Homecoming blues: Libby falls 60-0 to Frenchtown

Libby Loggers Coach Neil Fuller did not mince words after his team’s 60-0 homecoming loss to Frenchtown (2-0, 3-3).

“I want this printed verbatim: I apologize to the hardworking folks of Libby who came out and paid good money to watch a Libby Logger football game and instead saw a rendition of Custer’s Last Stand,” Fuller said.

Fuller said Friday’s dismantling was the culmination of poor character choices that began during the school day.

“We had a discipline issue with one of our key senior two-way starters,” Fuller said. “Several players jumped on his bandwagon, being ignorant of the situation, and showed a lack of character getting involved in a situation when they should have stayed out of it.”

It would explain a lot if the Loggers’ heads were somewhere other than on the field Friday. Frenchtown set up their first touchdown with a blocked punt midway into the first quarter and scored their second touchdown 18 seconds later when Austin Kominek returned a Zach Crace fumble.

Late in the second quarter it was 19-0 and Libby looked to be slowing things down. But 35 yards of Libby penalties — including two personal fouls — aided a 72-yard Frenchtown scoring drive with 2:18 remaining in the half. A 63-yard run on a fake punt in the waning seconds of the half made it 32-0.

The cheap shots were not limited to one drive. Libby senior David Winter was flagged for a personal foul in the first half when he casually crushed the Frenchtown placeholder during an extra point attempt.  

“It embarrassed me, the cheap shots we took in the first half,” Fuller said. “I’ve never tolerated that, and it turned my stomach inside out seeing it.”

Frenchtown running back Gus Butler led the Broncs with seven carries for 164 yards and three touchdowns. Crace, who entered the game as the leading rusher in conference, finished with 50 yards on 16 carries. The game was so lopsided that Frenchtown’s backups added to the blowout after the starters were pulled late in the third quarter. Fuller said Frenchtown did what he expected. On a different day, he said, Libby may have won.

“I have been coaching since 1985 and in this day and age it seems coaches do more parenting than coaching,” Fuller said. “Some kids have no sense of dignity and it is really unfortunate. This is a fun group of kids and I love them dearly. It is disheartening to see the choices of one of their leaders, who decided to be selfish and disrespectful, put the kibosh on a game Friday night.”

Linebackers Brandon Sadewasser, a sophomore, and Dakota Warboys, a junior, were also inactive for the game.

Senior Dylon Lane will start at quarterback this week for the Loggers (0-1, 2-4) after Frenchtown held Libby to 114 total yards. Fuller said sophomore Braydan Thom will also take some snaps. The Loggers host Polson for a 7 p.m. Friday kickoff.