Pirates fall at Libby despite strong effort

The Polson Pirates kept the pressure on the Libby Loggers through much of Friday night’s Northwestern A showdown, but big plays from the home team proved too much as the Pirates fell 31-20.

Polson opened the scoring with a 61-yard strike from Case Cox to Eli Evenson, but Libby answered on a short touchdown run. The Loggers added another score in the second quarter to take a 13-7 halftime lead. 

After another Logger score in the third, the Pirates battled back when Holden Emerson punched in a 12-yard touchdown run, cutting into Libby’s advantage 19-14. However, the Loggers kept their momentum rolling behind quarterback Tristan Andersen, who accounted for both passing and rushing touchdowns in the second half. 

Polson’s final push came in the fourth quarter when Cox connected with Emerson on a 5-yard touchdown pass, but Libby sealed the win with Andersen’s 10-yard run in the fourth quarter. 

Cox was the centerpiece of Polson’s attack, throwing for 233 yards on 20 completions while spreading the ball to seven different receivers. Emerson hauled in six passes for 57 yards and also added 29 rushing yards on the ground, finishing with two touchdowns.  

Merick Ramesar provided steady production with six catches for 60 yards, while Bryce Allred added 21 yards on two grabs. Daniel O’Roake helped balance the offense, carrying 10 times for 32 yards. 

Polson finished with 74 yards rushing on 22 attempts. Defensively, Polson forced three turnovers, including interceptions by Cody Haggard and Emerson. 

The Pirates also brought heavy pressure, logging 11 tackles for loss. O’Roake led the charge with two TFLs and a sack, while Haggard, Jack Sherry, and Mac Campbell each disrupted plays behind the line. 

Kisler and Emerson paced the tackling unit with four solo stops apiece, while Max Ramesar tallied six assists. Polson also broke up six passes, including two by Luke Horner. 

With the loss, the Pirates dropped to 0-1 in conference play and 2-2 overall, while Libby improved to 1-0 and 3-1. Polson will take on Whitefish next week at home, as the Bulldogs will be coming into town with a 3-1 record.  

At Libby 

LIBBY 31, POLSON 20

Polson - 7 - 0 - 7 - 6 - 20 

Libby - 7 - 6 - 6 - 12 - 31 

SCORING SUMMARY 

P – Eli Evenson 61 pass from Case Cox (Roman Sawyer kick) 

L – Bransen Holzer 9 run (Lamere kick) 

L – Tristan Andersen 3 run (bad snap)  

L – Isaac Lamere 20 pass from Andersen (pass incomplete) 

P – Holden Emerson 12 run (Sawyer kick) 

L – Bransen Holzer 25 pass from Andersen (pass incomplete) 

P – Emerson 5 pass from Cox (pass incomplete)

L – Andersen 10 run (kick wide)