Clark Fork competing against Lakeside

CLARK FORK - The Clark Fork football team will be extra fired up tonight, looking to send the senior class out with a win in rare Thursday night North Star League football action on the road at Lakeside.

The Wampus Cats (0-7, 0-7 NSL), have been a work in progress all season, with steady progress from the first game until now. Clark Fork coach Brian Arthun says the team is rallying around seniors Chase Chowning, David Meadows, Cody Bowers and John Macumber.

"The focus has been going out for the seniors, sending them out with a good taste in their mouths," says Arthun, admitting it's been a tough year. "It's been a long, hard season, but we've made improvements and gotten better."

Alex Benishek has added some speed to the Cats after joining them mid-season, and Arthun has decided to change the offensive scheme for the final game against the Knights (3-5, 3-4 NSL). Borrowing from the NFL's latest rage, Arthun plans to run a variation of the "Wildcat" offense, much like Miami and Baltimore in the NFL.

Many of the plays will be direct snaps to Benishek at running back, where he can run a variety of plays. Quarterback Stillman Berkley and running backs Chaunce Nesbitt and Howard Katzenberg will also get touches in the system, designed to keep defenses guessing.

"We've got to experiment and try some new things," says Arthun, noting he's impressed with how fast his team has adapted. "They guys are really buying into it and picking it up fast."

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Plummer.