Coach Clark Blog

Great Way to End the Season

2011-11-14T04:24:00.000-08:00

There was an interesting stat that was sent to me today and in the NCAA strength of schedule evaluations Bridgewater College actually had the schedule that was rated 5th nationally out of 239 teams. Using Opponents winning % (which was .632 and Opponents/Opponents winning % which was .592) that combination put BC’s schedule at #5 nationally. You could tell in the games that we played there was seldom any margin for error, andit was interesting to see that in writing, mathematically.

As frustrating as Saturday’s game must have been for players, coaches and fans sitting in the stands for the first 54 minutes, anyone who left early got cheated. Although that final 30 seconds doesn’t fix all of the problems, it was a great way to send our senior group out. The gatherings at Memorial Hall and the Victory Bell after home victories is really one of the great traditions we have revived here at BC. Hang around some Saturday to see it next fall, it will be worth your time to share this moment. The Bell was rung 22 times by the Seniors who dressed out on Saturday, it was a sweet sound.

Returning to the locker room after doing my media things after the game, it was nice to see a lot of the Senior group just hanging around taking their time to exit. There was certainly no rush to take the pads off the last time. On game days at home I ask all of the dress squad at our pre-game meal, devotional and into the locker room to dress up and wear shirt and ties. We dress to up because Saturday is a big day for this group. In the locker room on Saturday, Will Davis, our Senior kicker, came up to me and said “Coach here I want to give you the tie you loaned me years ago.” He added, “It has the same knot you tied in my freshmen year.” I had forgotten the tie (although it was a nice one) and regret that Will had not paid attention to the lesson I had given him as a freshmen on how to knot ties. I told him he could keep or dry-clean the tie.

But the tie represented a bigger picture. Saturday’s scoreboard that shined so brightly in the last five seconds of that game, but that will fade with time. Its’ value is one game away from being diminished. In our business it is the relationships that will hold worth.

- Coach Clark

Tough Saturday at W&L

2011-10-24T04:38:00.000-07:00

It was a difficult Saturday in a game that was scored more like a tennis match than a football game. There was no question the 4th quarter intercepted pass of Anthony Carter in the end zone was a critical point. Much like the missed PAT in 2010, that took a scoring possession from us against their defense that much like ours was on their heels. The off safety made a great play from W&L to come across the field and tip the ball away from Nick Wimer who was open. Two bounces later it was in their cornerback’s hand diving in the end zone. Sometimes it does not bounce your way. Only half my quote made it into the Daily News Record this morning. After the game and in our normal Sunday evening meeting I did state to the players that our season now has an “Ending” that is defined by a calendar. We cannot alter that, but we will have complete control on the “Finish” of the 2011 campaign. Our coaches and players know the difference between the two. Take Guilford out and there is not a whole lot of difference in the other six ODAC teams right now. We will have to play every week at a high level and although the 2011 season cannot be defined by a championship right now, its’ most important statement will be the finish this group chooses to give it. Beat Emory and Henry.

- Coach Clark

Finding The Magic Wand

2011-10-10T04:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you are defined by how you manage opportunity and sometimes it is by how you manage disappointment. BC football will see the latter this week. Our fumble at the 1 yard line, a missed chip FG, and a bad interception had a 17 point influence on a game where every opportunity mattered. Our offensive plan was to play slow it down, control the clock football and we were able to set the pace of game. Limiting HSD to 65 plays and less than 26 minutes of possession time was a plan well executed, but in this type of plan every scoring opportunity is magnified. Leaving those cards on the table hurt. Both sides of the ball played with great energy and when that effort is paired with execution this team will be pretty good. We need consistent performance across the board and I reminded the team last night now is not the time to press or freelance; but rather to play hard and fast and trust the system.

Coach Trevathan, the old sage who helps coach our kickers, told me after the game that “Mike when you have been someplace long enough, you have seen it all.” He is right. I have been part of long losing streaks and runs of incredible good fortune in my time here.

He added, “And right now you are at that phase where you are grinding and wondering when that “Magic Wand” is coming back where the bounces and calls all go your way in the tight games.” That is just how I felt Saturday, but he added and I shared with the kids, “You do not wait for it to come back, you WORK it back!” That work will begin Tuesday morning. We’ve agreed to do the extras we did in preparing for HSD every week and make that the norm.

