SANDPOINT — A long bus trip from north Idaho was made even longer for the second time this season for the Middleton Vikings.

Middleton struggled to get its offense on track against a stout Sandpoint defense, losing to the Bulldogs 30-0 in the first round of the 4A state playoffs. It was the second trip to Sandpoint this season for the Vikings, who lost to the Bulldogs 36-14 on Sept. 11.

"I thought in September we were ready to go," Middleton coach Bill Brock said. "I thought we were ready to go (Friday). I think we probably were, but I think we played a very fine football team."

Sandpoint shut down Middleton's potent ground attack. The Vikings, with their double-wing offense, entered Friday's game on a six-game winning streak and averaging nearly 270 yards per game rushing.

Sandpoint (8-2) set the tone early, holding Middleton to just one first down and 14 yards in the first half.

 "I think our kids made them look like they were not a team on a six-game winning streak," said Sandpoint head coach Mike Mitchell, whose team allowed 32 yards on the ground. "That's what it looked like tonight."

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, looked like a team with a five-game winning streak of their own. Sandpoint powered its way down the field on its first possession led by senior running backs Ben Fisher and Cody Hecker. The Bulldogs offensive line opened up big holes in the middle until the speedy Fisher capped a nine-play drive with a 6-yard sweep to the outside.

It was the first of two rushing TDs for Fisher, who also threw a 10-yard scoring pass to AJ Smith late in the second quarter to give the Bulldogs a 20-0 lead.

"When you can run the ball like they did, it opens up the play-action stuff and it puts you in a bind," Brock said. "Offensively, they just beat us up front." 

The Vikings could only muster three first downs for the game, while Sandpoint collected 20. The Bulldogs finished with 396 yards of total offense, including 278 on the ground.

Bobby Skinner had 10 carries for 20 yards to lead Middleton (7-3), which had its season end for the second straight season in the first round of the playoffs.

"Our seniors were great," Brock said. "They led us and did a great job for us all year. There was a point at the beginning of the season where we were 1-2 and weren't sure where we were going and they stepped up and got it done."