- 2010 Nikola Bogojevic Heavyweight Wrestling State Champion
Nikola Bogojevic is the only wrestler in Superior “Soup Town” history to achieve a state title in wrestling. He maintained a perfect record in his senior year going 44-0 against opponents. Bogojevic earned a scholarship to wrestle for the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- 2014 first football game on the new NBC Spartans Sports Complex
In 2013, a new athletic complex was set to be built on the high school campus and was approved as the NBC Spartans Sports Complex. Spartan football, soccer, and track and field were previously hosted at Memorial Field on the UWS campus. The complex was ready for the following season of football when the Spartans took the field that year. Something special happened, as the big hometown crowd roared when the first touchdowns and first win were made by the Spartans. The Spartans won by a score of 31-7 over the Merrill Bluejays on Aug. 29, 2014.
- 1995 girls basketball team state appearance
The 1995 girls basketball team was the first girls basketball team to go to state. They had a regular season record of 13-7. In the playoffs, they beat four teams to make the tournament: Eau Claire North 52-47, Menominee 51-40, Eau Claire Memorial 61-54, and Wausau East 51-42. The state run didn’t last long for the Spartans, as they traveled to Madison and lost their first game 61-40 to an undefeated La Crosse Logan, ending the year with a 17-8 record.
- 2023 softball undefeated state runner ups
Some current students and staff may still remember the spring of 2023 when the girls softball team was on fire winning all of their games. Some may even remember the state send off outside of the N1 door or sitting and watching in the school commons as they played in the tournament. The 2023 team is significant to Superior’s history even though they fell short in the championship. Their undefeated season was an incredible feat that few have been able to complete. For that, this team should be celebrated.
- 1971 boys hockey wins first ever state championship
The Reporter 1971 march 5th edition Fond Du Lac Wisconsin
The Spartans won the quarterfinals 22-0 over Janesville Craig, 5-3 over Madison East in the semi-finals, and in the championship game Superior beat Madison East 7-3. The 1971 team a trend and the standard of excellence that is currently held for Spartan hockey. Since this team won the very first WIAA state hockey tournament, Superior has been to 38 state tournaments and won the tournament 13 times, the most in state history.
- 1990 football state champion team
Entering the 1990 season, Superior had been to the championship for the first time just two years prior, and the boys were hungry. According to the head coach at the time Tom Mestelle, they only had two starters return from the previous year and only two guys were over 200 pounds. They knew they were going to have to adapt. The Spartans started out their year strong winning the first eight games of the season before running into the roadblock that was No. 24 in the country Fargo (ND) South. Fargo South had not allowed a single point all season, and the Spartans did not break that streak. Superior then played the likes of Wisconsin Rapids and Eau Claire North where they won in overtime. Lastly, they beat Green Bay Preble as time expired to advance to the state championship. They beat Kenosha Tremper 20-7 and ended the Trojan’s undefeated season. This secured their title as the first and only Superior football team to win a state championship.
- 1972 state champion boys hockey team outsourcing opponents 32-4 in the tournament
The second time the Spartans appeared at the hockey state tournament, they won the title without much competition. The Spartans defeated Jainesville Craig 20-2 in the quarter-finals. They beat Madison East 5-1. In the championship game, the Spartans defeated Madison West 7-1 as they outscored their opponents with a combined 32-4 to take the trophy. This display of dominance at the highest level of high school hockey set the stage for many years of Spartan hockey to come.
- 1994-1996 boys hockey team 3-peats
In the 1990’s, the team to beat was Superior boys hockey. More pressure could not be set on these teams’ shoulders, as they had competed in state title games from 1990-96.
Going into the 1994 hockey season, the boys, along with second year head coach David Kuckowski, had a chip on their shoulders after their previous season had ended in a heartbreaking state championship game loss. Superior had made it to the state tournament with more losses on their record than wins. They rallied together and grinded out the championship game to take the first win of a historic run.
Superior continued their run in 1995 by stacking their schedule with talent from Minnesota. They played Minnesota Class AA champions Duluth East twice and the would-be Class A state champs Warroad early in the year. Superior went on to sweep in the playoffs and to secure the back-to-back title.
In 1996, Superior was chasing history as they wanted to three-peat their success and to become the first team to do so. Superior was on fire, outscoring and shutting out Wisconsin teams 46-0 in the regular season. The Spartans only played six games in Wisconsin for the regular season, crossing state lines to play the best from Minnesota. They marched into the Warroad holiday tournament and defeated the state champion in front of a rambunctious home team crowd. Superior went on to secure the state championship for a third year in a row. Superior has become the only school in WIAA history to compete and win in this kind of streak.
- 2005 both hockey teams win state championships
In 2005, both boys and girls hockey battled adversity and made the state championships together. It was the girls’ third straight appearance, and they had yet to win it. It was the 28th appearance for the boys, and they were looking to hoist the trophy again.
Going into the tournament, the girls were the underdog, as they were matched up against a 19-3 Fond du Lac co-op. The Spartans won handily 3-1 to move onto the championship. In the championship, the Spartans were favored as their 15-5-1 record was better than the opponents 13-9 record. Superior won 3-0 leaving no contest for the opposing team. The 2005 girls hockey team became the first girls team to win a state championship for Superior.
The boys entered the tournament with a 15-7-1 record and faced a 14-8-1 Antigo squad that couldn’t keep up with the Spartans. Superior won 7-1 to advance to the semi-finals where they played the undefeated Wisconsin Rapids. It didn’t seem to matter, as the Spartans ran up the score 4-1 in the second period. Each team scored two more points in the third period ending with a final score of 6-3 for the Spartans. The championship was a nailbiter that went into overtime. The Spartans were matched up against Arrowhead, who had a record of 21-3-1. Like Superior, they were dominant in the tournament up until this point. Each team only scored one point in regulation, but the Spartans scored in the first 54 seconds giving them the win and the state championship.
- 1974 superior named sports capital of Wisconsin.
Superior was named Sports Capital of Wisconsin in 1974. This followed Superior winning state championships in both boys hockey and basketball as well as the local curling rink winning the world championship gold medal. Superior had won three of the first four state championships for hockey in state history with many to come. Superior’s first basketball state championship also came in 1974 in thriller fashion. The Spartans were trailing by two points with six seconds remaining. They drove down the court and got a shot up as time expired to send the game into overtime. The Spartans went on to win handily in overtime ending the game as state champions with a score of 74-67.
