Superior pulls away from Mission in high-scoring clash

A back-and-forth first half turned into a runaway in the second as Superior’s defense and ground game carried the Bobcats to a 60-36 victory over Mission in eight-man football Friday night. 

The Bobcats (3-1) came out firing, with quarterback Landon Richards tossing a 35-yard touchdown to Phin Cataldo on the opening drive. Mission (3-1) answered quickly when Cage Salmilin broke free for a 47-yard scoring run and Ryan Sharbono added the two-point conversion. 

The teams traded scores through the first two quarters, highlighted by a 44-yard touchdown strike from Vinnie Shepard to Sharbono and a dazzling 71-yard kickoff return from Lex LaFrombois that kept the Bulldogs within striking distance. Superior led just 26-20 at the break.

The tide turned in the third quarter when Superior’s defense came up with back-to-back scoop-and-scores, first from Gannon Quinlan on a fumble recovery in the end zone, then from Turner Milender, who rumbled 48 yards after pouncing on a loose ball. 

From there, the Bobcats’ balanced attack put the game away. Richards finished with two passing touchdowns and two rushing scores, while Milender added two rushing TDs, a fumble return, and a conversion run. Quinlan contributed on both sides of the ball with a touchdown catch and a fumble recovery. 

Mission battled to the end, as LaFrombois caught a 45-yard touchdown from Shepard in the fourth quarter to cap the Bulldogs’ scoring. 

The Bulldogs drop to 3-1 overall.