We are done sharing losing. Beat Guilford.

-Coach Clark

Winning Despite Losing

2011-09-28T03:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes football and life is defined by managing opportunity and other times it is defined by managing disappointment. After last Saturday we need to find out if this team can do the latter. Good teams in a perverse way find a way to let losing make them better. I tell our kids never to accept losing; but be tough enough to learn from it. There's no question the Ferrum game got away from us in the 2^nd half. When you are minus three in the turnover battle, and give up 6 explosion plays (runs, passes, or returns) that is a double negative that will lead to defeat at any level. Working in the Red Zone on offense and playing deep balls in the passing game on defense will be a big emphasis in practice this week. We only have one more opportunity before conference play begins to smooth out the kinks and correct problems that will keep us competing at Championship level. Last week our team was wet wood; where nobody in any phase stepped up and gave us the spark we needed to compete with a Ferrum team that was playing at a high level. We are plenty capable of winning Saturday versus the Apprentice School, how we win will be important too.

On a personal note, I have already won big once this week. There's a picture of a potential BC recruit for

whoever is sailing this ship in 18 years over to the right. Celebrating your children’s children is a great joy in this life. My daughter Megan who is a BC graduate on Monday toughed out a win for the Clark family, my hope is the Eagles on Saturday will provide the Family Weekend crowd at Bridgewater with a winner too.

Victories on the Open Date

2011-09-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

Although an early open week is not a coaches’ preference, timing is good for BC as we try to nurse back a handful of frontline players who could not have played in a game this Saturday.
The loss of Jacob has put the QB battle to rest and it is painful to see unfair things happen to a young man who has worked so hard to help make this team better. The players have the weekend off, and on Monday we begin the final two weeks of what we refer to as our pre-season run. Key conference games are on the road this season, and going on the road to beat an athletic Ferrum College team will provide this team with the right challenge in September. We're fortunate to have won the last two weeks and it will be good to see if the group is mature enough to attack and correct our weaknesses in our Ferrum preparation. The return of Anthony Carter should boost our running game and with the reps of Carlos Gonzalez increasing during practice, his accountability and performance should improve. Being +2 per game in the turnover department has been huge, and although a lot of our statistics relative to the conference teams are low, the big stat (2-0) is safe through the weekend.

I have never been beaten by “Open Date” in my career and look forward to a Saturday away, but will be excited to return on Monday morning. Spoke to Bob Colbert yesterday and congratulated him on a big win last week. I hope by their performances we will find out that Saint Vincent and Shenandoah by years end will turn out to be quality wins for BC.

-Coach Clark

Real Value

2011-09-07T16:33:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the Stone Station crew who so graciously hosted the returning players and coaches from the decades of Champions last Saturday prior and after the BC vs. Saint Vincent contest. Although game obligations kept me from the morning gathering, it was a great post game event for me to quickly see so many of the young men who made me such a good coach in that era. More importantly, it was a thrill to see that so many of them were doing so well in their lives beyond football. When you stay in coaching in one place long enough, your former players come back as friends. There is a level of satisfaction there that is tough to describe.

We were fortunate to have won Saturday. Our kids held together when things looked bleak and there was no question that BC was the team on the field that was used to winning. Competing against friends is always tough to do. St. Vincent is one of the few college football teams I actually make a point to see how they do on Saturdays. I think with their QB performing at a high level, they will be a successful Division III team as the year progresses. The line of scrimmage advantage we talked about needing was a push with them at best. Being able to spend time with Coach Colbert and his extended family after the game reminded me of the post games spent together during the those Championships runs. Although we could not both be a “Winner” on Saturday, it was an honor to share a post-game toast led by 81 year old Aunt Marie with the Colbert and Clark clans and all of our former players that were celebrating “Friendship” not victory. Victory and Defeat are both temporary imposters. It is the friendships with fans, fellow coaches, and former players that define the real value in what we both do and have done. Thanks for rallying and continuing to share this great ride with me.

- Coach Clark

Preseason Camps Ends; Hutchinson Named Quarterback

2011-08-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Camp ended today and although missing the opportunity to play Christopher Newport yesterday was tough on our preparation, we felt the inter-squad work we did gave us a decent chance to evaluate kids in a competitive environment. In camp we have managed to stay healthy for the most part with our upper class kids. The team has Saturday night and Sunday off, and it is time away that everyone needs at this point in the season.

