Merry Christmas from Coach Clark

It is December 22^nd and we are still working in the office trying to organize the recruiting aspects of the job. The volume of kids that we have to deal with can sometimes make organization tough. There are a lot of voices out there and getting yours to be the personal and different one is a key to success. Over the next three months, recruiting, retention of current players and managing the extra departmental duty that is thrown our way in the off season will keep us busy around the clock after break. With tighter standards we have to get our numbers back up from a recruiting perspective. Last season showed that when the injury bug becomes a plague you better be able to overcome that shot. We had a good term academically, although there are always a few that will have to hustle back in the spring term for hours or GPA but that is always the case. I call it “coaches ‘curse” where 10% of the kids will always give you 90% of your secondary problems. Always the case, in every school, but in some sense that is the beauty and challenge of college work in that we get to try to make people change for the better. A couple of key young players (Dylan Higley, Charvis Claytor) are not planning on returning and are shopping the market as they say. With them we have left the door open and I hope they find that the grass is not always greener, and a return in the summer or fall would be welcome here.

Post season meetings went well with the kids and I think for the most part the returners were proud of the obvious improvement, but not satisfied with falling short of Championship level in 2009. There is a fine line in our league of whom the Champion is and who is in 7^th place. If HSD and we were 1 and 2, we are both aware of the energy it took to beat W & L who was 7^th. The team whose off season approach is that of “What advantage did my work get me today” will be the one that gets a ring. I hope it is our group. That is the challenge we will lay down when they return. Improvement at all positions is important, but particularly along both lines of scrimmage. There has to be some forced maturity there where young kids have to grow up in a hurry.

The “I Shared 100 Campaign” was a success in terms of the amount of $ we were able to raise thanks in large parts to the smaller part of the 79 people who gave at the higher “Head Coaches and Assistant Coach” levels. I wish more of the former players themselves had gotten involved. They accounted for about ½ of the contributions. Thanks for all of you who participated; we will spend every penny to improve the football operation in a visible way by next year. Eventually I will list everything we did with the money. There is still time to contribute and I have saved hats back if you want to get involved. It was great to hear from so many people.

In my Christmas letter I closed with a quote from my Father in a letter he had written me for my 21^st birthday. That was a long time ago and my Dad passed away over 10 years ago. In it he said, “I’m not sure that your mom and I will or ever have anything greater to offer you than our love. I was taught by my parents that the love between members of a family was the greatest kind of wealth, I believe that…and so consider myself to be the wealthiest of men and I give it all to you.” Charlie Weis and his millions have nothing on me. In this season where we celebrate God’s greatest gift of Love take time and pass on this great wealth to those around you whether they are Eagles or not. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

With my Love,

Coach Clark

*(Click here to send questions or comments about the BC football program to Coach Clark.)

Coach Clark: End of Season Blog

I cannot say enough about the efforts that this Senior group put in to trying to make the 2009 season a success. In a year where from an injury perspective Murphy’s Law took over, that group provided the leadership to overcome some very difficult situations. We will miss the talent, but more importantly the next class will have to step up in the locker room and replace a group of kids who were team oriented and disciplined. This group stood for the right things, and it was one where not only the front line kids, but also the role players made first string preparations regardless of the depth chart. A performance like Brad Jones had in his last game was testament to that. It was also fitting that Vince Reese scored a touchdown. Being the back-up QB is the toughest job in football and he did it well and unselfishly.

Even if the Hokies win out, we will be able to say that in the first decade of the 21st Century, Bridgewater has the best college football winning percentage in the State of Virginia. All of the players who contributed to that should take great pride.

Congrats to Hampden-Sydney, and I will pull for them to make a Play-off run. They represent us all in the ODAC now but I would play them tomorrow, eliminate turnovers and it might be us the next time. “Why Not Us” was a challenge a group of kids responded to almost 10 years ago. I think it applies again to BC football and we will hit the recruiting trail hard to get the numbers a Championship level team must have.

Thanks for all those who stayed and took part in the victory celebration at the Memorial Hall Bell and the Stone Station tailgate. The “Sharing 100 Campaign” was a success, and there is still room to give and I have some hats left. Long term, I would like former BC players to develop a spirit and habit of giving back to BC football so the next generation can share and add to the tradition. I do believe I work for, and you will be supporting, a great cause.

