Speedy Blue Ponies run past Loggers during Homecoming

The Havre Blue Ponies were homecoming game spoilers Friday as they rolled over the Libby Loggers 26-14, proving once again that speed kills.

The Loggers led 7-6 at halftime, but the Blue Ponies outscored Libby 20-to-7 in the final 24 minutes to even both teams’ record to 4-3.

“Havre’s got a good bunch of kids. They’re a playoff-caliber team,” said Logger Defensive Coach Wayne Baker, fielding questions for coach Neil Fuller.

“Their kids played with a lot of enthusiasm. They’ve got good speed, and that worried us, frankly. They ran the Power-I, with three kids in the backfield. We were hoping our guys could set the edge, turn them up field. Too many plays turned into a foot race,” Baker said.

That foot race included 261 yards for the Blue Ponies, most of it coming on the 20 rushes of senior tailback Ryan Brandt who amassed 162 yards and two touchdowns.

Conversely, the Loggers’ positive yardage was negated by losses, ending the evening minus-3 yards rushing.

Overall, the Blue Ponies amassed 26 first downs; the Loggers managed four.

Sensing a difficulty to run the ball, the Loggers passing attack accounted for 132 yards of offense. Continuing with its tandem at quarterback with senior Micah Germany and sophomore Jared Winslow, the duo completed 9-of-22 attempts with each tossing a touchdown pass and throwing an interception.

Both of Libby’s TDs came via the pass. Junior wide receiver Lane Luscher and senior Nolan Broden each caught a touchdown pass. Broden led all Logger receivers with two catches for 70 yards. Senior running back Chase Hoyer had three catches for 36 yards, Luscher had three catches for 24 yards and senior wide receiver Phil Nelson caught one pass for two yards.

On this evening, it just wasn’t the Loggers night. And, the game could have been worse had the Blue Ponies not been penalized 10 times for 100 yards, much of it coming on personal fouls. Libby, meanwhile, was penalized four times for just 35 yards.

“I fault myself for the personal fouls,” Havre coach Jason Christensen said. “The kids are playing good, enthusiastic football. It’s just tough to get them to turn it off. I feel like we were playing hard. That’s the refs’ call.”

A referee, who would only identify himself as Steve, said afterward, the Montana Athletic Association has been urging referees to call penalties for over-aggressive play away from the ball, which was the case Friday.

“It’s a safety issue. There’s no reason for a boy to hit another player away from the action,” he said. “It’s to protect the kids.”

Baker, the defensive coach, said the game was difficult for his defensive squad.

“I’m proud of our defense,” Baker said. “I think they did some growing up tonight. Sawyer Zimmerman and Dylan Berget played well. Stephen Adams had a good game, and Josh Foote played another great game. This was a good football team we played tonight.”

This Friday, Libby travels to Polson for a 7 p.m. game. The following Friday, Oct. 21, the Loggers return home for the final home game on their schedule against Columbia Falls at 7 p.m.