Superior faces Charlo at home

SUPERIOR – The Superior Bobcats had their work cut out for them against Charlo on Friday, Sept. 26 as four of the team’s starters, including the starting and back up quarterbacks, were out with injuries.

Despite the loss of so many starters, the Bobcats put up a fight against one of the top ranked teams in the region, stopping the Vikings on their first drive of the game.

With the Superior defense performing better than they had in previous games, it was up to freshman quarterback Michael Perkins and the rest of the Bobcat offense to put points on the board.

Charlo struck first with just over eight minutes to go in the first quarter making the score 6-0. The Bobcat defense would shut their opponents down again on the ensuing drive but with two minutes left in the quarter, Charlo would score again in the first quarter making it 12-0. The point after attempt was good so near the end of the first period, the score was 14-0.

Charlo wasn’t done scoring however and after a fumbled snap, the Vikings took over deep in Superior territory and scored again with just under a minute to go. The quarter ended with the score 22-0.

Charlo started the second quarter much the way they ended the first by scoring another touchdown making the score 28-0. Turnovers would affect both teams as Charlo fumbled the ball on their next drive and turned over possession to Superior. The Bobcats ran the ball in for a pick six but the play was called back on an unknown penalty.

The pick six was called back on Superior but the ball remained in their possession. The Bobcats were driving on Charlo but a long bomb from Perkins was picked off and the Vikings took over on their own 20 yard line.

On the very next play, Charlo would run the ball all the way down the field for another score making it 34-0 with seven minutes to play in the half. Charlo would score again with just minutes to play, driving the score up to 40-0. The point after attempt was good and the half would end with the score 42-0.

Charlo would continue to increase the points margin in the second half, scoring early making it 50-0. Perkins and the Bobcat offense were once again driving down the field but Charlo intercepted another bomb from Perkins.

The Bobcat defense once again showed up in the third quarter when Bridger Lapierre intercepted a Viking pass and promptly ran the ball all the way for the first score of the night for Superior. The point after was unsuccessful but the Bobcats were on the board with the score 50-6 at the end of the third quarter.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Lapierre showed he wasn’t done putting points on the board, running in another touchdown on the ground making it 50-12 with eight minutes to play in the game.

On the ensuing Charlo drive, the team never made it out of the end zone as the Bobcat defense swarmed the quarterback, tackling him in the end zone for a safety making it 50-14.

Charlo would run out the clock on their next possession and the game ended with the score 50-14. Superior Head Coach Allan Labbe said he thought the team played well considering the quality of the team on the other side of the field and the fact the Bobcats are down several key players.

“I thought they really rose to the occasion,” Labbe said. “Once they (Charlo) figured out we had two freshmen in our secondary, they started lighting us up pretty good. We still need to work on our tackling but we did better. We worked hard this week and no one has given up so that’s a good thing for us.”

The Superior Bobcats will play Seeley this Friday and if Labbe’s information about the team is accurate, it could be an opportunity for the team to get their first win of the season.

“They are kind of like us,” Labbe said. “They are injured just like we are. I think four or five of their guys are out. I think we have a fighting chance.”