Written by: Will Hoenike
Ten of the players listed on Clark Fork’s football roster in 2023 were either freshmen or sophomores.
That’s a good thing because the team’s depth will be tested this fall after graduating four significant players off of a team that qualified for the 1A Division 2 (now just 1A) state playoffs and hosted a home game not far from the eastern edge of Lake Pend Orielle in northern Idaho.
The Wampus Cats had four players earn All-North Star League honors last fall but three of the four were seniors. Only Everett Montgomery, a receiver and defensive back, returns this fall. He’s a senior. Whether he’ll stay out on the perimeter or move into the backfield is yet to be determined but head coach Patrick Young will undoubtedly look to get the ball into his hands.
With Ethan Howard graduating, the team will be seeking a new leader to step in at the quarterback position. Sophomore Mateo Cruz could be the person to earn that role, already standing over six feet tall and having a sturdy frame.
Overall, Clark Fork averaged just over 25 points per game last fall but the team did finish strong, winning two of its final three games while averaging 40 points per game. One of those wins, one which will not be forgotten anytime soon among the Wampus Cat faithful, was a wild, come-from-behind win over Lakeside in the final game of the regular season. In the win, Montgomery hauled in nine receptions for 152 yards and a pair of scores and Cameron Stewart, now a sophomore, gathered the game-tying touchdown pass in the closing seconds.
The North Star League in District 1 will have a new feel to it and arguably no one is happier to see it than Clark Fork. The Mullan-St. Regis (MT) co-op had dominated the league in recent years, often knocking Clark Fork to claim the district title, but the Tigers will be competing in Montana this season instead of Idaho. That opens the door for a new king of the playground. With the Tigers out of the way, the rest of the league will jockey for the top spot. Along with Clark Fork, Lakeside, and Wallace, newcomer Coeur du Christ joins the North Star League.
The Wampus Cats open with back-to-back home games against Lakeside (August 30) and Wallace (September 6). The team’s first meeting with Coeur du Christ will also come in Clark Fork on September 20 - Senior Night for the Cats – before the team closes out the regular season with four consecutive road games.