The quarterback position involved close competition and the performances of Jacob and Carlos did not give me the easy no-brainer every coach hopes for. It was a tough call, but our plan will be to start Jacob Hutchinson against St. Vincent next Saturday. He has strengths as a player and a good command of our offensive system that will give us a chance to be successful on the offensive side. We plan to have a role for Carlos in the game plan too and certainly before the season is over this team will need to use his arm in situations to be successful. I met with the players this morning and I would hope their response to both “good and bad news” will be to keep competing and improving. Although both kids have been in college programs for 4 years, neither has much game experience, and in the next 4 non-conference games their leadership needs to help us mold an offensive identity before Conference play begins.

Look forward to greeting all of the returning players from the Decade of Champions back to campus next Saturday. Check out Monday’s post on the Web-site and the Bridgewater Football Team Facebook page for a review of details.

Go Eagles.

Football Camp at Bridgewater Opens Today

2011-08-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

The kids report today and although it is fire drill to get things ready for around 140 players it is nice to be forced to morph into a football coach. Over the last two weeks my staff multi-tasks and marking laundry loops, chasing down undelivered equipment, and painting lines on three practice fields provides us all with what I refer to as Division III moments. It humbles you at times, but the players returning and the energy they will hopefully bring get to turn us into college football coaches again. With school being pushed back, we will get unfettered access to prepare our team over the next three weeks. Done right, it can give us an advantage going into the September 3rd game with Saint Vincent. Tim Leister does a great job on the video updates through camp, use the website or our Football Facebook page to stay in the loop.

In January of 1995 I remember standing at the Exxon Station in downtown Lexington talking to Gary Fallon who had just finished his 17th year at Washington and Lee University. I was out of work and asked him at the time his opinion of a career shift to Division III that was my only option to stay in college football. Gary who played at Syracuse and coached both there and at Cornell prior to coming to Lexington told me, “Mike, do not think at times it will not be humbling. You will wonder why other people you know in coaching are making the big money. You will ask why they are on TV and getting asked to speak at all of the clinics, be prepared at times it will be hard.” I had all of those feelings particularly in my early years and occasionally now on a day where the collateral duty overwhelms us. But Gary added, “But Mike I have been my own boss for 17 years, I raised three daughters in a great community and I’ve coached and influenced some great kids who come back and are now my friends. I can’t say I would have said it earlier, but I am 55 now, and I look back and say I didn’t miss a thing.” I took the job at BC and about a month later Gary Fallon died of a heart attack in his sleep.

I turned 55 this summer and year 17 starts today at Bridgewater Football for me. Although I plan on staying healthy, I could go tomorrow and not have been cheated in this life. I believe Gary Fallon that day was a plant by God for me to hear. I have told his wife that on several occasions. In some sense I have morphed into Gary Fallon: Shared his experience 55 miles up I-81, and like Gary if asked I could honestly answer now, “That I have not missed a thing.” Go Eagles. MClark

Summer Ball's Around the Corner

2011-07-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

We are five weeks removed from the players reporting date on August 13th. In Division III where we are also the support staff we stay busy managing the details that will allow things to run smoothly in August. The complete coaching staff returns to work on August 1st and we are able as a group to use that two week period to finalize the plans that will hopefully lead to great success in the fall. We had a strong academic performance in the Spring Term and in Summer-I and not a single athlete will be lost for academic shortfall. This is particularly noteworthy in that at BC an athlete can be eligible by NCAA standards, but not have met school GPA levels necessary to play. Congrats to this group and the staff of Student Academic Support who pushed these kids to these efforts.

Next week we will be announcing the plans that are being set in the fall to honor decades of teams at the five regular season home games scheduled this fall. It will begin on September 3rd where the teams of the 2000’s will gather commemorating the 10th anniversary of BC’s Stagg Bowl appearance. At games in the fall the teams from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s will be featured and honored in the game programs and events surrounding BC Saturdays. Be sure to check BC websites and Facebook pages so those dates can be saved. We hope a large group of people will get a chance to prove you are always an Eagle.

Go BC!

