Bobcats wrestling team practice begins
Adam Robertson/Mineral Independent | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 12 years AGO
<p>Sophomore Bridger Lapierre attempts to throw down state champion senior Anthony Parkin during wrestling practice.</p>
SUPERIOR – As a start to the winter sports season, the Superior Bobcats wrestling team has begun to practice and build a team.
The team will be coached by Charlie Crabb, Superior High School’s physical education teacher, assistant football coach and wrestling veteran. Crabb grew up in Superior and was on the wrestling team when he was a student. When the coaching position opened up, Crabb decided to apply and bring his experience to a new generation.
Superior’s wrestling team will be small this season, with only a handful of members. According to Crabb, this has been the norm for the last few years. Since a full wrestling team is 15 people, the team will be impacted somewhat on the mat.
“We’re not going to win any duels,” Crabb said. “Where our success will come from is these guys placing high in tournaments.”
Because of the smaller team, loss of a member due to injury could be more serious to the team’s competitive ability. According to Crabb, most injuries are similar to those seen in football. Despite how physical and high impact wrestling can be, Crabb said the sport usually sees fewer injuries than football. With this knowledge, the team members should be able to rest a little easier.
Superior’s team this season should be a good one. At the time of the interview, a few tentative members were unaccounted for, but those who were present were veterans of high school sports. One member of the team could prove very good in competitions.
Senior Anthony Parkin is a state champion in wrestling. While this should be helpful to the team, it is not what Crabb will not rely on him to win matches. His main focus is for the whole team to compete well and prepare for the later competitions at the end of the season.
“I really don’t care what individual records are,” said Crabb. “What I want to do is get better every week.”
Most of the Bobcats’ wrestling matches this season will be away matches. There are only three matches in Superior scheduled this year with several tournaments in the buildup to the championships.
Crabb felt the most important dates were the divisional and state competitions. In wrestling, if a team does not place in divisionals, it does not move on to state. Because of this, Crabb’s goal is to have the team be at its best by the divisional tournament. He said everything, which leads up to divisionals should not be the focus and the team’s goal should be to constantly improve along the way.
“Everything else is just warm-up,” said Crabb.
At the time of the interview, the wrestling team consisted of Parkin, sophomore Bridger Lapierre and Michael Frost. Crabb said a couple freshmen were expected to join the team, but would not give names until it was confirmed.
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.