Years as Head Coach
5th Season

Previous Experience
12 Years Colgate (2006-2017)
1 Year Idaho (2005)
1 Year Kentlake (2004)
1 Year Kentridge(2003)
1 Year Central Valley (2002)

Assistant Coaches
Jeremy Thielbahr, George Yarno, Chad Loutzenhiser, Scott Albertson, Dylan Benefield, Steve Wimer, Matt Waterous, Warren Eggar, Kyle Perry, Travis Garrison

Record Last Year
8-3

State Titles
1997

Returning Players
Carson Laybourne, OL, SR
Wylan Dorrel, OL SR
Parker Petti, QB, SR
Arie Vandenberg, WR SR
Max Frank, WR, SR
Wes Benfield, LB, SR
Owen Wimmer, LB SR
Levi Balison, OLB, SR
Jack Zimmerman, DB, SR
Koby Barlow, DB, SR
Austin Smith, OL, SR
Ben Stockton, OL, SR
Tysen Case, DL SR
Ryan McElroy, DL SR
Koda Hartley, DB, SR
Joey Hughes, RB, SR

Returning Players with Honors
Carson Laybourne - 1st Team All State, All Conference
Wes Benfield- 1st Team All State, IEL Def MVP, 2 Time all Conference
Wylan Dorrel- 2nd Team All State, All Conference
Parker Pettit - 2 Time IEL- Off MVP,
Max Frank- All Conference
Owen Wimmer- All Conference
Jack Zimmerman - All Conference
Cody Newhart - All Conference (2020)

Key Players lost from last year
Gerrit Cox, RB, 1st Team All State, Captain
Will Hurst, DL, Captain
Luke McCorkle, Corner, Captain, Whitworth Commit,
Lasse Kuhn, Kicker, 2nd Team All State
Cody Steiger, 2 Time All Conference DB
Layne Dunkle - Starting DB
Mike Chapman - All Conference OL
Blake Sherrill - DE/Punter

Incoming impact players
Khyrin Riddle - DE/RB, JR
Hunter Garcia - QB/WR/DB, JR
Shane Sherrill - DB, JR
Eli Allshouse - WR/DB, JR
Kody Brewster- RB, JR
Cameron Berrett, OL, JR
Connor Hindberg, WR, JR

Written by: Lucas Gebhart

It’s been 25 years since Sandpoint’s last state championship, but there’s a feeling around town that drought may come to an end this season.

Sandpoint enters the 2022 season with one of the best rosters in Idaho’s 4A class. The Bulldogs are fresh off a run to the state title game and return a lot of crucial pieces from last year. The list includes the Inland Empire’s best offensive and defensive player and three who earned all-state honors.

“This team has the returning players to make a run,” said head coach Ryan Knowles. “Program numbers are up so the competition will be at a recent high for Sandpoint. We have a lot of two-year starters going into this year that have played in seven playoff games and seen the best in the state.”

Knowles does acknowledge there are a few holes to fill. The biggest one is the one left by running back Gerrit Cox. Not only was the senior an all-state selection in 2021, but he was also the team captain. But Sandpoint also has a strong junior class and had a strong junior varsity team a year ago.

The returning pieces they do bring back begin with quarterback Parker Pettit, the two-time Inland Empire Offensive MVP. Also back is linebacker and first-team all-state selection Wes Benfield along with four of Sandpoint’s five offensive linemen. Carson Laybourne was a first-team all-state selection on the line last year while Wylan Dorrel was a second-team all-state pick.

“Parker Pettit will be running a multiple offense,” Knowles said. “We have a lot of experience on this side of the ball.”

The Bulldogs were Idaho’s highest rated 4A team according to last season’s Max Prep rankings, the system now used to seed Idaho’s 4A playoff bracket, despite ending the regular season ranked third in the state media poll.

But Knowles knows the only poll that matters is the one created by the computer. Despite not receiving any first-place votes from the media, Sandpoint still grabbed the 4A’s top seed in the state playoffs thanks to the Max Prep ranking system.

The reward was home field advantage throughout the state playoff run, which is a big deal for schools in North Idaho.

Lakeland, for example, was the only other northern Idaho school to make the 4A bracket and drew Skyline in the opening round. The drive was nearly eight hours and the game ended Lakeland’s season.

Sandpoint, on the other hand, never left northern Idaho as the state championship was held at the Kibbie Dome at the University of Idaho. Instead of making road trips to Mountain Home, Shelley and Blackfoot, all of those schools came to Sandpoint instead.

With home field advantage in hand, the Bulldogs clawed their way to the state championship, beating Shelley by a touchdown in the quarterfinals and using overtime to eliminate Blackfoot in the semis. Bottom line, the new playoff formatting matters, and Knowles knows it.

“Keeping a high MaxPreps rating and winning the conference to secure some home playoff games,” he said. “We will need to handle two new coaches and schemes in conference. We need to have not self-inflicted losses and manage the injury bug.”