Troy gets first win over Libby at Homecoming

The inaugural conference football match-up between Libby and Troy will indeed be one for the history books. Despite having nine touchdowns negated due to penalties, the Trojans emerged victorious over a young Logger squad by a score of 41-0 in front of a packed stadium in Troy.

“First off, the atmosphere was amazing,” Troy coach Brendan Miller said after the game. “This was one of the loudest crowds I have seen in quite some time.”

Troy received the opening kickoff and started their first drive on their own 38-yard line. Five plays later, quarterback Sean Opland found Tucker Winn, who worked his way into the end zone and put the first points on the board. A missed point-after attempt left the score at 6-0.

After strong defensive showings from both teams on the next two possessions, the Loggers began their own determined march down the field. The drive stalled deep in Trojan territory, however, and the Loggers walked away without scoring after a field goal attempt fell just short of the uprights.

Troy put three more scores on the board in the first half, despite having eight additional touchdowns called back due to penalties. 

The second half began with Troy up 26-0, but there was no quit in the young Libby team. On their opening drive of the second half, which began on their own 30-yard line, the Loggers fought their way into striking distance of the goal line. A fumble on the two-yard line, recovered by the Trojans, ended Libby’s best offensive series of the night.

From that point on, despite high energy and good hustle from the Loggers, the game belonged to Troy. The offensive combination of Sean Opland, Connor Quiring and Tucker Winn overpowered the young Libby boys, despite an almost overwhelming number of penalties by Troy.

“There are some things we still need to work on and clean up,” Miller said. “We still need to start faster. We faced some things that I was hoping we wouldn’t have to, but that happens in a game like this.”

Despite the loss, Libby coach Neil Fuller was pleased with his team’s performance.

“I thought it was by far our most energetic effort as a team,” Fuller said. “Defensively we played more aggressively and offensively we moved the ball at times. It was a good game for us to see a number of our young players start to figure some things out and play with more confidence.”

The Loggers’ energy and hustle were obvious. The sound of solid hits and strong tackles could be heard in the announcer’s booth above the field. Unfortunately, as tends to happen in highly emotional and physical contests, players suffered injuries. Two Libby players were injured during the game, but managed to leave the field on their own power. Michael Diller was not so fortunate. The Libby sophomore went down in the second half and left the game on a stretcher. He broke both his tibia and fibula, ending his season for the Loggers.

Fuller singled out three Loggers for their exceptional performance during the game.

“Tanner Wood and Michael Lehnert played their best games,” he said. “Dom Voorheis played well on both sides of the ball and had an interception. He has been an outstanding leader and has played his fanny off.”

Libby’s athletic director Nik Rewerts said the future looks bright for both the Logger program and the cross-county rivalry.

“Our young team played hard,” Rewerts said. “We have some time to spend in the weight room the next few years, and then this will be a fun match-up.”

Troy’s coach had similar praise for the young Loggers.

“Libby played hard and they don’t give up,” Miller said. “Those are good attributes for the future of their program.”

Libby’s immediate future includes their own Homecoming game Friday against Bigfork. Fuller wants to see his team play with the same energy and hopes to see more offensive production, especially early on.

“Against Bigfork we are going to have to fly to the ball defensively,” he said. “Hopefully we will get some offense going early.”

The Trojans’ future leads to several conference games and a possible shot at the playoffs. The battle starts Friday in Eureka.

“It is a great relief to get that first win,” Miller said. “I am hoping that carries over into a good week of practice. Now comes the meat of our schedule. The next three weeks are vital if we want to make the playoffs, one slip and we could be out. We head to Eureka this week in what should be a very hard-fought and physical game.”

After the game Troy superintendent Dr. Jacob Francom expressed his appreciation to everyone who helped make Troy’s Homecoming week memorable.

“We would like to thank all those who helped make Homecoming a success,” he said. “We appreciate all those in Lincoln County who came to the game to support Libby and Troy. We made history in playing our first game against each other and are looking forward to future games.”