Jeremy Thielbahr Sandpoint Year: Junior Sport: Football Position: Running Back

Two-a-day football practices wear down even the best conditioned athletes. But try starting preseason workouts ill with mononucleosis.

Sandpoint tailback Jeremy Thielbahr did just that under the nervous watch of his parents and doctor.

“We’ve taken it real easy with him,” Bulldogs coach Satini Puailoa said. “The double days, he would come to one practice; sometimes he got two.”

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Thielbahr is still regaining his strength and energy. “The first game, I was 80 percent,” Thielbahr said. “I was ready.”

Thielbahr scored Sandpoint’s first touchdown of the season, an 86-yard kickoff return, en route to a 29-22 win over Bonners Ferry. The tailback finished with 114 yards rushing.

Last week, Thielbahr’s pair of fourth-quarter TDs, including a 73-yarder, rallied the Bulldogs past Lakeland 20-13. He ran for 168 yards on 21 carries.

“In both games, he’s probably had 100 yards of runs called back,” Puailoa added. “We would like to get him more carries. He’s big, he’s fast and he’s strong. He runs hard. He’s got real good vision. He’s got great cutback ability and real good acceleration.”

And more carries is exactly what Thielbahr wants.

“We run every play a thousand times every year, we are just not there yet,” the 16-year-old said.

But the Bulldogs are making strides. Sandpoint starts just three seniors offensively.

“Our offensive line is way different,” Thielbahr said. “Last year, we were pretty much a power team. This year, we have a little finesse.”

Thielbahr played strong safety as a sophomore, although Puailoa noted his offensive potential.

“We were doing so many new things, and we had Rusty Irish (a 1,300-yard rusher) who was a senior,” the second-year coach said. “It wasn’t the right time for Jeremy.”

Thielbahr went on to lead the Bulldogs’ baseball team in hitting at .420, and gained 15 pounds via weightlifting. He also set a goal of being a 1,000-yard rusher.

“I can’t juke, I’m a little more power runner,” Thielbahr said. “I go forward, hit the linebackers, and don’t drop the ball.

“Our offense can take care of itself. We’re a team, that’s the biggest difference. We come together when we’re down.”

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