SUPERIOR — Trailing by two touchdowns at halftime, coach Jeff Schultz and his Superior Bobcats did some retooling mentally and strategically.
The result was a memorable comeback win Friday over 10th-ranked and previously unbeaten Darby, 34-32, on homecoming.
“Our big thing we talked about was we didn’t play our half, we played everything into what they wanted and the slow pace was not us,” said Schultz, whose team improved to 4-1 with its fourth-straight win.
“In the second half we just said eight guys to the ball on defense and that was the big key. It’s amazing what happens when we do our jobs on offense and get eight guys to the ball. But No. 10 (Darby senior QB McCoy Townsend) is a dude.”
Dude indeed.
Townsend, a 5-foot-11 senior, was a one-man wrecking crew early, piling up 149 yards rushing on 19 carries with three touchdowns in the first half. His team led 20-8 at halftime and looked to be in great shape after receiving the kickoff to start the second half.
Then suddenly everything changed for the Tigers (3-1). Their first possession of the third quarter went nowhere and they were forced to punt for the first time, then Gannon Quinlan scored on a 60-yard misdirection handoff to pull the hosts within six, 20-14, just as the second half was starting.
“It was a grit thing,” Schultz said of his team’s ability to hold Townsend and the Darby offense to 12 points in the second half.
“Then, for whatever reason, our guys get really excited when we see other guys starting to wear down. We always pride ourselves on being in better shape than everybody else and finishing. When we see other guys starting to wear down, everybody gets picked up.”
Superior’s superior number of capable athletes took their toll on the Tigers in the third quarter as the hosts exploded for 26 points. Turner Milender knotted the score at 26-26 on a 3-yard TD run with 4:30 left in the period, then Bobcats teammate Landon Richards put his team ahead on an 11-yard quarterback sneak with 10 ticks left in the period. Cataldo added the criticial two-point conversion on a pass from Richards.
Darby, who hurt itself with two fumbes and costly penalties in the second half, cut its deficit to 34-32 with 9:33 left on a 16-yard TD pass from Townsend to Jordan Browning. The Tigers were flagged for a false start on the two-point conversion attempt, then Townsend’s bid for two on a run gained little yardage.
Darby took possession at its own 16-yard line with 4:43 left and Townsend led the team up to midfield with shifty, hard-nosed running. But the Tigers were flagged for illegal procedure on a critical 4th-and-2 situation near midfield, then Townsend was tackled short of a first down by Cataldo & Co., essentially ending the game.
“We might have come out a little slow, but by the end this team is going to fight it out,” Cataldo said. “We’re not ranked, this (Darby) team is No. 10 ranked, so we better be ranked by next week because we’re ready to light a fire on someone.”
Superior has averaged over 40 points per game over the course of its four-game win streak. The team’s only loss came in a shootout at St. Regis-Mullan on opening week and the Tigers look a serious contender to get back in the playoffs after reaching the 8-man quarterfinals two years ago.
Cataldo finished with seven catches for 114 yards, including a 45-yard TD reception to start the game. Roberts finished with 159 yards passing and he was able to gain some yardage with his legs in the second half along with speedsters Quinlan and Milender.
“We felt like there were some mismatches out there — they put their strength inside in the middle of their defense, so we were trying to attack where they weren’t as strong,” Schultz said of his team’s success getting outside with the football in the second half.
Bill Speltz is Missoulian sports editor. Contact him at bill.speltz@406mtsports.com or on Twitter @billspeltz
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