My Take on Pay for Play

2011-06-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Stepping out of my normal Bridgewater Football update I am going to use this as a forum to get an opinion and information out relative to the “Pay these Players” ideas that have hit a lot of the national media outlets. Mind you I am not a Division I “Hater” having played and coached for 14 years at that level. I am well aware of the differences in Saturday afternoon at Bridgewater vs. Blacksburg (I have coached at both) in the Fall. BCS Football does make millions of dollars for their respective programs, I believe there is some hidden guilt in the million dollar coaches club, but the notion that Division I football players are unable to eat hamburgers or go on dates because of stretched finances needs to be looked at a bit closer.

It is a fact that both men’s football and basketball because of the demographic they deal with will deal with a higher level of needy students than men’s Lacrosse or women’s Soccer at the division I level. However, one issue that is never added to the discussion is that a need based student who qualifies for Federal Pell Grant money receives that money in addition to being on a Full Scholarship. That scholarship includes tuition/fees/room-board/books and at BCS schools more “Swag” (warm-ups, shirts, shoes, gear) that you could wear, give away, or sell (see Ohio State) in your time there. These grants could be as low as $555 per year (Family of 4 w/1 child in college income under 50k) or up to $5,550 per year (Family of 4 w/1child in college income under 20K). To me a budgeted young man can go out a time or two on this stipend. Actually it is our tax dollars that helps these kids with the incidentals involved in their college experience. In addition, the NCAA itself provides need based opportunity grants to needy student athletes at any level to help them with some of the hidden, sudden, and necessary expenses involved with college. These grants involve paperwork, and it is usually the NCAA institutions at the higher levels that have administrative staff to focus on these that pull in the lion’s share of this money. Any student (Scholarship or not) would be able to take out Federal Stafford Loan up to $5,500.00 (Interest deferred if you are poor) which could be used to cover total cost of education.

Think back about 6 years ago where Legislation was passed allowing scholarship student athletes to work while being on scholarship. This was the financial problem solver then, but ask any ACC or SEC coach if they have kids working part-time during the school year and be prepared to get that “how stupid are you..Yea right.” stare. If a school abides by the mandatory time limits that the NCAA dictates on the activity of scholarship athletes that job in itself pays anywhere from $26.00 to $52.00 per hour (out of state) according to a Penn State study. I have a nephew who co-ops as a 4^th year Mechanical Engineering student at Ohio State who wished he earned that much.

Education is an investment in you and the college experience should be a springboard where some personal equity in it (even if that includes a loan) is not a bad thing. I do not deny any accountant could go to Virginia Tech and figure out that the football program makes millions and these players are a critical part of that. However, those millions support almost every other program that also involves a lot of scholarship athletes whose sports will never have revenue generating potential. Think of the Title IX implications if cash starts going out. From a Federal point of view there is no value difference in the Quarterback or the Setter in Women’s volleyball.

As a college freshman in 1975 I was in the last class that every month with my full scholarship got a $25.00 “Laundry Money” check as it was called then to cover incidental expense. On that Friday in the off season we also gave blood for $15.00 and the next two weekends were set. I was a middle income full-scholarship athlete (there are a lot of them out there) and I do not remember using the money for laundry. To think that cash to athletes will prevent another Ohio State or solve cheating issues which unfortunately will always be around is naïve. There is a little glass in everybody’s house at all levels of college football and money to players at the BCS level is a Pandora’s Box. Although it is debatable at times we need to keep the education component hooked in college athletics. I see kids at my level who are just as passionate and committed as those at the BCS level. They were not big or fast enough at the high school level to get the opportunity to play, get educated, and set you up for life with your college experience debt free. There really is very little entitlement at the Division III level which is one of our strengths. To get them to spend for this opportunity we have to sell the college experience as a game changing investment for life. This is also true at the BCS level and its’ added value should be sufficient in addition to the scholarships without the cash.

- Coach Clark

Spring Practice in the Books

2011-05-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

Spring ball finished last week and we are in the process of finalizing recruiting and holding our end of year meetings with returning players. April practice showed promise, but also showed the gaps that have to be filled for BC to be successful in 2011. Final Strength Testing numbers have about 25% of team performing at a competitive award level. Our team goal is 40% of the roster at Award Strength level so significant summer work will have to be done. In Division III where the majority of this work is done away from campus, it will take real commitment and discipline from our group. We did have six new additions to our Super Iron Eagle Level of strength. LBs Chris Wholey, Brandon Barrow/ DL- Tyler Thompson, John Brilliant/ FB- Nick Wimer and DB Orlando Bryant. Leigh Bradley renewed at Super Iron level at WR. Top spring 40 yard dash results were turned in by Leigh Bradley, Julius Delbridge and Orlando Bryant who showed that explosive strength and speed partner up. We hope the younger athletes take notice.