Go Eagles,

MClark

*(Click HERE to send questions or comments about the BC football program to Coach Clark.)

Coach Clark's Key to the Game: Catholic

Post-Randolph Macon Blog

We're coming off of a disappointing loss on Saturday and the film review on Sunday added to the pain. We are aware of what we are without due to injury, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, but need to avoid falling into the excuse trap to justify lack of performance. Turnovers will always hurt and the three on Saturday led to scoring drives of 7, 9, and 30 yards for RMC. When a defense is struggling the offense cannot give them that type of field position. Our kids play hard, but they have to learn that playing hard and playing well are two different things. This week will be a real challenge and it is a game that has more to do about BC than Catholic University who we play. We will take a play-off like approach to the game and hope to send the seniors out with a final meeting being at the Victory Bell at Memorial Hall. They deserve it, and the underclassmen who are playing need to see again the results that concentrated effort through the week can bring. Injury has nothing to do with interceptions, fumbles, dropped passes, poor tackling, and busted coverage which were all contributors to the loss on Saturday. Give credit to RMC, they withstood a good 2nd quarter charge, took advantage of the breaks, and used their running game very effectively.

For the record, the FG fake that Smoot ran was called. He had to field a low snap but Ryan Richmond did a nice job of sealing the Safety who was sliding to check the edge. That was our first punt block in over 2 years and Jacob Hutchinson who was a back-up on that team and playing due to injury to Brandon Mitchell blocked the kick. During the week as the season progresses, we do not have time to rep the back-ups on these teams during practice. Jacob looked at the diagram on sideline and went out and blocked the kick. It was a big play that unfortunately flew 20 yards out of the end-zone for safety rather than us falling on it for a TD. It was also a game where we lost all three deep returners on kick-offs with Teley Tate, Rudy Jackson, and Patrick Asconi going down hurt. Sometimes you scramble. But as I told the kids after the game, our situation will not change regarding the injury stuff, but we must change. When you are shorthanded the margin for error is zero; we must except that as fact and try to play up to it. That is this week’s challenge.

We won a JV game 17-14 vs. Shenandoah on Sunday. Some great efforts by the young kids that we will study in the off-season.

Ralph Robinson, John Baker, and John Spencer who were the Defensive Coaches on the Stagg Bowl team have all committed to come back this week for the “Sharing 100” celebration at Stone Station Post Game. I hope all my former players who contributed to these wins can come back for this special post game tailgate. Contact me so I can give that group an accurate head count to prepare food and drink. I am challenging the 2009 team to do their part not to dampen the party. Go BC!

Coach Clark

(Click HERE to send questions or comments about the BC football program to Coach Clark.)

Coach Clark's Key to the Game: Randolph-Macon

Thank You For Sharing 100

To the Sharing 100 Contributors:

Thank you for your participation, contribution, and for playing a special part in sharing our 100th win! During the Randolph-Macon game on November 7th, in front of the press box area, there will be a booth where contributors can pick up your “I Shared in 100” hat. There will also be a chance at this time for others who have not donated to join the campaign and there is always room to support this celebration of the Eagle Football family either in person or online with the Development Office.

Also, I would like to invite you to a tailgate at Stone Station before and especially after our last home game vs. Catholic University on November 14th. There will be food provided and a fun atmosphere with the chance to celebrate, and come together as fans, teammates, and coaches once again. I will challenge the 2009 squad to make sure their final home regular season home game meeting is front of the victory bell. I would love for you to congregate with us outside of Memorial Hall as the tradition hopefully continues. If we manage game day business, we will open the Hall to give former players another tug on the bell to commemorate a special victory in your era or of your choice. If you plan on attending the tailgate and celebrating with us, please send me an email at mclark@bridgewater.edu or to my assistant at tmt003@eagles.bridgewater.edu so that we can get a head count before the big day.

It is the sharing of these wins that gives them such great value!

