Playoff victory for Bobcats

The Superior Bobcats football team took Monday off of practice after giving their fans exactly what they came for in their first playoff game Saturday afternoon with a big victory against the Charlo Vikings.

“They had a long week and it was a hard battle today so they’re going to need a day off,” said Bobcats Head Coach Dan Lucier.

The Bobcats played tough for their first playoff game and posted a 55–24 victory over the Vikings, one of the only teams to hold the Bobcats to under 40 points in a game all season.

The Bobcats beat out the Vikings in their first game of the regular season 36–6, and Lucier said that the Vikings have only gotten better since then.

“We just kept going and we kept working. Boy, Charlo is a good outfit, I’ve got to give them all the credit in the world,” Lucier said.

For the entire first quarter neither team could push past the other defensively. The Bobcats played a tough game, but the Vikings’ significantly larger defensive ends gave quarterback Travis Stroot a hard time and prevented him from connecting on several of his early passes, a staple of the Bobcats offense.

“They pretty much caught us, because of their scheme, they caught us off-task,” Lucier said.

So much so that with a few seconds left in the first quarter, Viking Chico Stipe intercepted one of Stroot’s passes and returned it to within two yards of a Viking touchdown. Drew Walen barely caught Stipe, holding the Vikings scoreless in the first quarter.

However, at the start of the second quarter, the Vikings pushed through for the first touchdown of the game. Walen came through for the Bobcats on the kick attempt, leaping over the Vikings line and slapping the kick out of the air.

In answer to the Vikings touchdown, Eric Steinbach ran a 65-yard, untouched touchdown off the first play in the Bobcats next possession. Yim Sribenjakul came through for the Bobcats on the kick and the Bobcats took a 7 – 6 lead with 11 minutes left in the second quarter.

The Vikings larger players continued to be a problem for the Bobcats in the second quarter , with Stipe running in a 25-yard touchdown with less than eight minutes to go in the quarter. Senior Brian Labbe stopped the Vikings from bringing in a two-point conversion and held their lead to 12 – 7.

With less than six minutes left in the first half, Stroot found his way around the Vikings defense to connect with Tyler Stenberg for a touchdown pass. Sribenjakul made a successful kick and the Bobcats regained their lead at 14 – 12.

With close to one minute left in the second quarter, Stenberg ran in another touchdown, followed by a successful kick from Sribenjakul and giving the Bobcats a 21 – 12 lead in the first half.

By the game’s second half, the Bobcats had found their stride and were set up to drive home their victory against the Vikings. Walen and Stenberg both scored in the third quarter, and the Bobcats defense only allowed one touchdown Viking Shiloh Kerr, rounding out the third quarter with a 34 – 18 Bobcats lead.

In the fourth quarter the Bobcats stepped up their game again, outscoring the Vikings 21 – 6.

Walen brought in all three of the Bobcats touchdowns in the final quarter, and Sribenjakul made three successful kicks.

“Our kids played very well, but I have to give a lot of credit to Charlo,” Lucier said, emphasizing that the Vikings had given the Bobcats a run for their money.

Lucier said that when it came down to it, the Bobcats athletic team ran their plays successfully and that is what brought them the win.

“They all did what they had to do when they had to do it,” Lucier said.

Next week the Bobcats will face the Absarokee Huskies, an undefeated team from Montana’s Southern C Conference, at home on Saturday at 1 p.m.