Bobcats win MSU summer football camp tournament

It is as early as it can get to be excited about the upcoming local high school football season. 

Most of the teams in Sanders and Mineral counties have been to just one summer football camp and getting too jacked too early is akin to predicting a World Series title after winning the first exhibition season game. 

But for the Superior High School Bobcats and their head coach, Jeff Schultz, it would not be easy to dampen their enthusiasm following a successful run at the Montana State University football camp two weeks ago in Bozeman. 

Also in action was Thompson Falls, which participated in a camp at Montana Tech in Butte. 

After winning an opening round game in the modified rules tournament over St. John High from Utah, the Bobcats from Superior kept rolling and won the team title at the prestigious tourney. 

According to Schutz, the tourney format is an opening round-robin style of play to determine seeding for the main tourney in which teams are given four plays to score from 10-yards out. If the defensive team holds the offensive team scoreless, the defensive team wins. 

In their opener against St. John, Superior held the Utah team out of the end zone and was awarded the win, sending them to the second game of the opening round against Flint Creek (Philipsburg/Drummond). 

“We played them (Flint Creek) and were on offense, where they were stopped on a first-down sweep play”, Schultz said. “On the second play, Landon Richards (junior to be quarterback) threw a short TD pass to Phin Cataldo (senior), giving the Bobcats the win. 

In the final game of round robin play, Superior faced St. John for a second time and surrendered a quarterback run into the end zone that left the Bobcats with a 2-1 record coming out of the round-robin format. 

Moving on to the single elimination phase of the tourney, Superior was paired with Valley Christian.  In the second round, teams are allowed to play only offense or defense, with the choice going to the higher seeded team. 

Junior speedster Gannon Quinlan ran around end on the Bobcats’ first possession to give Superior the win and advance them to the next round against Big Sandy.  In the third round, teams played both offense and defense. 

On their first possession against Big Sandy, junior Turner Milender ran for a score on the first play.  With Superior on defense, they stopped Big Sandy on their first two plays, then gave up a touchdown pass that tied the game at one score each. 

On the first play of the tiebreaker, Milender once again broke free on the first play to give Superior the win and propel them to what Schultz described as a “massive” Harlowton team.  The Bobcats scored on their first possession when Quinlan scored on a reverse.   

Superior then stopped Harlowton on its first two plays, followed by an interception in the end zone by Richards, sealing the win and sending Superior to the championship game against Chinook, which advanced with an overtime win over St. Regis/Mullan, Idaho. 

Superior’s George Hanson halted Chinook’s opening drive with an interception, giving the Bobcats the ball on offense.  On their first play on offense, Richards hooked up with Milender on a touchdown pass that locked up the championship for Superior. 

T Falls, meanwhile, had a solid camp in Butte, with head coach Jared Koskela pleased overall with his young team’s performance at Montana Tech. 

“We have a very young team,” Koskela said. “We are potentially going to be starting some freshmen this year. We got better during the camp which helps coaches see what they have against live competition so we can adjust in the offseason to be the most competitive as a team. 

Thompson Falls is scheduled to open the 2025 season for B-11 teams with a home game August 29 against Cut Bank. 

Superior opens its B-8 campaign this fall with a home game against Mission Aug. 28. 

    Members of the Thompson Falls Blue Hawks team pose for a photo during the annual Montana Tech football camp in Butte. (Courtesy photo)