Season preview: Clark Fork determined to prove last season wasn't a fluke

CLARK FORK — The Wampus Cats seized the moment last season.

With Kootenai out of the picture, the Clark Fork boys basketball team only had to get past Mullan to return to state for the first time since 2008 — and they did.

It was a monumental moment for a program that struggled for a handful of years, and a season the Wampus Cat faithful won’t soon forget. But the ending was tough to swallow.

The Wampus Cats were handed 57-20 and 68-31 defeats by Rockland and Carey in their short stint at state. The team wasn’t pleased with their showing one bit and Clark Fork is on a mission this season to rewrite the narrative.

The Wampus Cats are determined to prove last year’s trip to state wasn’t a fluke and this program is here to stay for years to come.

“We’re not satisfied with what happened last year,” sophomore Ethan Howard said. “I definitely think we all have the drive to work hard and do better this year.”

Clark Fork has plenty of experience to lean in its bid to defend the District 1 title with 10 state returners, led by seniors Carter Sanroman, Sam Barnett, Cole Reuter and Joe Bopp.

But the Wampus Cats still boast plenty of youth. Juniors Ichiro Matsutaro, Nathan Shelton and Antonio Mayorga are the only other upperclassmen, the rest of the 13-man team is made up of sophomores.

Howard spearheads the promising sophomore class that includes Carter’s young brothers, Chase and Cole Sanroman, and Ryan Matteson, Wyatt Mintken and Arrow Christofferson.

Youth and inexperience led to plenty of jitters last year at state, but now that the Wampus Cats have gotten a taste of the state stage, Carter believes things will be different if the team is fortunate enough to make a repeat appearance this winter.

“We know what the final stage looks like, so when we go back down it’s going to be a whole different feeling,” he said. “We’re not going to be worried about mistakes. We’re going to just play our game and we’ll be just fine.”

A state play-in game awaits the Wampus Cats if they reign supreme over their North Star League foes once again, and on paper, Clark Fork is favored to do so. Mullan lost impact player Riley Trogden and has a few question marks, while Kootenai didn’t field a team at all last season due in part to COVID-19.

However, these Wampus Cats know nothing will be given to them this season. They have to go out on the court and earn that district crown, and this group is prepared for whatever obstacles they encounter along the way.

“I just feel like with these kids and the chemistry we have together, we’re just going to be unstoppable,” Carter said.

The Wampus Cats have some significant holes to fill as well with reigning league MVP Cameron Garcia and starting all-league center Chris Wade graduating. At first, fourth-year head coach Heath Beason admitted that he was a bit worried about how the Wampus Cats would replace the production of those two players, but those fears were eased because the returning supporting cast has stepped up their game.

“JV has picked up our new scheme,” he said, “and we’re going to be taking off and running, and that’s what we’re focusing on right now.”

That new scheme involves cranking up the pace to a whole new level for the Wampus Cats.

“Our tempo is going to 200%,” Beason said. “There is no more slow it down.”

Last season at state, opposing teams cranked up the pressure on Clark Fork and pushed the pace from start to finish. To compete with the best of the best, Beason realized the Wampus Cats needed to do the same and so far the team is adjusting well to the change, he said.

Carter believes the style shift fits the team perfectly and will allow them to outlast teams in the fourth quarter when fatigue starts to set in. In the home stretch of last season, Clark Fork moved to a full-court press and saw plenty of success.

“I don’t think we’re the tallest team out there, but you can always make it up with speed,” Carter said.

Carter and Barnett are the only returning all-league players for the Wampus Cats. Carter will be the main facilitator on offense while Barnett will be leaned on heavily each night to provide a scoring punch for the team. Barnett scored a career-high 24 points in a win at Mullan last year.

It’s no secret how pivotal Carter and Barnett will be to the Wampus Cats’ success this season, and Beason said he is looking for the duo to be consistent, game in and game out.

“We can’t have them be up and down,” Beason said.

But even if Carter or Barnett have an off night, the Wampus Cats are confident the rest of the team can pick up the slack.

“We definitely have a more well-rounded team as far as scoring,” Howard said. “This year I’d be confident in most people hitting 3-pointers.”

Beason said he has seen an improvement in shooting across the board and his players investing time before and after practice to get better. He’s also encouraging his team to not be afraid to shoot their way out of slumps and is giving them the green light to let it loose from pretty much anywhere on the court.

One player Beason has seen tremendous growth from is Mintken.

“This kid is just shooting the lights out and being aggressive,” Beason said. “For being 5-foot-7, he plays with the big guys and gets in there and likes to get dirty. He’s going to be a good player for us.”

Howard will likely help fill the void left by Garcia’s absence and Mayorga will step in and be the force in the post.

“He’s just a rebound animal,” Beason said about Mayorga.

The Sanroman twins, Cole and Chase, are expected to have significant roles as well and Carter made sure to recognize the effort Shelton has been putting in and the impact he could have this winter.

“He stays almost every day after the girls practice just shooting,” Carter said, “and he’s always in the gym and working out and I think him doing that is going to be a huge benefit to this team.”

Carter, who grabbed all-league honors on the gridiron this fall, wouldn’t mind grabbing the NSL MVP on the court this season, but that’s not his main focus. He wants the team to bring home a trophy from state, something the Wampus Cats haven’t done since 2003 when they captured fourth.

Clark Fork has dates with the Bonners Ferry varsity team, Timberlake C team, Kellogg JV team, Lake City JV team and Lakeland C team this season. The more rugged schedule is meant to prepare the Wampus Cats for districts and a potential state run and Beason believes the competition will only make them stronger.

“The only way to get better is to play teams that are better than us,” he said, “so even if we do lose and we play 100% … it makes us a better team.”

Just a few years ago, Clark Fork was struggling to get five players on the court — now they have 20. The Wampus Cats have bought into Beason’s vision for the program and Beason has high expectations for this group, but he wants them to focus on one game at a time.

Last season, the Wampus Cats saw what it takes to contend at the state tournament and they are more motivated than ever to reach that level.

“I think they see the outcome of how successful they can be if they have fun, work hard and learn from their mistakes,” Beason said about the team’s mindset. “This year we have made a commitment to each other that we are both going to work hard, we are both going to be in this together and we’ll see where it takes us.”

Clark Fork opens the season at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Bonners Ferry varsity team. Their home opener is set for Friday, Dec. 10 against the Timberlake C team.