Trojans one win away from football playoffs

Two years ago, the Troy High School football team had a chance to make the state playoffs for the first time since 1992. A victory over Thompson Falls in the regular-season finale would seal the deal.

But Thompson Falls upended the Trojans, 51-30, to keep its season alive and send Troy home to think about basketball.

Now, Troy has another shot. The Trojans will again meet Thompson Falls on the road with a chance to break into the postseason.

“If the kids want it bad enough, we’ll get it,” veteran Troy football coach Rich McElmurry said. “I’d like to think it’s a good opportunity for us.”

The Trojans are coming off a 50-14 loss at Eureka, which wrapped up its portion of the District 7B schedule unbeaten. The good news for Troy is the team came out of that physical game with no injuries. The flu bug is always a concern this time of the year, however.

“We’ll be OK for Thompson Falls if we have everybody healthy,” McElmurry said.

The Blue Hawks come into the game with a 5-2 overall record, 2-1 in the conference. District 7B wins came over Plains-Hot Springs, 12-6, and St. Ignatius, 14-7. The loss came at home against Eureka, 29-6.

A few of those scores may raise eyebrows among those who follow the Trojans. Troy also had a close win over St. Ignatius (20-12) and defeated Plains-Hot Springs by a considerable margin (33-0).

McElmurry said comparing scores can be dangerous and don’t mean anything. One of the biggest factors may come down to tradition and the Blue Hawks will be motivated to keep their plans for postseason action.

“They’re very big and they’re just used to winning,” McElmurry said. “I see they’re throwing the ball more a little than they have in the past.”

Thompson Falls has beaten the Trojans by an average score of 49-16 over the past four years.

Kickoff in Thompson Falls in scheduled for 7 p.m.

In other sports this weekend, both the Libby boys and girls soccer teams will continue their quest to reach the state playoff finals. The girls play at Billings Central and with a victory, the Lady Loggers would host the state championship game on Nov. 1. Saturday’s semifinal match on the road begins at 11 a.m., at Rocky Mountain College.

The Libby boys will face Bigfork for a third time this season with a semifinal matchup at home. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

The Loggers’ cross country squad will hit the course for a final time this season on Saturday at the state meet in Missoula.

The Libby football team heads to Bigfork for its final game of the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday. The Lady Logger volleyball squad played at Glacier Thursday and now goes to a tough tournament in Missoula on Friday and Saturday.

The Troy volleyball team will play a conference match at home on Saturday against St. Ignatius. Action begins at 3 p.m., with junior varsity. First on Friday, however, Troy will play on the road at Noxon (5:30 p.m.).