Clark Fork hosts Deary tonight in bid for playoffs

| October 19, 2018 1:00 AM

CLARK FORK — One of the biggest games to hit Clark Fork in the last decade takes place tonight, when the Wampus Cats host No. 4 ranked Deary in a de facto playoff game, which kicks off early at 6 p.m.

The Wampus Cats (6-2) lost 40-12 last year to Deary (5-2), but feature a decidedly different team this year, led by quarterback Cameron Garcia, whose throwing ability and speed have been a potent combo so far.

“Cameron has steadily progressed each game. He’ll pull it and run when need be, and has the speed to run away from guys in open field,” described Cats head coach Brian Arthun. “He’s really come on as a leader as a sophomore. He has a good grasp of the quarterback position, kids follow him.”

Deary beat Mullan 40-18, Timberline 33-20 and Kootenai 56-34, while the Cats beat Mullan 50-24, Timberline 45-12 and Kootenai 42-6, so the common opponent factor is mostly even.

“Typical Deary, they’re well disciplined, physical, some big old farm boys down there that cam move people around,” described Arthun. “They don’t beat themselves. They like to run between the tackles, we’ll have to do our best to control line of scrimmage and get penetration.”

Theo Icardo has been a big factor leading the defense, while also getting hard yards and scoring on goal line carries at fullback.

“Theo has done an amazing job on defense,” admitted Arthun. “He sets the tone, very physical, he brings intensity, likes to come up and hit people.”

Arthun and the Cats know what’s at state. Win, and they would end up hosting a first round playoff game. Lose, and the season is over.

“It’s the biggest game in quite a few years. Basically a playoff game. I like our chances. We match up well as far as scores against common opponents. We have better team speed than they do,” predicted Arthun. “This is playoff football. They’ve been there, we haven’t. We’ll have to raise our level of intensity. They’ll come out and try and push us around. We need to be fired up and protect our house.”

Kickoff is 6 p.m. in Clark Fork.