Superior football back on track with win over Horsemen

Good coaches in any sport know when to brush off a defeat and when to light the proverbial fire under their team that lost a game they could have won.

Pushing the right buttons at the right time can mean the difference between a winning season and a losing season.

It’s a fine line to say the least.

So after coming out on the losing end of a classic football game, Superior head coach Jeff Schultz had some “come to Jesus” coaching to do.

And what he did and said with his group of Bobcat players resulted in a bounce back win after literally throwing away the season opener 58-52 to I-90 rival St. Regis/Mullan a week ago in Superior via a last minute, drive-killing interception.

Just elevated this year to Montana Class B status, the always tough Bobcats needed a spark that would get them back on track against the Horsemen from Plains High.

The spark lit a competitive flame and resulted in a convincing 58-8 win over the visiting Horsemen, who were overwhelmed by a fired up team.

The Bobcats jumped out to a quick lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter when bruising senior quarterback Jaxon Green plowed into the end zone from three yards out, capping a long Superior drive in the process. The extra point try was no good but the Bobcats were in front 6-0, a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the game.

Then, five minutes later, with 3:15 to go in the opening quarter, Green capped another long drive with a four-yard bulldoze into the end zone, staking the hometown team to a 12-0 lead.

Turns out they were just getting warmed up against the Horsemen, who are looking to turn things around after a pair of winless seasons and renewed interest in the program with new head coach Mike Tatum, who coached Plains several years ago.

Starting another drive from their own 31, the Cats marched methodically downfield to set up another touchdown, this one a 10 yard pass from Green to senior two-way starter Lucas Kovalsky. Green added the points after touchdown run and with 9:17 to play in quarter number two, the Cats were up 20-0.

Superior would repeat that scenario after overcoming a lost fumble and stopping Plains’ ensuing drive on downs. Green was involved in his fourth touchdown of the first half when he flipped another short pass to Micah Acker, this one also from 10 yards out. A successful PAT attempt put the Bobcats in front 28-0 with 3:36 remaining.

Then, the wheels fell off the bus for the Horsemen. On the ensuing kickoff, the return man caught the ball, took a few steps forward, then attempted a cross-field pass to a teammate in a bit of razzle-dazzle designed to get Plains’ offense in gear.

However, that pass attempt was picked off by Superior junior Trizten Avila who returned it 10 yards for yet another Bobcat score. The PAT attempt was not good, but at that point Superior held a commanding 34-0 lead.

The Cats defense stopped Plains on their next possession and put on a bit of razzle-dazzle of their own when Kovalsky flipped a 14 yard scoring pass to freshman Gannon Quinlan. The PAT was good and with the clock running non-stop due to the Mercy Rule, the halftime came to an end with Superior leading 42-0.

Showing they were not going to give up, the Horsemen opened the second half with a drive of their own when senior quarterback Darren Standeford broke free on a 12-yard scoring run, putting the Horsemen on the scoreboard for the first time. Zephaniah Dines converted the PAT run and Plains sliced into the Superior lead, trailing 42-8.

It was to be their only score of the game as Superior’s defense shut down the Horsemen the rest of the way.

In the meantime, senior Chase Woodson scored on a four-yard run and Green ran for the two-point conversion, giving Superior a 50-8 lead with 10:15 to go in the game.

The Bobcats capped the game scoring two minutes later when Quinlan intercepted a pass and ran it back 36 yards for a touchdown, putting the finishing touches on the Superior win.

Green had a hand in four touchdowns for the Cats, two on the ground and two via passes. He also ran for three two-point conversions.

The win evened Superior’s season record at 1-1 while the loss dropped Plains to 0-2 after games against two playoff teams from last year.

Plains travel to Deer Lodge this Friday for a meet-you-halfway game against Park City. Superior takes to the road this Friday for its first away game of the year when they face the Troy Trojans.