Written by: Will Hoenike
Dating back to 2012, the Clark Fork Wampus Cats have been in the mix. Competitive, talented, and always on the cusp of postseason play. But the team has failed to get that elusive win to put them over the top and into the 1A Division 2 state playoffs.
Last fall, behind the play of talented seniors Carter Sanroman and Sam Barnett, Clark Fork won six of its eight games but, since the North Star League received just one bid to the state playoffs, the Wampus Cats stayed home despite an overall record that was better than seven teams that reached postseason play.
That can change in 2022. Due to a change in the 1A Division 2 bracket, there will be two teams from the five-team North Star that will get a bid to the state tournament. Had this format been in place the past four seasons, Clark Fork would have reached the playoffs in 2018 and 2021. Instead, the school’s postseason drought is over a decade.
Head coach Brian Arthun will have all-league center Nathan Shelton back this fall along with junior quarterback Ethan Howard. That pair will lead an offense that averaged 34 points per game last season. Shelton doubles as a standout defensive lineman – he even scored a touchdown last fall on an interception return against Kootenai – for a group that allowed just over 15 points per game in the team’s six wins last fall.
The Wampus Cats will play one non-conference game in 2022, hosting 1A Division 1 Logos on September 16. Other than that, it’s all North-Star play, including home-and-home sets with Mullan-St. Regis, Wallace, and Lakeside along with a single game at Kootenai on September 23. With two playoff berths at stake this year, the Wampus Cats will have a good opportunity to break that playoff drought and compete in the postseason.