Will Clark wasn’t among Crown Point’s various high-end players who switched sides of the ball this season.

But the 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior did shift primarily to outside linebacker. The emergence of Trevor Gibbs, a star in the making as a sophomore, afforded the Bulldogs a degree of flexibility with Clark.

“With Trevor, our defensive coaches were able to move Will from a middle linebacker position to more of an outside linebacker position, and that really allowed him to roam more and get in on a lot more tackles,” Crown Point coach Craig Buzea said.

“He was harder to block. He’s just one of those guys who can really cause havoc for an offense because it’s just so hard to block him.”

Clark embraced his adjusted role.

“It was fun,” he said. “I really enjoyed it. I could play a little wider. It helped me see the field a little more. I felt really comfortable playing that position.”

So comfortable that Clark, the 2023 Post-Tribune Football Player of the Year, put together a season for the ages. He registered 133 tackles with 13 for loss and six sacks as the Bulldogs (13-1) reached the Class 6A state championship game.

“He really had what can be described as the best year any linebacker has ever had at Crown Point,” Buzea said. “He was just simply amazing. You watch how he was able to affect a game, it really was something to be seen.

“He’s just a dominating force. Good leader. A quiet leader, not really vocal. But he’s just one of those guys, if there was a play to be made, he made it. Even if there wasn’t a play to be made, he found a way to get in on it.”

Clark’s numbers could have been even loftier, according to Buzea.

“Six of those games, he didn’t even play the second half because we hit a running clock,” Buzea said. “Once we hit a running clock, we take our starters out. Think about the number of tackles he would’ve had if he was able to play six more halves of football.”

As Crown Point became the first Region team to play in the 6A state championship game, the Buffalo recruit finished third in the voting for Mr. Football and was selected as the state’s top linebacker. He was also named to the coaches association’s top 50 list and was the Duneland Athletic Conference’s defensive MVP.

“I feel like this year I’ve improved with my confidence,” Clark said. “I had a good season last year, and I really started to understand everything. Everything was starting to click, and I just tried to carry it over and go with it and get better. My confidence, I wasn’t nervous to play. I just played and didn’t really worry about making mistakes. I just went out there and knew I was going to play my best. I was able to accomplish what I wanted to.”

Clark racked up his accolades a season after Andrean graduate Drayk Bowen, now a Notre Dame linebacker, become the first player from Northwest Indiana to win the Mr. Football award.

“You don’t get that many guys from this area to get nominated for that award unless it’s a Power Five guy,” Buzea said. “Our run helps that. Will was able to get in front of other eyes, whether it’s against Penn or Westfield or going to the dome for the state finals. There’s so many more eyes on you when you do that. He was the recipient of that.”

Clark appreciates the statewide awards.

“To be able to reach the top, it means everything to me,” he said. “It can’t get any better than that in high school.”

Buzea called Clark’s monster season the “culmination” of a process covering three years. Clark earned a starting spot during the latter stages of his sophomore season. He made strides, and his performance in a sectional-opening loss to Merrillville opened eyes.

“That really was his coming-out party because he really had a fantastic game against a really talented Merrillville team,” Buzea said. “At that point, myself and our defensive coaches thought, ‘Hey, this guy has a chance to be a special dude.’”

Clark didn’t disappoint last season, continuing to develop. He was a junior all-state selection, posting 60 tackles with 12 for loss.

Clark’s exit interview after that season was another touchstone. Buzea challenged the senior-to-be.

“We knew he had more to offer,” Buzea said. “I talked to him and just posed the question, ‘Hey, you’re right here. Now what can you do to take it to another level?’ He gave me the answer I wanted to hear.”

Clark spoke about studying more film and kicking it up a notch in the weight room, where he was already an intense worker.

“It was the off-the-field stuff,” Buzea said. “That really helped him take it from B to C. Up to that point, he just played. He just played. There was a little bit more he could do, and a lot of it was off the field.”

Post-Tribune

Twice-weekly

See also  Rams’ Cooper Kupp will return against Eagles, head coach says

News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday

Clark, who also wrestles and won the state title at 220 pounds in February, concentrated on football this past summer instead of splitting his time between the sports.

“He made football a priority,” Buzea said. “Obviously, he’s a state champion wrestler, but he cut back in the summer on some of the wrestling he was doing. That really helped him on the football field. He didn’t seem as tired coming into camp in August, and he seemed a little bit more refreshed.”

Clark agreed that focusing on football made a difference.

“That was my priority because I wanted to go to college to play football,” he said. “I made it a priority to go to camps and to just put everything into practice. All of my focus was on football. I wasn’t worried about wrestling.”

As Clark pursues back-to-back state titles in wrestling, Buzea reflected on his star linebacker’s football path. Buzea explained how, after he took the job, he watched film of the freshman games.

“Watching Will on tape as a freshman, Will would be the first one to tell you he wasn’t a great linebacker at that time,” Buzea said. “But you could see the potential. I knew once our defensive guys got a hold of him and he was able to be coached on an everyday basis on technique and all of that stuff, he had a chance to be pretty good.

“I think he turned out to be pretty good.”