Wampus Cats still have work to do for playoffs

North Star League, IHSAA not on the same page

CLARK FORK — An unfortunate misunderstanding between the North Star League and the Idaho High School Activities Association kept the Clark Fork football team from earning a playoff berth last Friday, but head coach Brian Arthun is choosing to focus on the positive.

Last spring, the league held a meeting to discuss dissolving the North Star League and White Star League, which played together for the past three seasons. IHSAA executive director Ty Jones was at the meeting, and everyone involved thought the eight White Star League teams would disband to form two separate leagues, with each getting a playoff berth.

After the meeting, the coaches of Clark Fork, Kootenai, Mullan and Lakeside were under the assumption that one of those four teams would get an automatic playoff berth into the state 1A Division II football tournament.

“Ty Jones said ‘yeah, you have four teams, they have four teams,” recalled Arthun of the meeting. “We thought it was set in stone, and I was under the assumption it was a done deal. We kept the White Star League schedule, and decided at the meeting that the three (NSL) league games would determine who goes to state. Kendrick and Lewis County made a stink.”

What Jones didn’t say was that the league needed to file a proposal prior to the season for state bracketing purposes, and it was never done. He informed the league last week, so state berths are still very much up in the air.

Long story short, instead of punching their ticket to state after going 3-0 in NSL play, the Wampus Cats will now have to beat WSL power Deary or Kendrick, as the eight schools are still fighting for the two berths, regardless of distinction.

“It might be a blessing in disguise,” said Arthun, whose team could easily have become complacent with the playoffs still a long ways off. “Hopefully we get a showdown with Deary at home at the end of the year for a playoff berth. I’m looking at it with a positive attitude.”

The Cats lost their opener to Lewis County, which recently lost their star running back to a broken leg. Clark Fork and Deary also own very similar wins over Mullan, with the Cats winning 50-24 and Deary winning 40-18, so the gap between the two is much closer than in years past.

Lakeside is currently putting a proposal together for next year, that will have the four North Star League teams play each other twice and Wallace twice, eliminating some of the long bus rides south for to face the White Star League.

For now, circle Oct. 19 on the calendar, when Deary comes to Clark Fork.