So how do you top a state team wrestling championship from the previous year?

You win another.

And if anyone can find the ingredients for such success it would be Superior High wrestling coach Charlie Crabb.

Last year’s Bobcats wrestlers, competing at the Class C level, captured the Montana state championship, led by a pair of senior individual title winners.

This year, with a solid core back, the challenge will be even greater as the Cats have moved up to the Class B ranks.

But if early season results are any indication, that may be within reach as the 2023-24 squad had an impressive showing at last weekend’s prestigious Owen Invitation meet in Polson.

Gone via graduation from last year's state titlist team are Decker Milender, champ at 126 pounds, and heavyweight king of the hill Chandon Vulles. The Cats also lost Carter McLees to graduation.

But a solid core of returnees, although small in number, provide an optimistic outlook for this year’s cause.

Back for another year are state placers Jaxson Green and Micah Acker, along with the latest in the Milender line, freshman Turner Milender.

Green and Milender both placed second in their weight categories at this year’s Owen Invite, with Green moving up from 205 to the heavyweight division, while Milender who made it to the state meet as an eighth grader, captured the silver medal in the 160 pound classification.

Acker, meanwhile, took home third place at 132 pounds in Polson.

Also back for the Cats are seniors Lucas Kovalsky and Chase Woodson. Kovalsky is slated to compete at 152 pounds, while Woodson will have a go at the 205 pound class.

Coach Crabb said he thinks the team will be ready to compete throughout the year and likes the overall balance in the current roster, which is being constructed from an atypically low turnout of nine wrestlers.

“We should be okay in several weight categories,” said Crabb who has coached at the school for more than 20 years. “We lost some good wrestlers from last year, but these guys we have this year are good too and are hard workers”.

Superior will host the Bob Kinney Invitational this Saturday at the Bobcats gym, beginning at 9:30 a.m.