CLARK FORK — Andre Johansen thought football coaching was behind him. 

After nearly 25 years with a headset across Northern California, Johansen and his wife, Valerie, found a new home in North Idaho, finally enjoying their summers. That was until Clark Fork High School's Athletic Director KC MacDonald came to him with a request that he take over the Wampus Cats' football program. 

Johansen was admittedly hesitant about taking up the massive commitment and said if he took the position, he was going to go all-in. He sat down for a conversation with Valerie Johansen, who serves as the Sandpoint High girls' wrestling coach, which quickly changed his mindset. 

"She looked right at me and goes, 'What do you think? Of course you're going to do it.' She's like 'That's what you do,'" Johansen said. " I knew in my heart I think I was going to do it, but it was good to hear her reconfirm that because that's a lot of time on her part too... so I came back and told [MacDonald]... 'She says I'm doing it.'" 

Once he accepted, Andre Johansen immediately got to work. He used the relationships he built last year as Clark Fork's career technical education teacher to recruit 21 kids to the 8-on-8 football team's summer program. 

Johansen said the summer conditioning program was a must for him, not only to get kids ready for the season, but to begin building a football culture at the high school.  

"I realized when I was there last year, while going to their games and watching, they had some ability; they got athletes," Johansen said. "I wouldn't have done this job if I didn't think we were going to be successful here. So, you just gotta do the extra, and the kids have bought in so far." 

During his last coaching gig at Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, CA, Johansen was an off-campus coach, which he said was the toughest gig out there. That's why spending the last year at Clark Fork as a teacher has been a game-changer for building the program, Johansen said.  

He said that he is a coach who prides himself on the relationship aspect of the job, building bonds outside of football with students, which has allowed him to be successful. 

"It's the corny adage, but they don't care what you know till they know that you care. I think it's kind of like my mantra," Johansen said. " If you don't know those things about those kids, you know, then I think you can struggle, and that's kind of I think is kind of my forte." 

Those relationships have helped him turn around several struggling programs in the past. Johansen spent six years at the helm at Christian Brothers, taking the program from a 1-9 record to a 7-3-1 record in his first season. He finished his tenure with a 35-29-1 record but helped the school elevate to one of the best in Northern California. 

Johansen's forte will no doubt help him at a school of only 95 students, one of the smallest schools in the state. 

"Everywhere I've been, was a struggling program that I was fortunate enough to be able to turn around and get going in the right direction," Johansen said. "You trust the process, and if you get kids to do that, I think you're going to be okay." 

While Johansen is keeping much of his process the same, he is beginning to adapt to the 8-on-8 style of football. Johansen said that the loss of three players on each side of the ball means that he can't just plug in what strategies have worked in the past. 

"I said, 'Boy, we better be good tacklers if we got three less guys on [the field].'" Johansen said. "When I go to install everything [that], I want to do offensively, defensively, I've got to go through and tweak everything... needless to say, I've been watching a lot of film." 

With Johansen back in charge of a high school team, both he and his wife will be guiding the next generation of Bonner County residents. While they won't have their summers to themselves, Johansen said it's bigger than themselves. 

"I was fortunate enough to have some great people in my life that were there and coaching me, and I think we're just trying to pay it forward," Johansen said. "We don't feel it's a job. It's like I said, we feel it's our calling to do that." 

Clark Fork is set to open their football season against Coeur du Christ on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, at 7 p.m. in Coeur d' Alene.