, but was intercepted twice — both by Cody Steiger — as the Sandpoint Bulldogs rolled past the Trojans 35-7 in the season opener for both on Friday at Trojan Stadium.
“We didn’t come to play today, and they did,” Anderson said. “Props to them. They had a good scheme to beat us, and it worked.”
After Post Falls came up short on its opening possession, Sandpoint scored on its first possession of the season as Parker Pettit found Gerrit Cox for a 39-yard touchdown. Cox scored again on a 3-yard run to give Sandpoint a 14-0 lead after the first quarter.
“First game, you never know what you have or who you are,” Post Falls coach Blaine Bennett said. “We didn’t execute very well on our first drive. And I gave them a little momentum when I went for it on fourth down, and that kind of started that, and we never got it stopped.”
Cox finished the game with 115 yards rushing and five touchdowns, four rushing for Sandpoint. Junior quarterback Parker Pettit ran for 186 yards for Sandpoint.
“We couldn’t stop them defensively and we couldn’t score any points offensively,” Bennett said. “We’re disappointed, but we’ve got a good group of guys and great coaching staff. We’ll make some corrections once we see the video and move on.”
Post Falls scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Jacob Sullivan to cut the deficit to 21-7 with 7:21 in the half.
“It’s a long season,” Bennett said. “We’ve got nine games, so it’s game one. You’ve got to shake it off, but learn from it. Sandpoint did an excellent job and that’s a nice win for them. But we’ve got to make some corrections and do a better job.”
Post Falls finished with 223 total yards on offense, while Sandpoint had 484 yards.
“At times we played fast, but not enough times,” Bennett said. “We’d make some plays, but not enough. We just didn’t execute like we can and what we need to. Seven points is not enough in this offense, or in 2021 against anybody. We’ve got to do a better job of executing offensively and keep our defense off the field.”
Post Falls had won five straight over Sandpoint and 14 of the last 15 coming into the game. It was Sandpoint’s first win at Post Falls since 2005.
“We’ve got to play fast,” Bennett said. “There’s a few plays out there to be made, and we didn’t make them. There were a few calls that I made that I shouldn’t have made. We’ve got to execute better, play better. This is a disappointing first game, but we’ve got the chance to learn from it and get better from it.”
Post Falls travels to Rigby next Friday.
“I’ve just got to learn from it,” Anderson said. “There were a lot of first game jitters going around. Next week, we’ve got to step it up and we’ve got to bring our ‘A’ game if we want to compete.”
Sandpoint hosts Coeur d’Alene next Friday.
Sandpoint 14 7 14 0 — 35
Post Falls 0 7 0 0 — 7
First quarter
Spt — Gerrit Cox 39 pass from Parker Pettit (Jacob Gove kick), 10:16
Spt — Cox 3 run (Gove kick), 6:16
Second quarter
Spt — Cox 4 run (Gove kick), 8:41
PF — Jacob Sullivan 1 run (Alexander Luna kick), 7:36
Third quarter
Spt — Cox 36 run (Gove kick), 9:26
Spt — Cox 5 run (Gove kick), 5:11
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Spt, Cox 15-110, Pettit 16-183, Wimmer 17-71, Frank 3-13. PF, Sullivan, 11-25, Anderson 10-52, Smith 7-44.
PASSING — Spt, Pettit, 15-23-1-107, Garcia, 0-1-0-0. PF, Anderson, 8-24-2-112.
RECEIVING — Spt, Cox 3-46, Frank 6-43, Robere 1-3, Kuhn 2-12, VanDenBerg 3-14. PF, Tucker 4-49, Myers 1-38, Sullivan 1-16, Sessions 1-18, Summers 1-8.