From Freshmen to Seniors
COACH RYAN KNOWLES SEES FIRST GROUP GO THROUGH FOUR YEARS OF HIS PROGRAM BY COLIN ANDERSON
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or Ryan Knowles, the game of football has taken him many different places. His love of the game started with his first flag football games in the third grade and blossomed at Sandpoint High School. He played for the Vandals at the University of Idaho and, after his playing days were over, wanted to continue to be part of the game as a coach. Short stints in Seattle and Spokane, back to Moscow for a year, and eventually he landed a role at Colgate University in New York, where his team won four league championships during his 12-year tenure as an assistant. While many would springboard this success into a head coaching job at the college level or assistant job at the FBS level, Ryan would instead make the move back to Sandpoint, where his love of the game all started. “We thought about it for a good two weeks; it was a hard decision,” he recalled. “Now, every day, I continue to realize that we made the right decision.” While being back in the community he loves with family and friends close by is of great importance, being the leader of his team is something
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he takes equal pride in. Coach Knowles enters his fourth season at the helm. The seniors on this team are the first to go through all four years of the program he is continually working to establish and perfect. When he first got the job, Ryan admitted there was a steep learning curve, having not been a head coach in years, but he has also relished the opportunity to have a bigger impact on his players. “At the college level, they are already young men and know the game. Here, we are introducing some players to it, and we get the chance to actually shape, mold and create football players. It’s awesome to see the progression as players and as young men.” Under Coach Knowles’ leadership and that of his experienced staff, the team has seen improvement each of the past three seasons, with large goals being checked off last season, and bigger goals set for this fall. A big emphasis in the program is showing up to the weight room, and not just during the season. “The off-season is four times longer than the football season. This is where you prove to your teammates that you
