Dillon hands Loggers first defeat

Dillon dashed any hopes for an undefeated football season in Libby with a 28-12 win over the Loggers on Friday.

The Beavers got off to a quick start, racking up a 21-point lead over the Loggers early on. Quarterback Justus Peterson threw for 164 yards and two touchdowns in the explosive first half.

Playing on the other side of the ball, Peterson nabbed two interceptions in the second half. Dillon running backs Michael Hupp and Erik Westman earned a touchdown each in the win.

Peterson helped stifle the Loggers as they tried to rally. He picked off two Libby passes in the second half as the Beavers held the Loggers well below their season average of 41.5 points per game.

For the Loggers, quarterback Jeff Offenbecher rushed for 121 yards and one touchdown. He racked up 52 passing yards on seven completions in 18 attempts.

Junior Dawson Young scored Libby’s other touchdown.

Head coach Neil Fuller told 406MTSports.com the loss taught the Loggers the importance of keeping mistakes to a minimum.

Early missteps contributed to the defeat, he said.

“We had penalties early on, and you can’t do that against a great football team,” he said. “Dillon’s tougher than nails, and if we [want to] compete with the big dogs, we have to play more disciplined football early.”

The Loggers go back on the road to face Hamilton Friday.

The rest of the schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Loggers as they travel to Hamilton Friday. Hamilton was the Class A state runner-up in 2018.

The Loggers will host Frenchtown in the season finale Oct. 25.

Dillon, Hamilton and Frenchtown are each 6-1, playing in the Class A Western Division Southwest Conference.

In the Northwest Division, Libby still leads the way with a 6-1 mark. Whitefish is second at 5-2 and Polson is 4-3.

In other Lincoln County gridiron action, the Troy Trojans lost to Absarokee 54-6, Saturday, in 8-man football.

Terren Winebark threw a 24-yard TD pass.

The Trojans (1-6) host Thompson Falls Friday.