Libby Loggers beat Browning on Senior Night

The Libby Loggers celebrated Senior Night with a 42-26 win last Friday over Browning.

That the game was played on Friday the 13th seemed fitting with the amount of penalties, turnovers, a fight between the teams and the appearance of law enforcement in the second half.

The win evened the Logger’s record at 4-4. They’ll play their season finale at Dillon Friday.

The Loggers got big performances from their stars on both sides of the ball.

Quarterback Tristan Andersen threw three touchdown passes to Joel Goodman, all in the first half, and intercepted a Browning pass on defense.

Senior Jace DeShazer scored two touchdowns and intercepted a pass late in the game to seal the win.

Trent Riddel had a touchdown run while Gaige Bache forced and recovered a fumble and Aidan Rose had an interception.

Libby’s four takeaways, including two in the fourth quarter, were the difference in the game after the Loggers lost a pair of fumbles in the final frame while trying to hold onto a 42-26 lead.

Goodman put the Loggers in front early in the game with a 22-yard TD catch from Andersen. They hooked up for the 2-point conversion on a pass and an 8-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.

The Indians answered with a TD pass on fourth down after a penalty cost them a score a few plays earlier. Penalties were frequent for Browning throughout the game.

Leading 8-6, the Loggers scored three straight touchdowns to take control.

Goodman caught his second TD late in the first and Isaac Lamere’s kick made it 15-6. A 15-yard Browning penalty on the TD gave the Loggers the chance to kick off with favorable field position at the Indians 45. But Browning recovered an onside kick at its 40.

The Libby defense held on downs and the Loggers answered quickly early in the second quarter as Goodman caught a 65-yard TD pass from Andersen for a 21-6 lead.

The defense stepped up as Bache made a stellar defensive play while stripping and recovering the ball from a Browning player. A fight broke out following the play and some players ended up getting ejected.

But the Loggers made the most of the opportunity as DeShazer capped the drive with a 5-yard TD run. He added the conversion run to put the Loggers up 29-6 midway through the second quarter.

Browning answered less than a minute later with a long TD catch by Tommy Running Rabbit. The conversion made it 29-14.

But the Loggers were right back in the end zone about three minutes later when DeShazer scored his second TD. Lamere’s kick made it 36-14.

Andersen intercepted a pass to send the Loggers to the locker room with a 22-point lead.

The Indians cut the deficit to 16, 36-20, when they scored early in the third. But, the Loggers answered with a 2-yard TD run by Riddel for a 42-20 lead.

The Indians scored the final TD of the game when they returned the ensuing kickoff to make it 42-26 with 2:47 left in the third.

Early in the fourth, Browning completed a long pass deep into Libby territory, but a taunting penalty on the play pushed the ball back to the Browning 25.

Rose then intercepted a pass and had a good return to halt the scoring threat.

But the Loggers fumbled and Browning had the ball at its 47. The Libby defense stopped the Indians, but the Loggers lost another fumble and Browning had the ball with 4:42 left.

But DeShazer’s interception capped the win.

Before the game, Libby honored its seniors. They included Drew Munro, Hunter Higareda, Gaige Bache, Trent Riddel, Xavier Reatz, David Beck, Chayse Hartley, Jace DeShazer, Carson Williams and team manager Ethan Erickson.

Notes: Law officers from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Libby Police Department made an appearance at the game in the second half as some Browning fans became increasingly unhappy with the number of penalties called on their team. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed.