Troy gets knocked; Winslow leads Libby to 2-0

Troy football took it on the chin Friday night as Loyola Sacred Heart romped in a 60-0 win. Loyola’s Bo Hughes threw for 113 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 89 yards and two more scores and returned a punt to the end zone.

With an athlete like that on the field, what could Troy do?

“We played a really good team,” said Trojan head coach Jim Dasios. “They made it to the state semi-finals last season.  They were able to do just about anything they wanted.”

Troy quarterback Gabe Hickman was held to 3-13 for 24 yards in the air and rushed for 67 yards on 15 attempts.

“He played his butt off,” Dasios said of Hickman’s effort. “He was pressured all day.”

The Rams scored 28 points in the third quarter and then took their foot off the gas.

Dasios said that the biggest issue for his team right now, besides the limited roster making it difficult to stay competitive with more fleshed-out sidelines, is team speed. The Trojans already are inexperienced at the skill positions, but when matched up against a team like Loyola, it only exacerbates the issue.

Troy travels to Ronan on Friday.

Libby had to do little but put the ball in Jared Winslow’s hands in its 28-21 win over Browning.

The junior quarterback threw for two touchdowns, ran for another and returned a punt 54 yards to score.

“He read the defense really well,” said offensive coordinator Kyle Hannah. “His punt return was, I think, the first one we’ve had in a couple years.”

Hannah’s split-veer offense paid dividends in the matchup, but the athletic Browning players kept it close. Winslow and his favorite targets, Will Reichel and Danny Leggins, were able to spread out the offense when Browning picked up on it.

“We have the personnel who can keep teams guessing,” Hannah said. “Anytime you can make a team prepare for two offenses, it’s an advantage.”

Edit: In the print edition, the header for this article read "Prep Soccer Roundup." This was obviously not the case. The Western News apologizes for any confusion.