BORDER LEAGUE CAMP

by COLIN ANDERSON

When a team has championship aspirations, the day after the season ends, your new season begins. Such are the expectations for the Bulldogs since coach Ryan Knowles has taken over the program. While Coach Knowles encourages his football players to compete in other sports like basketball in winter or track and field come spring, he never lets their minds stray too far from football and the lofty goals set for the program.

After coming up just short of a state title in 2021, the bar is raised for the Bulldogs this year. Preparations began last winter during offseason weight lifting. In spring, it was time to put on the pads and feel the crack of collision again. “The calendar is very conducive for us here in Idaho,” explained Coach Knowles. “We have a 10-day window before school is let out to get in seven practices. We always keep it fun, but they were also ultra competitive.”

While summer practices can be taxing due to heat, there’s also a unique opportunity presented to the Bulldogs each season called the Border League Camp. The camp was started several years ago as a way for teams to scrimmage and compete against other regional teams they might not always get a chance to play. Many Eastern Washingtonbased teams have come over to Idaho, and vice versa, but this year, the Bulldogs got an up-close look at two of the top teams Montana has to offer. The Bulldogs hosted this year’s camp, inviting Central Valley out of Spokane Valley, Washington, Glacier High School

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out of Kalispell, Montana, and Sentinel High School out of Missoula, Montana. These are all big-time programs in larger communities, but the roster size of the Bulldogs was nearly identical to each of the larger city programs, a testament to the commitment Coach Knowles receives from players at a very young age.

“This was just what our current team needed. Glacier was a state runner-up to Sentinel, who hasn’t lost a game in over two years. We absolutely enjoyed the top-notch competition,” said Knowles.

The format of the camp is somewhere between practice and a Friday night game. Each school is divided into A, B and C teams so players at all ages and ability levels can participate and compete. Coaches are also split up to run different teams, giving those who might not otherwise be put into game-time decisionmaking scenarios a chance to call plays or be a head coach for a day. “Our young guys can see that there are players on those great programs that are in the same place developmentally that they are; it helps them relate to competition and what it takes to be successful.”

Each scrimmage is scripted with different opportunities for offense, defense and special teams. Instead of Bulldogs going up against other Bulldogs, like most practices, they were able to test themselves against other competition. Players are in full pads and play what Coach Knowles calls a “Thud Tempo,” in which you play hard and wrap up your tackle but don’t take your opponent to the ground or roll on top of them. It’s played at this pace so that no player suffers a potential seasonaltering injury, and after the three-day camp, all teams come out healthy.

During the camp, teams would hold their first scrimmage in the morning, have a break, have lunch, and have a second session in the afternoon. That lunch was provided by the Sandpoint High School football team moms, who seem to step up to any challenge. “The moms are amazing and absolutely rocked it. That’s a ton of meals for hungry boys, and with coaches and staff, about 200 lunches each day,” said Knowles. Players enjoyed Teriyaki Chicken and Rice as well as burgers and various sides.

After three days of scrimmaging and scripting all kinds of situations, Coach Knowles is incredibly pleased with how it went and the lessons his team was able to take from the camp. “It was competitive yet controlled. These boys are ultra competitive, but the camp gave them exactly what the kids needed, and it absolutely made us better as a team.”

Border League Camp is just one of the many steps along the way in preparation for the 2022 season. It’s an important one and a reminder that hard work will pay off if Bulldogs maintain their focus on the goals and program Coach Knowles has laid out before them.

As the Bulldogs kick off a new season, there are four goals in place. Number one is winning the first game. “We have a game against a team from Ulta, Utah, and we aren’t afraid to challenge ourselves by playing tougher and bigger teams,” said Knowles. Goal two is to handle the Conference schedule. A good showing against strong competition and early season opponents goes a long way in keeping the team’s Max Prep score high in hopes of hosting home playoff games. Goal three is to win All-League games and gather the automatic playoff bid. The final goal is setting the bar high; win a state championship.

“The seniors this year were eighth-graders when I started here, and the natural projection and trajectory is to win a state title. Some teams are afraid to talk about it, we are not. The bar is set high and a championship is the expectation now,” states Knowles.

While there are only a few home games on the schedule this season, if the team takes care of goals one through three, Memorial Field should be a buzz come playoff time. Coach Knowles is confident that he has a special group this season and wants the community to take notice, and not just those with kids on the team. “If you haven’t been down for a game at Memorial Field in a while, it’s really one of the best venues anywhere for high school football. It’s a good time, come on down.”