Vikings strike early, hand Loggers tough road loss

A rough start put Libby in an early hole it couldn’t climb out of Friday night as Bigfork used a pair of first-quarter scores and a relentless special teams effort to pull away for a 46-9 Northwest A victory.

The Loggers (3-2 overall, 1-1 conference) surrendered a 90-yard kickoff return to Bigfork’s Rye Rodriguez on the game’s opening play and an interception two snaps later that set up a short touchdown run by quarterback Cole Schmit, putting the Vikings (3-2, 1-1) ahead 12-0 just two minutes into the contest.

Libby regrouped and controlled the clock on a seven-minute drive, but an interception halted the push before Isaac Lamere finally put the Loggers on the board with a 30-yard field goal midway through the second quarter.

Despite solid defensive moments — including a first-half interception by Quinten Cossins and key stops by the front line — Bigfork’s quick-strike offense proved difficult to contain. The Vikings used a roughing-the-kicker penalty late in the second quarter to extend a drive and score on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Schmit to Tayden West, making it 19-3 at halftime.

The second half followed a similar script. Libby’s offense continued to battle behind quarterback Tristan Anderson, who finished with 109 passing yards and a 39-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.

West returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown, while Schmit added scoring passes to Tamret Savik (26 yards) and Austin Savik (36 yards) to seal the win.

The Loggers play at Ronan Friday.