The Whitefish Bulldogs will venture away from home to square off against the Libby Loggers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Whitefish's defense has only allowed 9.8 points per game this season, so Libby's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Whitefish is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Montana's top teams: Columbia Falls, who was ranked 12th at the time (Whitefish was ranked 18th). The Bulldogs and the Wildcats were almost perfectly matched up on Friday, but the Bulldogs suffered a 19-18 loss. The Bulldogs were up 18-0 in the third quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.
Although Whitefish took the loss, they still got scores from Cole Moses and Luke Dalen.
Meanwhile, Libby never let their opponents score on Friday. They claimed a resounding 35-0 victory over Ronan. The Loggers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by 28 points or more this season.
Libby's win came from a few key players Whitefish will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ian Thom, who rushed for 103 yards and one touchdown on only nine carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Tristan Andersen, who rushed for 49 yards and one score.
Libby was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 221 rushing yards. They are a perfect 3-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Libby didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Bransen Holzer and Gabe Kosters.
The win was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 4-2. As for Whitefish, their defeat was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 4-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Whitefish has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 167.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Libby struggles in that department as they've been averaging 182.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Whitefish was able to grind out a solid victory over Libby when the teams last played back in October of 2022, winning 48-39. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Loggers' Jace DeShazer, who rushed for 87 yards and a pair of TDs. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Bulldogs to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
