Superior Bobcats hoping youth, speed will lead to victory

The Superior Bobcats may be the most interesting high school football team around.

Long cloaked in a history of winning games, it appeared that the well may have run dry -- or at least fallen lower. 

But youth came to the rescue, in a big way. 

With such standouts as Jaxson Greene, Lucas Kovalsky, Jason Merrill, Micah Acker and Chase Woodson graduating and taking their considerable talents with them, head coach Jeff Schultz was looking at some potentially lean times ahead. 

But with Schultz’s coaching knowledge and style, and an infusion of young, raw talent, fans can look forward to continued success with their beloved football program. 

“We are a very fast and smart team," Schultz said. “They are all committed to winning and have put in a ton of hard work this summer." 

Four of the top players on the team are juniors and three are sophomores. The sophomore group consists of several players who went unbeaten and won the league junior high title two years ago. 

They are led by 6-foot-5 sophomore quarterback Landon Richards, a budding multisport standout who is deceptively fast and boasts a strong throwing arm. He is tasked with replacing Greene, a bull-rushing, hard to bring down quarterback who has taken his talents to the collegiate level. 

Kovalsky and Acker were top-notch skill players with lots of speed. Their shoes will be filled by an equal or greater amount of speed and size. Sophomore Turner Milender is a good-sized running back/linebacker who Schultz says will see plenty of action. And he is paired with impressive speed from Gannon Quinlan, a sophomore with breakaway speed who competes on the track team, and junior Phin Cataldo, a top sprinter who is also a threat to go the distance. 

With the addition of junior linemen Sam Doughty, Logan Merrill and George Hanson, there will likely be some holes for the speedsters to run through. 

“We just need experience for the youth on this team,” Schultz said as his team began practicing this past week for the season opener. That kicks off Saturday, Aug. 31 in Missoula against the always tough Valley Christian, which beat Superior on the Bobcats' home field last year. 

As evidence of the maturation of this squad, the Bobcats won three of four games toward the end of last season, including a big win over Mission and a road playoff win over Forsyth. They were eliminated in the second round last year by Fort Benton. 

“We are not very big, so it will be fun to see if we can counter size,” Schultz said. “The West [conference] is always loaded. We open with a huge game versus Valley Christian, the league favorite. We also face Charlo, Arlee, St. Regis, Plains, Troy, Victor and Seeley. All [are] tough.” 

    Superior sophomore quarterback Landon Richards stretches before a recent practice as the Bobcats get ready for league favorite Valley Christian on Aug. 31 in Missoula. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
  

    Players work on blocking skills as the Superior Bobcats began preseason practices ahead of the season opener versus Valley Christian on Aug. 31 in Missoula. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)