A glance back at the Superior football season

The goals this year for the Superior Bobcats were the same as in years prior that included putting the team first and to have great practices because the team will play like they practice.

Thirty-seven kids showed up for the first day of practice. Coach Dan Lucier noted that at the beginning of the season, the overall theme is a sense of urgency. He noted that the team’s strengths lied in “quickness, and hard-playing, smart kids.”

For Lucier, it was his 30th year of coaching and the one thing he wanted to see happen was the kids to come together on the team as one heartbeat.

From the get go, the team was picked to finish fourth in the district and so the team was out to prove those that underestimated them, wrong.

Superior played their first game against the Thompson Falls Bluehawks and it was an opening glance into the exciting season that was about to unfold. When the two teams ended up tied late in the fourth quarter, the Bluehawks threatened to take away the win. But Goofy Eriksson ran 55 yards to stop the drive and the game moved into overtime.

“He did what he had to do to get something done,” Lucier said of the play. “That’s one of the things we talk about in practice is making something happen.”

From there, Eriksson’s field goal from 18 yards out proved to be the deciding factor in the game. Superior won 10-7.

Superior netted the second win of the seasons against Plains-Hot Springs, 49-24. This time, they led the way, leading at halftime and finishing up during the third and fourth quarters. Lucier said that Plains-Hot Springs was a good team and thus it was a good win for the Bobcats. He called the game one of the best offensive games they had played in two years. He noted that when they throw the ball well, it really opens things up.

It was during the third game of the season that the Bobcats faced their first lost against Florence. They fell short by only one point, 33-34. Lucier felt that his players brought their best game. The Bobcats led in the second quarter, but a tight third put them back behind. Still, the Bobcats had made a showing on the field and gave Florence a run for their money on homecoming night.

“It was their homecoming and probably 3,000 people were there,Lucier recalled. “They were pretty quiet for most of the game.”

Hoping to get back on track, the Bobcats were up against the Cut Bank Timberwolves for homecoming. Lucier knew the Wolves were a high caliber team going in. The Bobcats played well in the first quarter and it may have ultimately been the second quarter that lost them the game, 13-48. There was no shortage of support from the fans, though, which came out despite the chilly temperatures to support the kids.

Superior continued with its winning ways with a game against Troy. They barely slipped by, winning 14-8. Neither team scored in the first two quarters, but in the third Adam Kay was able to move the ball into the end zone, receiving a pass from Tanner Coon Troy took the lead in the fourth quarter, but with four minutes left to play, Kay caught a 31 yard pass from Coon and from there, Troy wasn’t able to come back. Lucier said that the team didn’t play particularly well, noting a lot of missed assignments.

With 21 seconds on the clock, the Bobcats also grabbed a win against Deer Lodge, 35-32. Lucier said the kids did a phenomenal job of winning the game when it was on the line. A game against Darby the following week put the Bobcats in reach of the season championship. The Bobcats won against Darby, 50-14, in another huge game of the season. Lucier pointed to the three things that the team was working on all season as the reason for the success: to play as one heartbeat, to be the ultimate competitors and to finish.

Superior nabbed the title by winning the last game of their regular season against Loyola, 34-27. Again, they came from behind.

“We hung on until the end and ended up winning the conference title,” Lucier said. “It’s pretty cool.”

The win sent the Bobcats into the playoffs with the right to host the first game on their home turf. The Bobcats were up against Tory this time. Down 12-7 in the fourth quarter, they put together a 67-yard scoring run in the final minutes of the game, very similar to the first game they played earlier in the season. Lucier said that coming from behind had become their trademark and though he is always nervous, it is a good nervous. With a win against Troy, the Bobcats were up against Fairfield next in the semiquarter playoff game.

It turned out that Fairfield was too much for the Bobcats too handled and they lost, ending their season, Still, Lucier felt that it was an exceptional season of play for the team and he enjoyed every second of it He thanked the players, fans and his team of assistant coaches for a season well played.