Libby football loses in semis
The Daily Inter Lake
BILLINGS - The state championship game eluded the Libby High School football team again.
Billings Central shut out the Loggers, 45-0, Saturday in the Class A semifinals.
The Rams will face two-time defending champion Dillon, which beat Butte Central 45-8 in the other semifinal, in Dillon for the state championship. It will be a rematch of a Sept. 7 game in which the Rams broke Dillon's 16-game winning streak with a 20-6 victory.
The Rams proved their combination of size, speed and experience was awesome in winning their 11th straight against the Loggers. They held Libby to just 59 yards rushing and 69 yards passing.
Libby junior quarterback Joel Fuller started 0-for-6 and was sacked three times. He left the game late in the second quarter with a foot injury and did not return.
Running back Jeremy Chumley, who gained 218 yards last week against Sidney, got 18 yards on seven carries. Fuller and backup Colton Cannon completed just nine of 29 passes.
The closest Libby came to scoring came after Jordan Gragert recovered an Alex Bushman fumble at the Central 45 early in the second quarter. The Loggers reached the Rams 7-yard line, but Fuller lofted a pass to Chumley and Bushman made a leaping interception in the end zone.
"We knew we had to get off to a good start, they're too good a football team to play catch-up against them,'' Libby coach Neil Fuller said. "My hat's off to them. They're well coached. They're a special team, you don't get to many teams that have 22 seniors. They're physical, classy and had great sportsmanship out there.''
BC running back Joe Hickey ran for two touchdowns and returned an interception for the Rams' final score during the breezy afternoon. Hickey scored on sweeps of 15 and six yards around the left side.
Bushman snagged a 33-yard pass from Jordan Heringer and it was 19-0 before the first quarter was over.
Central led 32-0 at the half and tacked on two more scores in the third quarter. One of them was a 41-yard interception return by Hickey.
The Rams jumped a lot of things on defense. The Loggers, who came in averaging 44 points and 404 yards per game, managed just 128 yards.
Central finished with 304 yards rushing, with Jake Pelczar gaining 117 yards on 17 carries and Hickey added 105 on nine attempts. Quarterbacks Jordan Heringer and Jake Chilton combined to pass for 154 yards, giving the Rams 458 overall.
"We knew we would be able to run the ball, we sized up with them and our backs are awfully strong,'' said coach Jim Stanton. "We knew we could push the ball at them and it showed today.''
It will be Central's first appearance in the state championship game since 2004. The Rams last state title came in 1968.
The loss was the Loggers' first (on the field) of the year. They finished the season 9-2 after a opening-season 50-23 victory was forfeited for using an ineligible freshman for a couple of plays late in the game.
It was the second straight year the Loggers rolled into the semifinals unbeaten on the field. It was their third semifinal appearance in four years. The last time the school reached the state title game was 1967.
Fifth-year coach Neil Fuller is now 41-13. It was the first time he was shut out since Class AA Great Falls beat the Loggers, 56-0, in 2004.
Libby 0 0 0 0 - 0
Central 19 13 13 0 - 45
First quarter
BC - Joe Hickey 15 run (Jordan Camp kick) 10:01
BC - Hickey 6 run (run failed) 2:48
BC - Alex Bushman 33 pass from Jordan Heringer (pass failed) 22.9
Second quarter
BC - Ryan Huppert 47 run (pass failed) 7:29
BC - Bushman 14 run (Camp kick) 3:52
Third quarter
BC - Jake Pelczar 1 run (Camp kick) 4:20
BC - Hickey 41 interception (kick failed) 0:42
Team statistics
Lib. BC
First downs 9 22
Rushes-yards 24-59 44-304
Comp-Att-Int 9-29-2 5-8-0
Passing yards 69 154
Total yards 128 458
Punts 8-31.6 1-36
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-1
Penalties-Yards 4-20 7-51
Team statistics
RUSHING - Lib, Josh Chumley 5-26, Colton Cannon 6-23, Jeremy Chumley 7-18, Joel Fuller 6-(minus-8). BC, Pelczar 17-117, Hickey 9-105, Huppert 3-63, Bushman 6-17, Alexsei Grosulak 2-5, Kevin Davis 2-5, Heringer 1-0, Danny Murphy 1-minus 2, Jake Chilton 3-minus 6.
PASSING - Lib, Fuller 6-18-1-49, Cannon 3-11-1-20. BC, Heringer 2-4-0-86, Chilton 3-4-0-68.
RECEIVING - Lib, Zack Rowan 4-39, Loren Nelson 2-17, Jeremy Chumley 2-8, Seth Wright 1-5. BC, Bushman 4-131, Kirby Longo 1-23.
-The Billings Gazette's Ed West contributed to this report.