The QB position is always front and center with Football, but our final decision on who will replace Hagan Driskell will be made in preseason camp. Although the skill kids get high volume and quality work in the spring it is difficult to make this final call without the pressure of going against full defenses who are actually hitting back. It would be difficult to analyze a boxer after watching him hit the speed, heavy bag, and jump rope. When the people in the fight swing back at you; that is when real mettle shows. The structure of Division III spring ball (No pads, no contact) does not give us this opportunity. Mobility will be a non-negotiable trait and I do believe the in house players in bits and pieces have ability that will allow us to successfully compete in the fall. Spring has allowed us to indentify weaknesses, the maturity to work on these over the summer could be what gives a player an early edge.

With health and summer development we could have both experience and some depth on both lines of scrimmage entering the '11 season. Never underestimate the quiet impact on games that is played out on the line of scrimmage. I believe this will be important particularly on the defensive side of the ball where the perimeter must be rebuilt somewhat. From a coaching perspective, we will take some time in May and make preliminary plans for August. It is very important here that we play to our players strength and put new people in positions where they can play hard.

I avoid recruiting comments in the spring although our class is in its’ final stages of recruitment. There are always a handful of key kids we are chasing in May and by Memorial Day this phase of our operation should be complete. Skill kids were a high priority and as a group I believe we have gotten athletic kids at RB, WR, and in the Secondary who will bring good versatility to the program. The more flexible a recruit can be from a position standpoint, the quicker his chance to have impact.

Will Davis really did quality work in Place-kicking this spring. As a rising Senior, his kicking game over the past two seasons has had both ups and downs. It was great to see pressure kicks being made at the end of work-outs. Much like the QB, nobody was rushing so the jury is still out, but we made progress in this critical phase.

On a side note I spoke to Tyler Beiler and although he was disappointed at not being a late round draft pick it has been said that a top free-agent often times is in a better position in that he can pick the right spot to take his shot. It is difficult in that under the lock-out, NFL teams are not allowed to contact the players in that Free-Agent pool at this time. Although he and his agent are aware of who needs WR help, and what teams had the most pre-draft contact and interest in him, at present they are prohibited from communicating. It is a waiting game now. When things get settled we do believe he will get his shot.

We will look to do a live chat in mid-May to discuss upcoming season and summer plans. The amount of time we have to prepare is equal to every opponent on the schedule. In Division III there are a lot variables that are out of our control. The choice to outwork your opponent is one we get to make on a daily basis.

~ Coach Clark

Spring Workouts Just Around the Corner

2011-03-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Monday we will begin the Non-Traditional days allowed in football (Spring Practice). Although the set-up in Division III will never be confused with the padded Spring Practice structure of Division I, it still represents a great opportunity for us to evaluate and develop some of the talent we have in our program.

By NCAA Division III rules if we make physical testing mandatory in the off-season it has to be counted as a practice opportunity . This is a high priority for us, and the first 4 days in week #1 are dedicated to strength, running, and jumping tests. This testing allows us to see who has improved and developed college level strength. Based on these results, the staff makes our first depth chart evaluation as per where players stand at their position.

We have to balance things off with our track program where many of our skill kids are the sprinters and jumpers for Coach Stevens. Our heaviest team work is placed in the week after the ODAC Track and Field Championship. On most of our post testing days, we will have position meetings and mandatory weight sessions where the kids can now get hands on instruction from our coaches. Throughout the days that are declared for practice there will be a lot of individual skill sessions scheduled by the staff for small teaching sessions run by position coaches. Many skill sessions start at 6:30 am in the morning or are fitted off of players academic schedules.

