Crown Point coach Craig Buzea appreciates what he calls inside linebacker Will Clark’s “wrestling mentality.”
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound junior has been pretty successful on the mat, after all. Clark placed fifth at 195 pounds at the state meet in February, when Crown Point won the team title.
“Usually if there’s a big hit, No. 1’s going to be around it,” Buzea said of Clark. “He certainly brings a lot of toughness, as well as athletic ability and size.”
Clark has emerged as the keystone on a developing defense for the Bulldogs (3-0), who are ranked No. 16 in the state coaches poll. He leads the team in tackles with 17, including 3.5 for loss, having posted the highest total in each game.
After playing limited snaps for much of last season, Clark started the final four games. He had 14 tackles with a team-high four sacks.
“He’s one of the only guys who played any defense at all for us last year that we’re playing now,” Buzea said. “By default, he’s our leader on the defensive side. He’s been our biggest impact player on that side of the ball. … We’re very young, we needed leadership and we’ve looked to Will for that leadership.
“Whether or not he’s ready, he has to be that leader on the field, and he’s done a good job. He’s done a lot of good things as far as making significant plays the first three games.”
Clark, who also sees time at tight end, has embraced that role. On multiple levels, he believes he was prepared for the position.
“I expect to be a good leader,” Clark said. “I expect to try to get better every single day. I want to be one of the best linebackers in the state.
“It starts in the weight room — not just being the strongest guy, lifting the most weights, but working the hardest and showing other young people what you should be doing to be at a higher level. On the football field, once you do that, everybody wants to watch you. Every day in practice, you have to go hard to keep that up and show them this is how we do things. That’s a big part of being a leader.”
Clark said he has become more vocal this season as his “knowledge” and “understanding” of the game have grown.
But at no time did he feel overwhelmed by the stage, in large part because of his wrestling experience.
Buzea noted the Bulldogs also rely on Clark’s twin brother, Paul, a junior lineman who placed fourth at 220 pounds at the state meet, and senior linebacker Cody Goodwin, who placed fourth at 160, to bring that edge as defensive starters.
“I wasn’t very nervous from wrestling,” Will Clark said. “I have experience being under the spotlight and being in tense situations. Coming out here, playing on the football field in front of a huge crowd, isn’t a huge task. I have confidence in myself because of the work I put in the weight room and on the field.
“I’m not really afraid of anybody. That’s what wrestling taught me, too, to not be afraid of anybody because it’s one on one.”
The Bulldogs hope the momentum from their victory against Merrillville (2-1) last week transfers over as they play Lake Central (2-1) on Friday. The Pirates are ranked No. 3 in 5A in both the AP poll and the state coaches poll.
“It’s part of the whole maturity process,” Buzea said. “It’s only a big win if we continue to play and do the things we need to do to get better. If we come out the next couple of weeks or so and we don’t play as well because we’re all excited about what happened last week, then it’s really not significant. So hopefully we build off of it.”
After allowing 34 points in the first half against the Pirates, the Bulldogs didn’t surrender any points in the second half until a touchdown in the waning seconds. They trailed 50-0 at halftime in a loss to Merrillville last season.
The second-half performance last week impressed both Buzea and Clark.
“It’s a big turning point for our team,” Clark said. “Now we were in a competitive game. The first half, our defense struggled. But the second half, we just came out with a new mentality. We didn’t get tired. We wanted it, and we were ready to play. It was like a reassurance we can play with anybody.
“I’m just excited to see where this season is going to take us because of how much improvement our team is making every day and how tight and close our defense is.”