Justin Clark was ready for the challenge.
When Valparaiso coach Bill Marshall mentioned to the 6-foot-2, 165-pound junior quarterback that some points were missing on the scoreboard as a result of two first-quarter interceptions, Clark knew he had to respond.
“That woke me up, that I had to play football like I’m capable of doing,” he said. “Hearing that really got the spark going in me.”
That happened during Valparaiso’s 14-7 road win against Chesterton in a Class 5A sectional championship game last week, but it was merely the latest chapter in Clark’s lifelong story of embracing challenges — part of a mindset he described as having “the chip on my shoulder.”
That chip landed on Clark’s shoulder at birth. He is the youngest of six children in a family full of athletes, and there’s a significant age gap between him and his siblings, who are all past their college years.
Given that direct competition with his siblings wasn’t possible, Clark said he’s “competing against accolades.”
“They did stuff in volleyball and basketball that I have to outdo in my sport,” he said. “There’s a lot of pressure with that, but it’s always fun competing against my siblings.”
Marshall tapped into Clark’s competitive spirit during that conversation on the sidelines at Chesterton, believing Clark would respond.
“He’s the type of kid that, when you challenge him, he’s going to rise to the occasion,” Marshall said. “It would’ve been easy for a young QB to get flustered after throwing two picks. He knew he’d made mistakes. But he’ll own them, and he’ll rise to the occasion.”
That’s what Clark did, responding with a team-high 112 rushing yards and a touchdown, leading Valparaiso (8-3) to its fifth straight sectional title and setting up a rematch against Duneland Athletic Conference rival Merrillville (9-2) at home in a regional at 7 p.m. Friday.
Clark has thrown for 821 yards and two TDs this season, but his bigger contributions have come on the ground. He leads the Vikings with 885 rushing yards and seven TDs on 152 carries.
Earlier this season, however, Clark wasn’t the only player taking snaps. Senior Ian Wilson split time at quarterback with Clark for the first six games. Wilson said it was difficult for either player to find a rhythm.
“Flipping between quarterbacks, it was hard for either one of us to get hot,” Wilson said. “But I wanted to help this team as much as I could.”
Wilson moved to tight end, leaving Clark alone at quarterback.
“It made me more confident in myself and my abilities, and it’s made the team trust me more because now they don’t have to guess about which one of us is back there,” Clark said.
Wilson said he and Clark have kept a positive relationship throughout the season, putting the team’s collective success ahead of any individual egos.
“He’s got my back, and I’ve got his,” Wilson said. “That’s what’s been great about us. There was never a fight. It was just about us two wanting to make this team better.”
Clark is still working to make himself better as well, knowing any individual improvements will likely result in more team success in the future.
“I have to be a better passer and make sure that I know my reads,” he said. “At the beginning of the season, I was all over the place, making the game bigger than it was. Now it’s about slowing the game down and simplifying it.”
Clark said he has an eye on that big picture, but his focus for the rest of this week is narrower.
“Right now, it’s about winning regionals,” he said.
After all, Clark has siblings to catch and accolades to match. He knew how he’d respond to any messages from them after winning a sectional championship.
“I got my first one,” he said.
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.