CLARK FORK — Clark Fork saw its season come to a disappointing end as the Wampus Cats lost 56-0 to Castleford in the opening round of the 1A Division II eight-man state football playoffs.

“They did way better at controlling the line of scrimmage,” Wampus Cats head coach Brian Arthun said.

Arthun said the more experienced Wolves, who have been state contenders for about a decade, were able to stop the Cats’ run game, a “staple” of the team’s offense.

The game was a defensive slugfest in the first quarter, each team only able to advance 20 to 30 yards per drive during the first part of the quarter. That is until Castleford running back Gabe Mahannah ran it in, giving the Wolves a 6-0 lead to end the quarter. A two-point conversion failed.

The Wolves added another two touchdowns in the second quarter, thanks to a pair of runs by running back Gus Wiggins. A two-point conversion on Wiggins’ first touchdown failed, however, a strike from Castleford quarterback Jayme Ramos to wide receiver Ethan Roland on a wide pass ended successfully, giving the Wolves a 20-0 lead.

With a minute left in the half, the Wampus Cats marched up the field after Clark Fork’s Chase Sanroman intercepted the ball, but time ran out before they could score. The first half ended 20-0.

The Wampus Cats started the second half the way they ended the first — with a big defensive play as defensive end Jackson Clemens recovered a fumble by Roland. The victory was short-lived as Roland recovered a fumble on the following play, running the ball 40 yards down field. The Wolves would score a touchdown on the next play. Running back Luis Cortez punched in another two-pointer conversion to give Castleford a 28-0 lead five minutes into the second half.

The Wolves would score on their next possession as well with Mahannah running it in for another touchdown. A two-point conversion was unsuccessful. The Wampus Cats went three and out on their next possession, setting the stage for another Castleford drive. Roland caught a 20-yard pass to bring the score to 40-0. Cortez pushed through for another two points. Mahannah then intercepted a pass in the closing play of the third quarter.

One minute into the final quarter, Cortez ran in another touchdown with Roland scoring the conversion. With less than a minute left, Cortez ran down another one, putting the score at the final 56-0.

Losing the playoff game was tough and Arthun said he is going to miss the five seniors on the team. He added he hopes the difficult loss will “serve as motivation for the juniors next year.”

The Wolves will play either Kendrick or Camas County on Nov. 4 in the next round of the playoffs.