Sincerely,

Coach Michael Clark

Coach Clark's Key to the Game: Washington and Lee

Post-100th Victory Update

Saturday was a great day to be a fan or an offensive coach in our 38-34 victory at Emory and Henry. As I know, people are well aware it marked the 100th win that we have shared in my time here at BC. I have tried to state all along that the wrong pronoun is used when describing this event. It is not “my” or “his” but rather “we” or “ours”. The real value in those games is that they are shared events that will have great value to a lot of individuals on a lot of levels. On a personal note I would like to thank all of the players, coaches, and support people who have helped along the way. It has been a great ride, and it was a good milestone to hit in the final year of Dr. Stone’s leadership as it was Dr. Stone had the vision that excellence in football was possible for Bridgewater College. Personally, my brother was at the game and he and my father attended our initial victory against Western Maryland in September of 1996. My Dad passed on in 1999, and Joe D would have kept travelling to Virginia from Cincinnati over the next month if necessary to share the event, but I am grateful that the 09’ squad made a second trip for him and his wife unnecessary. When I returned home from church on Sunday morning my two daughters were there from Northern Virginia to celebrate a late breakfast before I left for work. All of my family have been great fans and donors to BC football, and I guess maybe I have turned in a small way into my Dad who had a family rally around his seasons.

The win will cost my wife and I a $1,000.00 and I am proud to contribute to the “Sharing 100” Campaign. I cannot put a dollar value on the return this program and the people in it have given to me. Although the real value is not just in the winning, I hope those who enjoyed it, will give back to jump-start the next generation of football players to help get us back to the national level. We are going to put together a gathering around the last home game on November 14th versus Catholic University to pull former players and coaches back to campus to celebrate this event. Watch the web-site for details, and from the bottom of my heart thanks to the players, former coaches, support people, and fans who have shared and have equal claim to these wins. Go BC.

Coach Clark

P.S. – I grade every call that the officials make on Saturday’s and 75% of them were accurate. The call on Tyler Beiler going out of bounds was the correct call as well as the contact on the punt return at the end of the game. They might miss a few calls here and there, but they are human beings and a most of the crucial calls were correct.

(Click HERE to send questions or comments about the BC football program to Coach Clark.)

Coach Clark's Key to the Game: Emory & Henry

Post-Guilford Update

We picked up a quality win at Homecoming that showed an effort that will need to be repeated under tougher conditions on the road versus Emory & Henry. The David Arguad story is a great one and to see him apply importance to his football career and this team is really inspiring. In the mud, Teley Tate is a tough match-up, but the offensive linemen, TEs, and FBs who open those holes never get enough credit.

As a team we have to take the approach that every week we have a major point to prove. Without an edge, we become average real quick. This is easy to talk about, but takes real discipline to apply it every week. There is not a team on schedule we cannot beat, but there is not an opponent out there where BC’s “B” game would be sufficient. It was good to turn off the turnover spigot, and we will push the emphasis on our defense to work to get turnovers which have been in short supply.

In every game we have won this year we have had a special teams score and we are a team that needs these extras. Thanks to the fans who braved tough conditions on Saturday, but when you gather at the bell at the game’s end, I do think we are keeping alive a great tradition.

Although our focus is week to week I will address the ODAC results which put BC in the play-off picture to clear disinformation from DNR. I believe that RMC will show up in November at 6-2 and 4-0 in ODAC. We will need to beat RMC, they will need to beat HSD at home in week 10 and there will be three 5-1 teams on top of the ODAC at season’s end who are all Tri-Champions. In the three way tie-breaker BC goes by the “Rose Bowl rule” (team with most distant Play-off opportunity- 2005). The only thing we control in this scenario is Winning Out. The focus in house here is day to day. We are facing an angry team in Emory on Saturday who did not recover from their difficult loss against HSD two weeks ago. They too, will be having a point to prove on Saturday.

Coach Clark's Key to the Game: Guilford

Post-Bye Week Update

After a weekend away from football it was good to get back on Monday with the 68 players in the Gold group who we asked to come back early from fall break. I have always found the open date at mid-year to be well timed. There gets to be a point where, both for the kids and coaches, a little distance is not a bad thing for a couple of days. I turned down invites to games, and got away from football if you don't count the Coed Flag football game I attended to see my daughters play in DC on Saturday. A 33-12 loss for the Clark/Velez clan, but it was good to watch a game where 10 minutes after people forgot the results.

