Bobcats rock Horsemen, 56-6

Superior may have found the ingredients for an outstanding season.

Two games into the fray they are averaging 53 points per game on offense while surrendering 19 points per game on average.

It’s only two games and a whole season lies ahead, but the Bobcats 56-6 win over Plains Thursday night on the Horsemen’s home field shows they are a team to watch as the year goes on.

And despite the lopsided score, there are flashes and spurts of good things to come for the Horsemen, who showed they too have some team speed and other assets as they work their way through a brutal Montana Western Conference 8-player football schedule.

But on this night, everything was clicking for the Bobcats, who improved to 2-0 with the win. Last week they beat the St. Regis-Mullan Co-op team 50-32 in St. Regis.

Superior held Plains offense on the first series of the game, getting the ball on downs deep in Horsemen territory. On the next play, Bobcats’ quarterback Orion Plakke threw a 24-yard touchdown pass, then ran for the two-point after touchdown play, giving Superior a quick 8-0 lead three minutes into the first quarter.

On Plains’ next possession, Horsemen quarterback Mason Ellliot’s pass was intercepted and returned to the Plains 20-yard line. A few plays later Superior scored on a three-yard touchdown run, followed by Jaxson Green’s successful PAT run, boosting their lead to 16-0 with 7:40 left in the opening quarter of play.

After Plains showed some strength in their running game, their next drive eventually stalled and the Bobcats once again got the ball back on downs at midfield. A short time later Green scored on a nine-yard jaunt and offensive/defensive lineman turned running back for this game, Chandon Vulles, bulled his way in for the two-point after touchdown.

That boosted the Bobcats’ lead to 24-0 with 5:31 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Superior defense, which is big and fast, once again held the Plains attack, which continued to show signs of breaking out, getting the ball back as time ran out in quarter number one.

Superior took advantage of the good field position, as Plakke hooked up with senior wide out Decker Milender on a 25 yard pass that moved the Bobcats in the “red zone”. On a second and goal from the two, Plakke rolled out and strolled untouched for yet another Superior touchdown. A Green-to-Milender PAT was good and the Bobcats built their lead to 32-0 with 10:26 left in the first half.

Superior’s defense, which swarmed all over the Plains backfield most of the first half, forced the Horsemen to punt. Following a 25-yard Milender reception, Elliot picked off a Bobcat pass, giving Plains the ball on their own 16 yard line.

Two plays later, Superior defense back Lucas Kovalsky intercepted Elliot and returned it 25 yards for a pick six touchdown. Vulles once again bulled through the Plains defense for the PAT and the Bobcats held a 40-0 lead, prompting the Mercy Rule in which the clock runs continuously except for timeouts and change of possession.

And the Superior D held again on the next possession. Three plays later, Plakke found Milender for a 30-yard scoring strike, which coupled with another successful PAT gave the Cats a seemingly insurmountable 48-0 lead.

Then the Horsemen struck back on a 55-yard kickoff return for a touchdown down by Nicholas Hill, cutting the Cats lead to 48-6 at the half.

Vulles opened the second half at the fullback position on offense and the move paid dividends the rest of the way for Superior. On the Cats next possession, Vulles had runs of 22 and 12 yards before plowing in from four yards out to cap a Superior touchdown drive. Milender caught the PAT for two points, boosting the Superior lead to 56-6.

At that point, reserves were playing for both sides and neither team would score again the rest of the game.

The win boosted Superior to 2-0 on the young season, while Plains fell to 0-2. However, the young Plains team was often just one play away from sustaining drives throughout the night but could not match the Bobcat’s bend-but-don’t-break defense.

Vulles finished with 84 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown. It was one reason coach Jeff Schultz was pleased with his team's efforts but vowed to keep working to improve.

"We executed better this week," Schultz said. "We need to keep improving now."

Plains' next game is a road game against Troy on September 16. Superior returns to action this Friday when they host Troy in Superior.