Loggers last league team standing
The Libby Loggers are all alone.
The Class A high school football playoffs resume Saturday with four quarterfinal contests, yet only one features a Northwestern A team. Polson and Whitefish fell in first-round action last Saturday, leaving undefeated Libby (9-0) as the conference's only team with state championship hopes.
The Pirates squandered a 13-point lead late in the fourth quarter and lost to visiting Anaconda, 28-27. The Bulldogs were routed at Frenchtown, 42-14.
Meanwhile, the Loggers rested thanks to the first-round bye they earned with Northwestern A's No. 1 seed. They begin their postseason by entertaining Hardin, which beat Belgrade 35-14 in the first round. Hardin led the Panthers 28-6 at halftime and 35-6 in the fourth quarter as quarterback Josh Link threw five touchdown passes.
A Loggers' victory would likely create a semifinal showdown with defending state champion and Southwestern A No. 1 seed Dillon on Nov. 11 in Libby. Dillon is host to Butte Central, which topped Miles City last Saturday, 28-14. The Maroons led 28-0 before the Cowboys scored two touchdowns in the final nine minutes. Butte Central scored three touchdowns on the ground and one on defense, but used a balanced offensive attack, rushing for 171 yards while passing for 128 more.
Frenchtown travels to Central A champion Havre, which lost a defensive battle to Whitefish in its first game of the year. The Broncs didn't have any trouble against Whitefish's defense as they rushed for 408 yards, including 192 by Nate Lebsock, who also scored three touchdowns. Frenchtown didn't commit a turnover or penalty in the game.
Anaconda heads to Eastern A champion Billings Central, with the winner facing the Havre-Frenchtown victor in the semifinals. The Copperheads passed just 10 times for 88 yards against Polson, but rushed the ball 64 times for 336 yards.
Two teams remain from both the Eastern A and Central A while Southwestern A leads the bracket with all three of its playoff representatives still alive.
All quarterfinal games begin at 1 p.m.