Superior Junior High boys go 19-0
Five key members of the championship and unbeaten Superior Junior High basketball team (left to right) Longan Merrill, Gannon Quinlan, Phin Cataldo, Tucker Donaldson and Landon Richard shown with the championship hardware. (Photo courtesy of Superior School District)
Perfection is hard to obtain.
Just ask all those teams who have tried without success to match the 1972 Miami Dolphins Super Bowl winning 17-0 mark.
The Superior Junior High boys can beat that.
Not only did they recently finish their 2021 basketball season with a perfect 19-0 record that included the district championship, it comes on the heels of the same group’s 11-0 mark this Fall when they won the district football championship.
The teams, comprised of seventh and eighth graders, have been a focused group from the beginning, according to coach Byron Quinlan, a counselor for Superior schools.
“These guys like to play, they like each other and they worked real hard to do what they did,” Quinlan said. “I’m very proud of these guys and proud to be their coach”.
And while the back-to-back unbeaten seasons were total team efforts, a pair of seventh graders were instrumental in their success.
Gannon Quinlan, a basketball guard and football wide receiver, together with 6-2 seventh-grader Landon Richard, post in basketball and quarterback for the football team, were vital parts of the two teams.
“We like to play and we like each other,” said Richard.
Those sentiments were echoed by Gannon Quinlan, who said most of the guys on the team “have known each other and played together for a long time”.
The success bodes well for Superior’s basketball future, with both Richard and Quinlan having one more year of junior high ball to hone their skills.
Freshmen and on up are generally eligible to play at the high school level.
As much as sports are the driving force, getting kids involved in positive things is the main focus for Coach Quinlan and Chris Clairmont, who was head coach of the football team.
“We try to teach them about the good things the games and playing sports can do for them,” Quinlan said. “We emphasize respect and sportsmanship, about being responsible for their actions and learning how to work together”.
Many of the members of both teams will go on to play high school ball, while other may not. Of the current basketball roster seven are seventh graders, with six who are in the eighth grade.
After going 16-0 during the regular season, the basketball team rolled past three playoff opponents to win the championship. In addition to Superior, the junior high league features teams from Hot Springs, Plains, St. Regis, Charlo, Noxon, Arlee and Thompson Falls.
To reach the championship game, Superior beat Hot Springs 51-24 in the first round, then knocked off St. Regis 42-19 in the semi-finals.
They won the title with a 46-25 win over Charlo.
“These guys were fun to work with and fun to be around,” said Quinlan. “This is the kind of experience that will be good for all of them down the road in life”.