wow
taking the maximum amount of finish,and the least amount of wood off is always the desired path,but sometimes the damage is great enough that you have to relieve a bit of wood as well.
since you're going with a solid color,a set of "body filler knives" and a quart of polyester body putty are your best friends
followed by more intense sanding
I am of the belief that if you are thorough and detail oriented you can accomplish apparent miracles !
Oh,a trick,get some paint stir sticks from your local purveyor,cut them to your desired length,wrap with sandpaper,and use those to help level the side surfaces,you will see small "troughs" where your paper wrapped fingers took more material off,thusly,easier to spot imperfections so as to fill them
