IT’S TIME
FOR BULLDOG FOOTBALL!
Coach Satini Puailoa - Building Character on and off the Field — Article by Patty Hutchens
If you drove past Sandpoint High School during the latter part of August, it is likely you witnessed a sea of red and white jerseys performing drills, running plays, and working hard. But don’t think that just because football practice officially started on August 19 that the players have just started to train. For many, including the coaches, they have never taken a break. The young men’s commitment to off-season training is a testament to the motivation that Coach Satini Puailoa instills in his players. Coach Puailoa has been a head football coach for 20 years, 11 of which have been at Sandpoint High School. He has brought the Bulldogs to the playoffs several times – ’95,’97, and each year from 1999 to 2002. He has a career record of 101-61 and a winning record of 57-41 at Sandpoint High School. He returned to the head coaching position last year and finished the season at 1-8. But records do not reflect the whole story. In his first year of rebuilding, Coach Puailoa credits the team with never giving up. “Last year was not easy. Those guys stuck it out and battled until the last go around,” said Puailoa adding that the teams they played were unusual in that they were heavily dominated with senior players. 6 SandpointHighSchoolBulldogFootball
While he said that the team is still in the rebuilding process, Coach Puailoa emphasized that his bulldogs are a lot further along this year than last year at this time. He attributes that to the countless hours the players have spent in the weight room during the off season and summer months. And he should know because he has been there as well. “We have progressed on both sides of the ball,” said Puailoa pointing out that it was not until the last couple of games last season did the kids start to click as a team. With the coaching staff at the varsity level remaining virtually the same as last year, Coach Puailoa said it will definitely add to the unity of the team. “It’s our second year working together. That’s a plus,” said Puailoa. “The coaching staff is like marriage and teams are like family. The more time you spend together the closer you become.” When asked what he thought the biggest obstacle will be to for the team, Puailoa replied that it was having the players make that leap of faith that all the work they have put in will show up on the field. “The reality is that the team is in a rebuilding process and has been down for awhile. We need to overcome that and build a winning atmosphere,” said Coach. The number of kids turning out for football has dramatically increased over the last