Lyco’s Brendan Clark looks to evolve his game, become more balanced tight end
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Against Cortland last September, Brendan Clark's outlook on the rest of his season changed in the blink of an eye.
Lycoming's starting tight end, Zach Green, went down with an injury early in that Week 2 matchup, sending the then-sophomore in against the eventual national champion.
"Next thing you know, I'm playing the whole game against Cortland," recalled Clark when discussing his season at Landmark Media Day last Thursday. "I was definitely thrown in the fire for sure."
It was an overwhelming position to be placed in, but Clark did what he could, even logging the first catch of his Lyco career on a ten-yard completion, which helped the team secure a coveted, second quarter first down on the next play.
He'd go on to start for the rest of the season. Although it was an adjustment, especially with the added pressure of being head coach Mike Clark's son, he'd find his footing and build confidence with every tough opponent and every Warrior win.
"It comes with like a weird role because I'm in a unique spot - father’s the head coach. So, I think that plays a part. You want to impress him and more importantly, your play on the field has to be good," said Clark. "Getting my feet wet, playing against good teams like Cortland, like Susquehanna, like Brockport, it gave me some confidence."
The Loyalsock graduate would ultimately make a name for himself within the Landmark conference, earning a spot on the all-conference team as an honorable mention. That accolade boosted his confidence in his abilities.
But that isn't his primary focus as he heads into his second season as a starter.
"I want to learn, I want to win games and that's the ultimate goal," said Clark. "In terms of confidence, my goals are set high individually, but my team goals are so much higher."
That attitude is reflected in his role on the field.
Clark considers himself more of a receiving tight end, describing his split between receiving and blocking at a 60/40 in terms of skill. The junior runs a 4.91 in the 40-yard dash while standing at 6'5" and weighing around 240 pounds. With a sure-fire set of hands and a notable frame-to-speed combo, he can be a matchup nightmare at this level.
"I can run well for my size and can catch the ball," said Clark. "Not as fast as most corners but I'm bigger than most corners. Not as big as most linebackers, but I'm faster than most linebackers."
However, Clark was used more heavily as an extra blocker in the run game and only saw occasional targets as a receiver, finishing the season with eight receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown.
That's not something that bothers him though.
With considerable talents Quasim Benson and Terrence Oliver in the backfield and similar talent on the outside, he recognizes his role on the team. Whatever the team needs him to do, he's prepared to do. And in this case, he's hoping to become the best blocking tight end he can be.
"I can say I'd like to see the ball more, like which football player on offense doesn't want to see the ball more? But I think what I need to improve on the most and what I want to improve on the most is blocking," said Clark, who's looking to get that split closer to 50/50. "If I can block downfield, block in open space, we've got some dudes that can definitely make some stuff happen there. I'd rather pancake someone than score a touchdown."
With Clark joining a vast array of offensive returners, he's confident that they can build on last season. In pursuit of more wins and dethroning defending Landmark champion Susquehanna, he's excited to get started in September - one year removed from that initial start against Cortland.
"I'm confident," said Clark. "I'm ready to go."