The Mineral County high school sports field is about to gain another set of “Cats”.

New to the scene this year will be varsity and JV sports teams from Alberton High School, 27 miles east of Superior on I-90.

The Alberton Panthers and Lady Panthers will join an already solid feline group of teams, the Superior Bobcats and the St. Regis Tigers.

Just two years ago, the Panthers, who have an enrollment of approximately 40 students (43 as per 2018-19 enrollment stats), were united with Superior in sports, including football, volleyball, wrestling, track and basketball under the joint name of Mountain Cats.

In comparison, Superior lists 105 students in grades 9-12, while St. Regis is reporting 40-plus students for the 2022 school year.

Superior and Alberton ended their sports relationship last year, leaving the Panthers without any sports teams.

That will all change this year with the emergence of several Panthers sports teams, including football (JV or 6-man to begin with), volleyball, boys and girls basketball and track and field.

Earlier this month the school released its varsity volleyball schedule which lists 18 games against area opponents including Seeley, Drummond, Two Eagle, Superior and St. Regis as well as several other regional schools. The first day of practice for the Lady Panthers will be Monday, August 15, with the first game of the new sports era set for August 25 in Seeley.

The teams will celebrate Homecoming September 22 versus Charlo.

New Athletic Director Ashley Schatz said the school will also participate in boys and girls basketball as well as track.

The Panthers are still in the process of trying to put together a football schedule, which would initially have them participate in the 6-player division with other area teams such as Hot Springs and Noxon.

“We are still working on our JV football schedule because we are having a hard time finding teams to play,” Schatz said. “Many schools that aren’t more than four hours away don’t have enough players to form a JV team, which is why we are a six-player school instead of eight.”

The volleyball team, meanwhile, will play its first home games in the classic Alberton High gym September 6, versus Superior, and September 8 against St. Regis. The Alberton gym is a well-maintained older gym that offers fans a glimpse into gyms of days gone by.

Schedules and information about the Panthers and Lady Panthers will be published as they are released in the coming days.