State Champs!
Wibaux Pioneer/Courtesy The Superior Bobcats celebrate their win in Wibaux Saturday. The Bobcats beat the Longhorns 28-21 after trailing 6-21 going into the fourth quarter.
The Superior Bobcats football team made good on a threat they've been making all season long Saturday when the traveled to Wibaux and won the Montana State Championship in a tenuous game against the Wibaux Longhorns.
The Bobcats came out on top 28-21 after a tough game that sent the Bobcats into the fourth quarter behind 6-21.
"We call ourselves a fifth quarter team and we finish very well," said Bobcats Head Coach Dan Lucier. "We've been focusing on finishing all week."
The Longhorns scored the first touchdown of the game with Wibaux's Travis Bertelsen running in 7 yards for the touchdown. The Bobcats stopped the Longhorns' attempt to run in a two-point conversion. With more than seven minutes to go in the go the Longhorns had a 6-0 lead.
The Bobcats caught up less than two minutes later with Tyler Stenberg catching a 52-yard pass from Travis Stroot. Kicker Yim Sribenjakul failed with his kick attempt and the Bobcats tied the game up 6-6.
The second quarter was almost a disaster for the Bobcats, with the Longhorns racking up 15 points in the quarter.
The Bobcats defense held strong for most of the quarter but with 31 seconds left, Bertelsen ran in a 6-yard touchdown and then completed a pass to Jaylen Sokoloski for two points after the touchdown.
Sokoloski then came through for the Longhorns running 45 yards after intercepting a Bobcats pass. Bertelsen had a successful kick and with six seconds to go in the half the Longhorns had their 21-6 lead over the Bobcats.
Coming into the half the Bobcats defense held strong, thwarting any attempt at a score by the Longhorns. However the Bobcats' offense could not seem to break through the Longhorns defense.
"Their defensive line was tough and they were putting the pressure on us," Lucier said.
Neither team managed to score in the third quarter, but coming into the fourth the Bobcats put some serious pressure on the Longhorns.
Stroot drove in a 3-yard run early in the fourth quarter and Drew Walen followed it with a drive in for a two-point conversion.
Shortly afterwards Eric Steinebach ran the ball in for a 6-yard touchdown and Sribenjakul followed with a successful kick that tied the game 21-21.
Steinebach pushed in a single yard run for the final Bobcats touchdown of the game and Sribenjakul pounded in a kick to solidify the Bobcats 28-21 lead over the Longhorns.
The Longhorns drove downfield to the Bobcats 22-yard line in five plays, but Bobcat Christofer Eriksson picked up a fumbled snap and sealed the Bobcats' victory by giving Superior possession of the ball with only 54 seconds left in the game.
"It's just a good feeling to know that we accomplished that and accomplished our goals," Lucier said.
According to Lucier and several of the Bobcats athletes, the wind in Wibaux posed a big problem to the team. The wind was so strong, the Bobcats could not afford to open up for long passes since they would likely not end up where they were thrown.
The Bobcats' bus broke down in Big Timber, giving the team an opportunity to practice in the windy conditions. Lucier said that the Big Timber practice helped prepare the team for some of what they would face the next day in Wibaux.
Playing on an unfamiliar field without a hometown-sized supporting crowd also played a part in the Bobcats early struggle.
"We knew that would be an advantage for them, but we really tried to count it with our preparation," Lucier said.
The sheer size of many of the Longhorns players was another obstacle for the Bobcats, albeit one that they have been dealing with all season long. Lucier said that in order to deal with the larger teams they have kept in excellent shape and used their no-huddle offense to their advantage, wearing down their opponents and surprising them with their offensive moves.
Despite the distance to Wibaux, Lucier said that the large turn-out of Superior fans helped encourage the Bobcats through their victory.
"Our fan support was a huge asset to us. It brought tears to my eyes when I walked onto the field and saw all of those fans cheering for us," Lucier said.