Spoilers: Frenchtown snubs Homecoming

Here’s some numbers. 568. 59. 5. Those, respectively, are the rushing yards gained by Frenchtown, how many points the Broncs rang up in a 59-37 win over the Loggers on Homecoming, and how many passes were attempted by the winners.

Here’s some more. 374. 84. 17. Those are the passing yards, rushing yards and the completions and carries needed for quarterback Jared Winslow to get them.

No, it wasn’t a defensive battle at Homecoming for the suddenly .500 Loggers, but it certainly was a showcase of offense.

Twelve players carried the ball for Frenchtown, seven for more than 30 yards and five for more than 50 yards. Senior running back Daniel Lebsock led the Broncs with 160 yards on 20 totes for two TDs. Fellow running back Matt Price had 118 yards on 9 carries for two more scores and fullback David Anderson had 66 yards and two touchdowns of his own.

“No, we don’t like to pass very much,” said Frenchtown head coach Kyle Rausch. “We took advantage of the defensive front Libby gave us.”

Although Frenchtown was able to operate seemingly at will, earning 20 first downs and scoring 29 points in the third quarter, their defense didn’t have the same gusto.

Yes, Winslow threw two picks, but both of those came in the final seven minutes of the game, as Libby’s situation became more dire. He also rushed for two scores and struck three times to his receivers. 

One of those receivers was lineman and tight end Kraig Nelson who caught the ball not far from the line of scrimmage and bolted 65 yards to the end zone. Good luck bringing down a 6-foot, 1-inch, 200-pound receiver with wheels.

A disappointed Nelson was quiet after the game.

“We should have kept the intensity up,” Nelson said. 

The Loggers held the lead with 33 seconds left in the first half, then buckled. “Getting everyone pumped up was kind of an issue, but we didn’t give up. We’ll have to practice harder.”

Winslow benefited not only from Nelson as tight end, but with Will Reichel and Danny Leggins returning as wide-outs.

Leggins had four receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns. The homecoming king averaged 40 yards a touch. Not a bad week for him.

Reichel caught two for 43 yards and Barak Lapka has two for 44 yards. In all, Winslow hit six receivers for his 374 yards on 17-of-32 attempts.

Lane Luscher didn’t have a huge night, but as he and Lapka had been shouldering much of the receiving weight in recent games, he was relieved to have his teammates back.

   “It’s good to have them back to give Jared a couple of targets,” Luscher said. “Frenchtown’s a really physical team. It was tough.”

   The Bronc’s rush defense clamped down on Libby running back Skyler Higareda, necessitating the pass-heavy night.

   “They have more beef on the line,” said Libby head coach Neil Fuller. “When you go against a team like that, it’s all about matchups. We didn’t match up well.”

   Libby will travel across the state to play Havre on Friday.