I must say, I was scanning the internet to get game updates and we did not get the immediate help we needed, particularly with the Emory and Henry - Hampden-Sydney game. In talking with kids today, I told them I wouldn't do that to myself again on a Saturday. Our group needs to focus on what we can control, and on a week to week basis add quality wins and see where it takes us. We always influence Saturday with choices we make during the week.

On Tuesday we get an unfettered day of football preparation and we need to make great progress. Guilford will bring big challenges with their defense, and after trying a couple of post Josh Vogelbach offenses early in the season, they have settled into one that produced 48 points in their last win. With two weeks to prepare for us we will need to bring our 'A' game to win.

Unfortunately I was disappointed that some of the injury issues we are dealing with are still lingering despite the weekend off. Our training staff will have to do good work to get our group game ready by Saturday as rest was not the only answer.

-MC

Mid-Season Update

I have always felt the mid-season open date we get is perfectly scheduled; although after a difficult loss I have a team and coaching staff that would want to play tomorrow if we could. The HSC game was one of missed opportunities on the offensive side of the ball and I know at the QB position there are three Red Zone decisions that we would like to take back. In the big games when you get a chance to make a play you need to make it, and we were not able to do it last Saturday. The bad throwing choices, dropped balls, an ill timed holding penalty (that was accurate) that negated a TD, or a poor kick all kept points off the board for us in a game against a very good football team. I felt our defense gave us a chance to win that game, and I bet at year’s end those offensive numbers for HSC will be season lows.

The step I have talked to this group about making is becoming a unit that forces turnovers themselves. Through five games we have only intercepted five passes and recovered one fumble. In the off week this will become a point of emphasis because I have always felt good defenses can go on offense themselves if they have to.

On offense, we will be more secure with the football at the QB position. Although the team will practice hard on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the QBs are going to work on Tuesday and Friday morning by themselves. We are going to not let one performance define us, because I do believe we are a better football team than we were a year ago and high expectations despite the injury bug that hit us hard are still here and not unreasonable. By Guilford we should get Rudy Jackson back at WR, Nate Jackson at RB, and Joel Francis and Dylan Higley on the defensive side of the ball. In the next two weeks we hope to define for David Arguad, who has chosen to delay his surgery and play with a braced knee, a contributing role for him. We are also going to do the extras with our two young place-kickers who a year ago let the in-house competition make them better. Both have had a sophomore slump in 2009. These are talented kids who, based on last year’s freshmen work, we chose not to even recruit another kicker this year. Kickers are like golfers who have to find their swing again, and the off week is well timed for TK and Will.

Guilford, who has the open date to match ours is always a dangerous team after an open date. Athletic and aggressive on defense, they will try to rattle our QB early and they are diverse on offense and have played a couple of variations of offense with two different QBs. We hope their 48 point performance against Southern Virginia last week might have settled them into a system. Homecoming is always a big game here and I expect the same second half improvement from our team we saw a year ago. There are five teams on our schedule we are capable of beating but they are all capable of returning the favor to us. I believe an 8-2 team with a 5-1 ODAC record will be in position to reach all of our goals.

We had our second JV game on Sunday night vs. Shenandoah and lost a close 24-20 game. If you ever want to see sports at its’ purest go to a JV football game. Everybody gets to play, plays hard to win; but shakes hands at the end and 10 minutes later nobody remembers the score. They are fun to coach and always give you a reason to hope because you get see a lot of future talent out there that just is quite ready for the Saturday spotlight.

Coach Clark's Key to the Game: Hampden-Sydney

Coach Clark's Key to the Game: Lycoming

Coach's Clark's Key to the Game this week against Lycoming.

Post-Shenandoah Update

Two weeks into the season we are excited to be 2-0 but the challenges only get bigger in that the Ferrum team we will play on Saturday is the most athletic and probably the best team we have faced thus far. Coming off of their last second loss to Emory and Henry and with two weeks to prepare for us it will be a game where our “A” game will be needed. Their wishbone offense is a tough game prep on a short week for us. The fact that Ferrum has only played one game (vs. E & H) makes the game planning a little easier and we can make it as much about us as them. In the final two games before conference plays start there are a checklist of questions we have to get answered. I hope the quality of our competition will harden us for the ODAC run that follows.

