What a sweet, although not totally unexpected prize this 2026 State B-C tennis championship is, and Superior tennis fans have the right to savor it a little bit more before history turns the page on the Bobcats’ latest, greatest sports achievement.

For the record, coach Rick Berreth and his Lady Cats won the State B-C title in Missoula the weekend of May 28-30, scoring 30 points to get past Fort Benton (28) and Missoula Valley Christian (25) for the B-C team championship.

To acquire those 30 points, junior Josie Crabb scored 12 points for Superior on her run to the consolation title, senior Perri Jasper scored 10 on her way to winning fifth individually and the freshman doubles team of Mady Neu and Alyza Wickham scored the other eight crucial team points for the Cats on their way to winning a surprising fourth place in doubles.

Neu and Wickham had placed third at the Northwestern B-C divisional meet a week before, but playing tennis typical of that played by Bobcats during Berreth’s 40 years as coach in Superior, raised their games a notch in Missoula.

The 2026 team title joins ones won by Superior under Berreth in 1998 and 1999. Even during the rare years in between when Superior wasn’t threatening for team titles, the Bobcats have always been considered a threat during Berreth’s extremely productive tenure as Superior coach.

The legendary coach knew he had a good team on his hands this year going in but felt that injury and illness primarily slowed the Cats out of the gate. Whacky western Montana spring weather should also be factored in, causing numerous delays and reschedules.

“We were missing our experienced players,” he said of the team’s relatively slow start this season, caused primarily by the absence of Crabb (due to injury) and Jasper (due to illness) through the first several weeks of the season, with the weather adding to the chaos.

But, with other players like freshman Kamryn Church, sophomores Camdyn Atkin and Charlotte Allard, and junior Lily Capps stepping up and playing bigger roles, the Bobcats went on and, in fact, thrived. Church, for instance, wound end up gaining lots of valuable experience playing at the No. 1 or No. 2 singles position in the absence of her more experienced teammates.

Berreth said that things really began to gel when the Superior support system kicked in, and when Crabb and Jasper eventually returned. “Elements seemed to synergize,” he said. “Starting with a supportive superintendent and frenetic activities director who worked relentlessly to keep our everchanging schedule full. No easy task.”

For the day-to-day grind of guiding the Cats during this trying season, Berreth profusely thanked his valued assistant coaches Stacy Crabb and Lanie Crabb for repeatedly going above and often beyond the call of duty.

Coach Berreth also thanked Superior, the town itself, for its undying support. “We have tremendous community support from dedicated parents and extended family,” he said. “Quite often I feel we had more fans than the home team (when on the road).”

Still, he said, it all comes down to the players, and he had some really good ones in Superior this spring. “So important,” he said, “a core group of kids that learned from losses and about never, never giving up.”

Berreth started with Jasper. “Perri was all about team,” he said. “She made many sacrifices to go from playing doubles for three years to taking fifth in State in singles.”

He continued with the unflappable Josie Crabb, who he praised for coming back so strong from her injury midway through the season and providing such strong leadership and clutch scoring at tournament time.

Berreth also complimented Neu and Wickham for what he described as a “magical run” on their way to placing fourth at the State B-C, saying they defeated a Valley Christian team they had lost to handily only a week earlier at the divisional tournament, coming back and winning 13-11 in the tiebreaker, after trailing 6-2 and then 7-3 earlier in that tiebreaker.

With only Jasper graduating off this championship team, Superior looks like they should be State B-C contenders again in 2027. Rising senior Cami Quick, who sat out this year with a knee injury, could return to bolster Superior’s already solid looking lineup.

Next year at this time, maybe we will be discussing Superior’s fourth State B-C team championship effort. Berreth, for one, is already thinking about next season. “Kamryn, has a really good future with us,” he said, “has just missed state two years in row on her last match at the divisional tournament.”

    STEADY GROUNDSTROKES like this backhand helped Superior junior Josie Crabb win third place in singles at the State B-C tournament in Missoula May 29. Crabb’s mother Stacy Crabb and sister Lanie Crabb are assistant coaches for the Bobcats, the 2026 State B-C champions. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)