From a staff prospective our goals are really three fold in this period. Teach fundamentals in football without the pressure of having to prepare to win a game. Introduce the base schemes that are used on the Offensive and Defensive side of the ball and most importantly identify the kids who are committed to the program. In this period, with things being mandatory we get the chance to convert the ones whose off-season work falls into that “sometimes committed” category. No question we need to expand our core group of kids who are in the ALWAYS COMMITTED group. It will be difficult to compete without this development, and as coaches we value the access we get to our team over the next 16 days.

~ Coach Clark

Coach Hunt Accepts UFL Job

2011-02-25T13:25:00.000-08:00

This week Robert Hunt announced that he would leave BC to move back into professional football with the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL. The Nighthawks are going to be led by Joe Moglia who is also founder and CEO of TD Ameritrade. We will miss Robert and perhaps his final contribution to the program can be a stock tip sometime next season. Anytime a staff member leaves, we look at it as an opportunity for us to make the program better.

Certainly in Scott Lemn we had an easy replacement solution at offensive line. In Scott, we will be able to keep an excellent young coach around BC football for the 2011 season. In these situations, established players have to make a new impression and earn new credentials at their position. Kids who might have been evaluated as back-ups a year ago get a chance to start with a clean slate. Both circumstances if attacked right, allow the collective group to get better.

We look for offensive line play in 2011 to be a key ingredient in our ability to be successful. Between Coach Healey, Coach Johnson, and myself, all of whom have some defensive line experience, we will cover that group during our spring ball work in April. A new Defensive Line Coach will be hired in early summer to prepare to lead an experienced group of kids in the fall.

Entering my 17th season at BC, I look forward to getting somebody on campus who has seen it done differently. New ideas are not a threat, they give the organization a chance to self-evaluate and often times grow for the better.

~ Coach Clark

Don't Let the Edge Slip Away

2011-02-11T07:15:00.001-08:00

In every season there are those “Trench” times where if you are not careful the routines that get set in place can take away your edge. Athletics needs to involve that “Edge” on a daily basis to have players reach their true potential. Although the Division III model is about participation at its core, even the NCAA statement uses the term “Passionate Participation.”

I shared the following with our group as we move through the cold trenches that February brings at BC. I think the thoughts could have broad based application in directions going way beyond sports. It is in that transfer of principle that our kid’s sports experience will have its’ greatest value.

Most athletes know the right thing to do. Ask yourself the following?
1- I "Always Commit"
2- I "Often Commit"
3- I "Sometimes Commit"

In Phase I the buzz of the Spring Semester starting has begun to wear off. Now is where your discipline must pay off. Whether it be weights, speed class, weekend recruiting assistance, or your classroom obligations remember to respond to what you have committed to, not to how you might feel at the moment.
There is a behavior trap out there and it is called "Just this one time!" AVOID IT. It will swallow you up.

-Coach Clark

Another Loss in BC Family

2011-01-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

Mixed recruiting on Saturday with a celebration of a great life at the service for Waddell Howard, the father of Stephen Howard, who passed away last week. When a "Coming Home Service" includes "When the Saints Come Marching In" and "Everlasting Life" on the saxophone, God shines even in the pain of the moment. I have always felt in the difficult times it is Faith, Family, and Friends that pull people through, but with the three untimely deaths the BC family has dealt with recently, I would like to add Team to that group.

In the last couple of months when needed, the BC team has shown up when it had nothing to do with football. I remember asking Stephen the Monday after the Randolph Macon game if his Dad who was in the hospital at UVA was able to pick up the game on radio. That game Stephen intercepted a pass and ran it for a touchdown (not the norm for a Defensive End). Stephen replied that his Dad could not get reception, but his brother JR. who is in the Air Force (stationed in Colorado) had the game up on the computer stream and with his cell phone was able to let his father listen and stay updated on his phone in the hospital room. Welcome to the 21st century, where a computer in Colorado can let a father in a Virginia hospital on his cell phone share his son's touchdown. It is an image I will always remember.

We will begin Spring Semester on Wednesday. The team will come together again and I hope they realize that the collective effort, discipline, and sacrifice being a good teammate demands forges a bond that goes beyond Saturday's in the fall. If you pay the price, the support that comes with it can be broad based and long term. I have seen it recently.