On the down side, today was a difficult day for us, in that we learned that David Arguad our captain and Senior starting TB will be lost for the season with a knee injury. Beyond the impact it has for us on the field (we are losing a multi-purpose TB who was a complete player) the real pain involved here is for David as a person. He was coming back as a fifth-year senior and brought a level of maturity we don't see often in Division III. As I told the kids, football is a great game but sometimes it matches life in that it is not fair and just plain sucks. It was not fair to David today, but he is also a great student who has been able to treat football for the bonus it should be. He will be a success story without it, but will be missed by BC on the field.

We hope that Teley Tate will continue to improve and Nate Jackson and Brad Jones both showed up in August prepared to play and will get their chance. It is a business where things can change quickly and the staff conversations we had two weeks ago about how we were going to keep our stable of running backs happy was a lot of wasted time minus David and Darrin McKenzie now.

Our JV group beat Shenandoah last Sunday 24-3. JV games, although they put pressure on our varsity game prep, are fun. Our kids play hard, everyone plays, they want to win, but nobody loses sleep over the score at the end. It's athletics at its’ purest I guess. But as coaches, it gives us a peek at the future and playmakers usually show up during these games. They are easy to find.

On a fan note, Peggy Erwin whose son played for us and she has been a loyal fan ever since does great photography work at our games and at Bridgewaterphotos.com players, parents of players, and fans have access to her work. Things are reasonable and a great way to capture a memory.

-Coach Clark

(Click HERE to send questions or comments about the BC football program to Coach Clark.)

Coach Clark: Post-Camp Update

The decision has been made to start Hagan Driskell vs. Averett University on Saturday. At this point we feel the arm of Hagan gives us the best that chance to keep our playmakers involved in the game. In our pre-season contest he was quicker and more decisive with the ball and although he will not ever be the type of QB who has a little bit of tailback in him, he has worked hard to improve foot speed and decision making. Vince Reese still brings a lot of intangibles to the table, but some shoulder soreness impacted his throwing as camp went on. He has game experience and that is always a good thing to have standing next to you on the bench. In the FUMA game Jacob Hutchinson with the third offensive line moved the ball with his unit on a defense that had 11 Division I players on it. He is the fastest of the bunch and we will continue to get him up to speed on the offense itself.

We will have to take a pro approach with the offensive line. Between seven or eight guys we have to keep five spots covered. We took a hit when Matt Gammon was forced to quit football because of back problems last week. In the freshmen group, there is great potential and good athletes by o-line standards, but right now they need to develop that mental maturity to play hard every play and learn a complicated position. We enter this Saturday with fingers crossed and as the season progresses a couple in the young group will need to grow up.

In the last couple of days injury hit the skill groups with the exception of TE and FB. Darrin McKenzie will miss this game on Saturday and we are hoping the weekend rest pulls some others in this group off of the IR (Injured Reserve) list. In a game of match-ups we have some kids who make the first guy miss. Fast guys make good coaches. I was pleased with how hard and strong the young RBs ran in the pre-season game vs. FUMA.

On the defensive side our first group has played pretty consistent through most of camp. They are a tough group to keep blocked and if we secure the coverage aspects of defense I think the group will be a real challenge for our opponents to block. The Secondary is improved and experienced and although the loss of Damien Ward will impact depth, every player in the umbrella part of our defense has game experience.

Several freshmen in the offensive line will crack the two deep. On defense, Joel Francis has that chance in the defensive line but the majority of these kids’ contributions will be in the kicking game and in our JV and support structures. This is how it should be in good programs although I know it is frustrating for young and athletic kids to accept this sometime.

We will choose a placekicker this week, Tim Newman will punt and look for kids like Leigh Bradley, who make quality contributions in all phases of the kicking game, to stand out. We put our best players on these teams and our goal is to get them out of neutral. You cannot just exchange the ball with the kicking game; good teams gain an advantage with this 20% of the game.

Sunday we took our first day off since August 15th. I told our coaches to stay away from the office. Our next off day is in October so at this point both the coaches and players need a fresh face and voice to see and listen to.

