Superior travels across the state for playoffs
Adam Robertson/Mineral Independent | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 2 months AGO
SUPERIOR – The Superior Bobcats ended their playoff season after a defeat by the Wibaux Longhorns Saturday.
The game’s final score was 56 to 0 in Wibaux’s favor. According to Head Coach Allan Labbe, the Bobcats were out played by a stronger team. He said Wibaux had a good ground team and ran the ball well.
“We never really got on track,” said Labbe. “The harder we tried, the worse it got. One of those games where we just couldn’t get back into it.”
Labbe recalled how the Bobcats played against a team with similar strengths in last year’s playoffs. He said the difference with the game was in how the Bobcats were able to get touchdowns early and maintained a closer game to eventually win the game. Labbe attributed the victory to the team’s passing game.
Labbe said there were no excuses beyond the Longhorns playing a better game. He said Wibaux had a good team, which required a team playing at full-strength to beat. He does not know what he could have done differently, but would like to think there was something he could have done to improve the outcome.
The Bobcats had some good plays on defense. However, Labbe said they suffered many dropped balls, overthrows and failed interceptions. The Longhorns were able to sustain drives and prevent Superior from advancing down the field.
“They had a good full-back and a good half-back,” Labbe said. “They just took us out of the game.”
Overall, Labbe was proud of the Bobcats’ season. He said it was impressive to reach playoffs as the second seat in the west. To become one of the top eight teams in the state was something Labbe was excited about.
“We’re happy, but sad [about the outcome],” he said
Labbe said he will work with his coaching staff to prepare for next year and discuss plans for future seasons. He has made no plans to coach next season and said it is too early to make those decisions.
“There’s no way I’m going to start making plans for that right now,” said Labbe. “I’m just going to put away equipment [and] not make any decisions on that.”
Labbe will miss the seniors graduating this year and said he wished the final game had turned out differently. This was the last high school football game for Tucker and Tanner Smith, Anthony Parkin, Cole Karow, Jeff Price, Mat Ryan and Alex Billet.
ARTICLES BY ADAM ROBERTSON/MINERAL INDEPENDENT
Grand Opening
The new St. Regis Senior Center was dedicated to Maxine Flemming, a member of the center since 1983. Her name and picture appears on a plaque to be displayed in the new center.
Icy highways lead to a weekend of accidents
MINERAL COUNTY – As blizzard-like conditions swept through the area late last week Interstate 90 became an ice rink and accident reports flooded in as traffic tried to navigate the hazardous roads. The heavy snows began on Thursday, Feb. 27, and only let up periodically over the next few days. According to Mineral County Sheriff’s Office dispatch, approximately 12 accidents occurred between Thursday and Sunday, March 2. Most of these were cases where vehicles slid off the road or spun out. According to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Charles Burton, they were almost all caused by people driving too fast on the slick roads. “The weather has definitely been a factor,” Burton said. “People need to slow down a bit.” Burton also responded to an accident where a vehicle with a trailer hit some ice and the trailer fell over. On Friday, Feb. 28, Mineral County Sheriff Ernie Ornelas and the Mineral County Sheriff’s Deputies were kept busy for most of the day assisting with the flood of calls. While there were no investigations opened, the sheriff’s office was on hand to help with the accidents. While the Superior ambulances were also busy responding to calls, there were very few serious injuries. According to Mineral Community Hospital personnel, the hospital did not see many people with injuries resulting from the conditions. Burton said the Montana Department of Transportation was doing the best they could to keep Interstate 90 and the state highways clear. It was a daunting task as the cold temperatures and heavy snow kept the roads slick. The Montana Highway Patrol recommends everyone drive safely and go a safe speed for the road conditions.
Bobcats
Tucker Smith moves to block a Hot Springs player during a Superior home game earlier this season.