FALL SPORTS PREVIEW: Montgomery to guide young, scrappy Clark Fork football squad

LAST SEASON: 5-4, qualified for 1A D2 State Championship with key win over Lakeside.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Evrett Montgomery, sr.; Mateo Cruz, so.; Peyton Chapman, so.; Payton Stevens, jr. Stone Kuivo, sr.; Caleb Ponder, sr.

Clark Fork lost eight contributing seniors to graduation. This year's team, currently 11 players strong, isn't letting low numbers deter them from giving it their all. Head coach Patrick Young recognizes the Wampus Cats may not have a lot of depth this year, but certainly recognizes they have a lot of heart and the motivation to succeed.

"I knew we were going to be small this year, it's definitely a change," coach Young said of his team which has three seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and zero freshman. "I love the players we had last year, the knowledge, the talent, but this year we have to coach all of that immediately with only having 11 players. They are all going to have to know how to play multiple positions."

Coach Young said he is excited to get that culture going now, one where every player, knows every the role, for every position — the knowledge of the quarterback, essentially.

"Having a small team allows for a lot of one-on-one time, so it's easier to teach footwork, technique, which really helps," coach Young said. "They can go run routes with the receivers coach, then go to the line coach and do snaps or work on pass blocking sets and more."

One player that already knows what to do at every position, on defense and on offense, is senior Evrett Montgomery. Montgomery, a 2023 North Star League First Team selection, is going to be the Wampus Cats' main weapon this year. He'll likely account for a large chunk of the team's total yardage in every contest. Coach Young got emotional when describing his connection with Montgomery, Clark Fork's lone returning senior.

"He's an emotional leader, a physical leader, and is so supportive of everyone all the time," coach Young said with a tear in his eye. "Sometimes I have to get on him, but he is always available, always showing up. He's always the first one ready to work. He's such a good kid. With the background he came from, to where he's at, how someone could be so positive... he's just an elite person and I hope he goes on to play college football. Out of all the kids this year, he will certainly be the one I miss the most when it's all over."

Sending a lot of passes Montgomery's way will be Mateo Cruz. Cruz, a sophomore who stands at six foot and two inches tall and is 195 pounds, is set to be the starting quarterback for the Wampus Cats. He didn't see much time last year as a freshman due to Clark Fork's stacked backfield, but that will change this season.

"Mateo has come a long ways," coach Young said. "It's about trust, him and I. He trusts my coaching and I trust him. The goal for us is to be on the same page, all the time. Based on what down and distance, or what the defense is giving us, we're going to be able to look at each other and understand... this is the look we should run. We worked a lot this summer on footwork, balance, understanding reads. I'm proud of Mateo for keeping his head down and putting in the work."

Junior Payton Stevens is another player to keep an eye on. Stevens backed up Owen Howard at center last year, but will now move into a starting role.

"He has grown a lot," coach Young said of Stevens. "He's picking things up, understands the blocking schemes well; he is the leader of the line. I think that's a big role for him and he's really taking on the challenge. If everyone on the team worked as hard as Payton, we'd have machines out here."

Peyton Chapman, who transferred back to Clark Fork from Sandpoint, is another player to watch. He will play some quarterback and as a split end and slot receiver. Stone Kuivo and Caleb Ponder, best friend's of Montgomery's, also came back out for their senior seasons and will be highly utilized.

The schedule looks a bit different than your typical Clark Fork football schedule. With Mullan playing in Montana this year and Kootenai co-oping with St. Maries, the Wampus Cats will face Wallace, Lakeside, and Coeur du Christ, North Star League newcomer, twice each. In their one non-conference game, they'll travel to Lewis County on Oct. 5 to take on Nez Perce. Clark Fork was originally scheduled to take on Superior (Mont.) but the team decided to cancel their season due to a lack of players.

Coach Young, now in his second season as head coach, says he is a lot more comfortable heading into this season, especially with having assistant coach Nick Butler and and assistant coach Ron Heller on staff.

"Coach Ron played in the NFL, what's not to trust, the guys knows everything there is to know about football," coach Young said. "He learned from Bill Walsh and Joe Montana... give me a better offensive guy to learn from. This year is more about letting those guys implement their methods and techniques. I'm going to be the one putting the X's and O's together on offense while Ron takes over the defense."

Coach Young said no matter what, the standard/goal at Clark Fork is for his team to make the playoffs year in and year out.

"It doesn't matter what we have, that's the goal, and that is not going to change," coach Young said. "We all have to come together and trust each other. Out here in Clark Fork, it's like a family. We all know each other, know where everyone lives, etc. Just the other day, the entire team went swimming together after practice, and that's the culture change you're starting to see here — they're coming together as a family. This team has that traditional Clark Fork feel. It's going to be a great season."

CFHS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

8/30 — vs. Lakeside, 7 p.m.

9/6 — vs. Wallace, 7 p.m.

9/13 — OPEN

9/20 — vs. Coeur du Christ, 7 p.m.

10/5 — @ Lewis County, 2 p.m.

10/11 — @ Wallace, 6 p.m.

10/18 — @ Lakeside, 7 p.m.

10/25 — @ Coeur du Christ, 7 p.m.

    Clark Fork High senior Evrett Montgomery rushes downfield for the Wampus Cats during an away game against Lakeside last season.