We’re still undefeated in 2009 and the Averett team that we have studied on film at the end of 2008 is much better than the group that opened against us. It will be a good challenge and measuring stick for our group.

With the Dukes starting late we are the only Saturday show in town. It is a cheap quality ticket, come out and give us a chance. Go Eagles.

Pre-Camp Update

We are winding down our final pre-season preparation and look forward to getting the kids back on campus next weekend. Gave the coaches off last weekend and advised them to do something fun other than football which will consume us to some extent for the next four months. The ODAC coaches’ poll reflects the balance in the league. I think you had six of the seven coaches in a very confident state of mind at that event. Nobody is beaten in August in Division III, and that is how it should be.

I have stated throughout this off-season that just having people back does not necessarily make you better. For the most part I think our kids have bought into this and we will bring improved people back who are both bigger and stronger.

There are four areas we will need to improve in 2009 to position ourselves for a title run.

1. The production at the quarterback position must increase and play there, although it does not necessarily have to be fantastic, it has to be consistent. Both Vince and Hagan have worked better in the off-season and they will get the first shot. The first 7 to 10 days will be open competition between those two and some of the more athletic younger kids in the program. We have speed at the skill positions that needs to be fed somewhat. I doubt we will have big number (statistic) kids at the RB/WR/TE positions because we have excellent depth and a lot of people will play, but as a group we look for big production here.

2. Securing the offensive line is a must. Here we have a core group returning, but our numbers are razor thin. The seven returners in the program need to hold together and if there is a window for a young player to contribute it is here. We will need to move any quality freshman who wants a shot to play here to try to develop some two-deep depth. Coach Martiny will have to take a pro approach where kids play multiple positions. Without a secure line of scrimmage, speed does not show on the outside. The sack issue last year which by no means was solely an offensive line problem needs to be reduced. That involves all the offensive positions and schemes themselves.

3. On defense we need to secure the coverage aspect of our defensive package. Over 33% of the touchdowns scored on us last year were the result of confusion or misalignment. You have to make people earn points and this was a platter of free goods we need to take away. Our speed on defense will eventually make plays if we make an offensive unit work for it the hard way. We return three players (2 of whom had All-ODAC credentials) to this side of the ball from academic layoffs in 2008. If you play great defense and are sound in the kicking game, you will always have a chance to win in the fourth quarter.

4. We need to get the kicking game out of neutral. The past two years we have been right down the middle with this 20% of the game. Special teams start with the kickers and then it becomes about space and speed. If the kickers do their part, we will put our best athletes around them and try to gain an advantage in this phase of the game. The “Didn’t help you, didn’t hurt you” approach of the last two seasons must change.

I encourage our fans to come out to the Pigskin Preview on Saturday the 22nd. Details willbe on the website Monday. Also, our Sports Information office has done a great job on the Presto Sports Website and following the Eagles will be easier again in 2009. Plan to keep you in the loop.

Go BC,

Coach Clark

(Click HERE to send questions or comments about the BC football program to Coach Clark.)

BC recruit killed in auto accident

On Thursday Robbie Miller (the campus chaplain) and I made a difficult trip. We went to Page County H.S. to attend the memorial service for Casey Amos a recruited linemen who was scheduled to attend BC and play football for us in the fall. The previous Monday night he was killed in a single car accident close to his home in Page County. It is never good when a football coach gets a call at home at 11:15 pm, and that happened to me on that Monday evening. Throughout the service it was very apparent that Casey was a person of both strong faith and family and, in the times when life is not fair and just plain sucks, those are great trump cards to play.

I also think we can all use this as a great perspective keeper as we look to define the opportunities and blessings in our own lives we take for granted. Take a minute and say a prayer for his family. Although most of the huge crowd there will move on with their lives, the Amos family will have daily battles for some time to come.

Tell the people important to you that you love them and when you go to work or to work-out today remember the challenges that come are both an opportunity and gift that should not be taken for granted. In Casey Amos, we have an Eagle who now soars quite high.

