Clark Fork football hopes depth leads to glory
CLARK FORK — There’s plenty of excitement around the Clark Fork football program this fall.
Most of it stems from the number of players the Wampus Cats have at their disposal. For the first time in years, Clark Fork could field a junior varsity team.
“This could be the largest football team I’ve had in my 18 years,” head coach Brian Arthun said.
Right now, the Wampus Cats have about 20 players on their roster. The added depth will create plenty of competition, particularly at skill positions, where Clark Fork is loaded with talent. Starting spots will be earned throughout the season.
“Week-to-week we could have new starting groups,” Arthun said.
All-league running back Carter Sanroman became the heart of the Clark Fork offense last fall when his half-brother, Cameron Garcia, suffered a shoulder injury in the season opener. Garcia was a two-time North Star League MVP at quarterback and Sanroman raised his game to account for the loss of such an impactful player.
This year, Sanroman is expected to shoulder less of the burden offensively with the multitude of weapons the Wampus Cats can utilize. Sam Barnett and Hank Barnett are back and set to be key playmakers at wide receiver and defensive back. Cole Reuter, Cole Sanroman, Chase Sanroman and Carson Yetter will also be in the mix at wide receiver.
Sanroman said having those reinforcements off the bench will be vital this season.
“It’s going to help in games for sure, but also in practice,” he said.
Garcia and all-league lineman Chris Wade are among the pieces Clark Fork lost. Wade was a monster in the trenches, but Arthun believes he’s got a handful of players who can fill his role on both sides of the ball.
Junior Nathan Shelton will be a force to reckoned with at defensive end and center. He hit the weight room over the summer and Arthun said his dedication really shows.
“He’s one of the hardest working kids we have on the football team,” he said about Shelton, “and he’s put in a lot of extra work in the offseason and he’s pretty excited going into this year. It will be nice to see all that hard work pay off.”
Tre Cirrincione is expected to anchor the defensive line and Antonio Mayorga is moving from linebacker to clog holes right next to him. The Wampus Cats also have one of the most talented freshmen Arthun has seen in his time at Clark Fork — Hudson Mcdaniel. He sees Mcdaniel contributing right away at left guard and defensive end.
“One of the keys this year is to keep the O-line and D-line healthy because we don’t have as much depth in the lines as we do the skill positions,” Arthun said.
Shelton said the Wampus Cats have the potential to be special at the line of scrimmage.
At quarterback, sophomore Ethan Howard will command the offense. He was thrust into the starting spot last year after Garcia went down and showed lots of poise for a freshman.
Arthun said Howard has all the characteristics to be a great quarterback and that playing time in 2020 will allow him to carry some confidence into this season.
“I’m super excited for his future as far as playing the quarterback position,” Arthun said. “We should be able to open things up quite a bit more than we did last year.”
Sam Barnett, a senior, can already tell Howard has grasped a better understanding of the offensive scheme, and he said his arm strength has noticeably improved.
“He’s definitely got more zip on his ball,” Arthun said.
Last season, the only thing that stood in the way of Clark Fork ending a decade-long state drought was Mullan-St. Regis. The interstate co-op beat the Wampus Cats 72-38 and 58-14 in a pair of North Star League bouts.
Mullan-St. Regis went on to capture a third-place trophy at state behind three second team all-state defensive players — Luke Trogden, Riley Trogden and Adam Ball. Riley is gone, but the others are back, along with quarterback Caleb Ball.
The Tigers have a talented squad, but Shelton believes the Wampus Cats can challenge them for the league’s lone state berth. He said last year the Tigers’ speed is what killed them. Now Clark Fork possesses quickness all over the field, and Shelton said that will allow them to hang with Mullan St. Regis all game long.
In order to overcome the Tigers, Shelton said the Wampus Cats need to be grinding every day in practice and constantly improving. They can’t let up because that could be the difference, he said.
Arthun couldn’t agree more.
“If we improve each week, I think we’ll be able to compete with them and hopefully have a chance to get them at the end of the year,” he said.
The Wampus Cats are hoping to spread the field more this year, but their rushing attack will be critical to opening it all up. Luckily, they have a pair of workhorses toting the rock in Sanroman and Mayorga.
The two are cousins, but bring different styles to the Clark Fork backfield. Sanroman is shifty and has excellent vision and speed to burn, while Mayorga runs through opponents.
“It’s a great one-two punch,” Arthun said. “It’s like thunder and lightning.”
It’s early in the season, but Sanroman and Barnett are already going back and forth about who will have the most touchdowns this season. Sanroman quickly pointed out he won last year’s TD battle 16 to 5, while Barnett plans on letting his play do the talking.
“We'll just find out at the end of the season,” he said.
Barnett also brought up his interception total from last season, and Shelton made sure to remind him who got the pressure on the quarterback to force those mistakes.
“I take credit for all of those,” he joked.
The friendly banter is part of the environment Arthun has created, and the players really enjoy it. Sanroman said it makes coming to practice a lot more enjoyable.
For Sanroman and Barnett, this is their last chance to cement their legacies on the gridiron at CFHS, and they plan on going out in style.
“My main goal by the end of the season is to leave the field with no regrets,” Sanroman said.
The Wampus Cats open their season at Troy on Friday, Aug. 27. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. PST. Clark Fork’s home opener is Sept. 24 against Mullan-St. Regis.
