There is a quiet, but strong, sense of confidence around this year’s version of the Superior High Bobcats football team.

As they prepare for the 2022 campaign, players and coaches sense a good, maybe really good season may be within reach.

They lost only one player, albeit a good one, from last year’s team that went 6-3 overall and lost in the first round of the Montana 8-man football playoffs.

Gone to graduation is Silas Acker.

“He will be missed,” said Bobcat head coach Jeff Schultz. “He was a great leader”.

Fortunately for Schultz and the Bobcats, they return from a playoff run primed and ready, if not outright eager, to get it going.

The Cats return starting quarterback Orion Plakke and his favorite receiver, Decker Milender, both entering their senior years. Plakke’s strong throwing arm and Milender’s speed and quickness accounted for several scores last year.

And everyone is back and bigger on the offensive and defensive lines, including seniors Chandon Vulles, Wyatt Haworth and Jaxson Green. But the real strength of the team, Schultz said, may be its overall depth.

“One of our strengths this year will be our depth,” Schultz said. “We have some very talented players at all positions and we feed off each other”.

Another area Schultz would like to see improvement in over last year, is the mental side of the game.

“I would like to improve on our mental toughness and our ability to have a killer instinct all the time”.

Also confident of the potential of the team is Vulles, a senior who is also a standout wrestler for the Bobcats.

“We all kept together and now here we are as seniors,” Vulles said. “We feel pretty good about that and our chances to win, we’ve worked together for a long time”.

Vulles and Green were also “weightmen” for the Superior track and field team, and had good years throwing the shot put. Vulles said he is focused on football but is also thinking ahead to wrestling and the team the Bobcats will have this season.

Following the game in St. Regis, Superior will travel to Plains for a game Thursday, September 1. They open their home schedule Friday September 9 with a game against Troy in Superior.

Schultz said Mullan/St. Regis, Mission and Charlo are big games on the Bobcats’ scehdule.

“The Western C as a whole is loaded week in and week out”, he said.