Go BC,

Coach Clark

Summer Update

I get a lot of questions about Travis Gantt, Julius Delbridge and Damien Ward - two who were All-Conference players in 2007 - but ineligible in 2008. The kids have finished Summer 1 work and paired with the work they did in the spring we anticipate them being in good standing for the fall. All are in good standing with school but they have to establish GPA standards that the department requires them to have to participate in sports.

The team had a great spring academically overall. Team GPA was 2.77 and we had 34 kids with better than a 3.0 GPA. We reduced student athletes with less than 2.0 to 12. That improves the mean score, too. Kids should be proud of that effort and a lot credit goes to Coach Healey in academic support. He goes the extra mile with these kids in some of the difficult classes.

The staff has been finalized for the fall of 2009 also. Eight of last year’s staff will return in the same capacity. In some of my restricted positions it is our gain that Adam Martiny, Troy Shaffer, and recently Ben Taylor are committed to return in ‘09. We get high value and experience in positions that most people have to fill with young guys that sometimes you have to spend a lot of time teaching. Tyler Corvin, who recently finished his Masters at Virginia Tech, will join us as an offensive assistant. He will fill the role Graduate Assistants fill at the Division I level and take the lead in a lot of the off the field and computer type work that is done to support the program. He will help on the offensive side of the ball and has special teams background which we plan on using.

As coaches we spend the summer doing the behind the scenes work to prepare for August camp. We had our final freshmen orientation on Friday and the admissions and financial aid people have done a great job in securing a 500+ freshmen class with elevated standards. More people want to come than are beds available but in recruiting we are always on the lookout for the late gem that might be out there. Our numbers are good, and retention is high from the spring, but I am going to withhold judgment until we find out how many “players” are on the team versus “members.” There is an important difference in this respect.

Go BC,

Coach Clark

Spring Football Review

We are a much stronger football team this May. Last year we only had about 15 kids test at award level in terms of strength and that number stood at 29 this May. There were also about a half-dozen kids who due to injury were not able to test but we feel were positioned to reach competitive strength. It starts here.

Our team speed is good on defense but we are not very big. Fast would always be my first choice. Injury kept the two LBs who started the Catholic game out, but it left a window for the other kids to work at the position and improve. Scottie Littles has made good progress here and football is very important to him. We anticipate having Travis Gantt and Damien Ward back if they continue to make good academic progress this summer. The young defensive linemen who played last year have all added quality weight and, both here and in the secondary, we feel we can have depth to keep our kids playing at a high speed thoughout games. This will be important because our inability to contain explosion (20 yard plus plays) was a big issue in 2008. If we make people earn it the long way I think we have enough speed and playmakers on defense to make things tough on opponents.

On offense we kept the QB position competitive and the group showed improvement. Nothing will be decided here until after the first week of camp. It will not be the 7-on-7 decision it was a year ago. Our skill positions are solid and although the offensive line is razor thin and undersized they are a hard working group. Matt Gammon made an unselfish move there from defense and has helped out. The summer progress of a couple of these kids will be critical. We do not have plan B’s here so what is in house has to improve. Any interior linemen of significance in the incoming class will get a look here as it would be his shortest route to the field. Our two senior tight ends, if healthy, are a match-up problem in this league we have to use. WR position is deep and opens up the possibility of even asking Julius Delbridge who is back to move to defense if he is needed there for a season. Though not his first choice, he will be a team guy about it if necessary for a season.

I get a lot of questions about recruiting and by the end of May we should be able to wrap up loose ends here. Guys on the line of scrimmage are hard to come by and I anticipate that our numbers will be good, but will not be able to answer quality questions until August.

I was asked about number of players who stay around campus during the summer months to work and work-out together? We would love to have kids here but unlike Division I where they can make kids stay and provide summer school opportunities for their kids we cannot do these things. One of the difficult things about Division III is the most critical months of season preparation (summer) for the most part the kids are on their own. Although we have about 20 or so kids who work on campus, in the area, or go to summer school over the next 3 months and work very hard together, for the most part, this becomes a personal choice for kids. They know they will be tested when camp starts but I have never believed you can scare kids into the right choice. We try to keep in close contact with our kids in summer, but the good ones will do the work-outs they have requested and taken home with them.

In May I will finalize staff appointments and have one final restricted earnings (seasonal appointment to fill). Will make an announcement when this is finalized.

