It is the bane of sporting events. A coach’s nightmare. And often the difference between a W and a L in the record category.

Turnovers.

And when you throw in penalties, a mostly self-inflicted malady, those Ws become even harder to attain.

So it was during the football game last week between the Superior Bobcats and Charlo on the Viking’s home field.

On paper these are two fairly evenly matched teams. So why the 52-12 win by the home-standing Vikings?

Charlo played statistically error-free ball, while the turnover bug bit Superior three times. And, the Vikings had 45 yards in penalties, while Superior piled up 70.

Superior took an early lead in the game when senior running back Lucas Kovalsky slipped through the Charlo defense on a six-yard scoring run. The points after touchdown attempt (PAT) was no good, so with 10:32 still to play in the opening quarter, Superior was ahead 6-0.

A little more than four playing minutes later, Charlo tied the score on a nine-yard scoring run by senior Tayre Brown. A successful PAT run gave the Vikings an 8-6 lead, which held up the rest of the first quarter.

Then, in the second quarter, the game changed.

Less than a minute into the quarter, Jacob Tomlin, a running back/offensive lineman, capped a Vikings drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone. A successful two-points PAT put Charlo ahead 16-6 with 11:34 left in the first half. It was a lead the Vikings would not relinquish the rest of the game.

Superior answered Tomlin’s TD dive when ninth grader Gannon Quinlan scooted 28 yards through the Viking D for a Bobcat touchdown. The PAT try was no good and with 8:39 left in the second quarter, Charlo was ahead 16-12.

Then the floodgates opened, fueled by turnovers and penalties against the Bobcats. Less than 30 seconds after the Quinlan score, Charlo’s Ryan Sharbono scored on a three-yard run that, when coupled with a two-points PAT run, boosted the Vikings lead to 24-12.

With just under four minutes to play in the first half, the Vikings increased their advantage via a two-yard touchdown run by Brown. Another successful PAT pushed the Charlo lead to 32-12.

After stopping the Bobcats and regaining possession of the ball, Charlo added another score with 29 seconds left in the half when quarterback Hayden Hollow hooked up with Brown on a 14-yard touchdown pass. The extra point try was no good, but the score was 40-12 Charlo as the first half ended.

Charlo’s defense held the Bobcats scoreless the rest of the game. In the meantime, Brown recovered a Superior fumble that led to a touchdown. The PAT failed but the scoreboard read 46-12 in favor of the Vikings.

Charlo added one more score and PAT when Hollow broke loose on a 57-yard touchdown run.

For the game, Charlo out gained the Bobcats by a 366-246 yard margin. But the real difference was found in two key statistical categories: fumbles/lost and penalty yards.

The Bobcats fumbled twice and lost the ball both times. They also had a pass intercepted. Add that to the 70-45 penalty yards deficit and the two categories become a critical factor in the game.

The loss dropped Superior to 3-4 on the year, while Charlo improved to 4-3. That’s how close the two teams were coming into the contest. And the Vikings are now 4-2 in conference play while Superior slipped to 3-3.

Next up for the Bobcats is a road trip to Darby for a game against the Tigers this Saturday (Oct 14) night. Darby is 2-4 on the year.