Go BC,

Coach Clark

Second Blog

I have gotten a lot of questions about the status of Bridgewaterfootball.com. That site was the child of Matt Barnhart who started it while a student at BC and expanded it through his graduate school time and eventual employment here at Bridgewater College. It was something he did during his off the clock time and, no question, provided a unique and special perspective on our program. As you all know last August Matt left BC to take the job has the Assistant Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Virginia. I campaigned for the job for him and I will always be grateful that Al Groh trusted us, and took a chance on a Division III guy who was doing quality work to come into his program. This is a business that is very class oriented, and these jumps do not happen often. The feedback from the Wahoos is that Matt is doing great work for them.

Working for UVA football involves a tremendous amount of time. Justifiably so, they have told Matt that continuing this site for another college is out of the question. You can see Matt’s work on their sites and recruiting material now if you look. After consulting with Steve Cox the decision was made to transfer some of the quality material from Matt’s site to the official site of the school and look for ways to expand the coverage from what we have set up. This would include the record books, newspaper stories from the surrounding media, my blog, and hoping for an expansion of post game and pregame material for the 2009 season. My hope is that those of you that used to bookmark bridgewaterfootball.com will do the same with our official school site and I will do my best with our SID department to keep it updated and interesting. The college will not allow chat rooms on an official college site and I would encourage you to use the forum at D3Football.com and contact me on my blog and I will try to answer select questions.
I hope this helps answer questions and we move on to a new phase in the football program. The site helped us along on a great ride. We are looking forward now.

Go BC,

Coach Clark

First Blog

I appreciate our Sports Information Director Steve Cox working with me in the start of my coach’s blog on the Bridgewater College web site. I want to use it as means to communicate with the families, friends and fans of Bridgewater College football. I think we try to run an open program with good access, and my hope is that this can be a forum for both inside information and a means to answer the questions or address the concerns of our many fans. I will be starting my 15th season with the Eagles and we have shared an exciting ride. I hope to use this as a means to stay connected to the groups and individuals who have been, or will be sharing the BC football experience with me and the Eagles. We are undefeated in 2009 and our goal is to make the effort that beat a 9-2 Catholic team soundly in week 11 the norm in the season to come.

Recruiting: At the Division III level the recruiting calendar for football is really a December to April issue. Unlike BCS Division I recruiting, which is moving in the direction of college basketball where identifying and offering underclassmen is now the new norm, Division III recruiting, for the most part, is a senior level issue. Although their signing day has passed, at our level, February is a full fury time where recruiting gets our primary emphasis. We will bring kids to campus every Saturday and on President’s Day of this month.

Securing admissions by the first of March is a goal of ours, as that will allow the Financial Aid office to work with the admitted students and develop financial aid offers throughout the month of March. Although Division III athletes cannot sign “A Letter of Intent” like is done at the football scholarship level, they designate their college choice by putting in an admissions deposit to a school. This is considered an intent to enroll by NCAA standards, and it turns a prospect into a “Recruit”. As a Division III coach I could legally talk about one of these students and release information to the press if we wanted. We can treat these students like the Division I schools treat their recruits after the signing date.

Most of our recruits do not make attendance decisions until after financial aid is set. Although there are a lot of factors involved in recruiting, that is still the dominant variable. I hope this clears up some of the differences in Division I and Division III recruiting. I will note that about 50 percent of our big recruiting battles are between going to Bridgewater where you can have Saturday impact or walking on at Division I or I-AA and trying to be the 1 in 15 guy who makes it at the scholarship level. (That’s about the rate of return).

In BC specific recruiting we are going to be broad based. We are still a young team that needs to develop depth and young athletes. We did this a year ago and those young players now have a chance to play for us in 2009. In next year’s senior class there are 20 kids that will need to be replaced.

I have gotten a lot of questions on the status of Aaron Reed who had signed with JMU a year ago out of Broadway H.S. Aaron has enrolled at Bridgewater but informed me he did not plan to play football at this time. Offensive line is a top recruiting project so this was disappointing. I wished him well and let him know Bridgewater is a great place to be without football too, but let him know the door would be open if he changed his mind.

Coach Clark