~Coach Clark

The Real Value in Coaching

2011-01-10T05:58:00.000-08:00

Photo by former teammate and artist, Vince Turner

In coaching last week, Jim Harbaugh from Stanford parlayed a great season with the Cardinal into a bidding war between 2 major colleges and NFL teams for his expertise. Rich Rodriguez was payed 2.5 million not to work and a former NFL coach turned Network analyist apparently turned down an "insulting" 4 million dollar offer to get back on the sideline. I got to speak at the funeral of a 30 year old All-American whose life was cut tragically short. From a coaching perspective, my week had the greater value.
I hold no resentment toward the coaches who operate at the 7 figure level. More power to them! If BC offers to compensate me at that level I'd take it and continue to work hard. However, in Glen Burnie MD on Friday I saw a value in the College football experience that cannot be bought.
In the service for Davon Cruz over 25 of his former teammates came back (2 from Florida) to support his family in a time of need. An artist teammate who could not make it drew a portrait that was shipped up and signed. Guys who worked for Marriott provided $25.00 rooms in properties they run. A former college President sat on the altar in that packed church out of respect for a student he had to pursue to ensure he finished the education his mother was promised. After a 2 1/2 hour Pentecostal service where the spirit held sway, a couple of coaches who shared both success and failure with this group 10 years ago took them to lunch where with wives, families and friends we connected as a team again. Davon much like he did as a player, brought the best out in his teammates and coaches.
When you stay somewhere 17 years in coaching there is a connection that extends beyond the field. My players know where to find me and I get a thrill seeing them move on so successfully with their lives. Walking into that church a young women shook my hand and said she was a former Eagle. I corrected her in that "You are always an Eagle!" I spent time Friday with a group of people that reminded me of that with their actions. Go BC

- Coach Clark

Coach Clark on the Passing of Davon Cruz

2011-01-03T06:17:00.001-08:00

At my age I could have been called home yesterday and not have been cheated in this life. The tragic loss of Davon Cruz (in a car accident) on January 1st reminds us again that although God is good, sometimes life just sucks. He had a smile that could light up a room and as a player he brought Division I ability to the Division III level. Anytime the words "All-Time" follow your name, you know you had impact in a program. As the All-American TB on our 01' Stagg Bowl team, Davon was a key player in our success. We need to keep Carmen (his mom) and the rest of his family in our prayers.

In his time with us we shared both highs and lows. The walls of Nininger Hall are covered with pictures of #15. His nickname was the "Mule" for the load he carried and delivered on teams who changed the image of BC football. I always appreciate the players in our program who are tough people and play hard. Davon was one of these players. We are better here because of his efforts and the standards he helped shape. Always an Eagle, let's look for ways to be a good teammate to Davon and his family at this tough time.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

Our staff will finish up what we call our contact recruiting period on Wednesday then break for the Holidays until the Inter-term Session begins January 3^rd. We look forward to the down time and the batteries will need to be charged for an off-season that in the Division III level is long and demands that we multi-task a lot of different aspects of our work. No question, the January through June work both on and off the field by the players and coaches determines who celebrates success in the fall. While in Salem for Stagg Bowl events last weekend, I got to see firsthand what the National standard is at the Division III level. There is a select group who have separated themselves from the pack for sure. Right now we can COMMIT to prepare and chase after them on all fronts. The ODAC in 2011 will be competitive and balanced again. There will be a fine line between 1^st and 7^th in this league.

Thanks to the players, staff, and fans who allowed us to share success in 2010. Kudos to the players who are picking up post-season honors; they are well deserved. Your individual efforts made a team better and the honors keep our program in the spotlight. Over the past sixteen years BC has been a great gift in my life. As much as we enjoy the wins, it has been the people who have made this program special over the years. In this season of gifts, make sure you take some time to identify and thank the people in your seasons (in which ever form they come) who have added value for you. In the Christmas season we celebrate the fact that God picked us to send a life-changing gift. Celebrate all the gifts in your life. Merry Christmas.

Tragic Thanksgiving Holiday for Football Family

2010-11-29T05:51:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed a Thanksgiving with family and will finish my meetings with underclassmen on Monday and Tuesday and then I will join the rest of the staff in the recruiting process for 2011. We meet with all players and I use the surveys I give them, particularly the input from the Seniors, to evaluate the program and its’ people. Looking at this data we will try to develop a plan to improve BC football for the next group of players. It is easy to focus on what you do right, but attacking the spots where we fall short is harder, but it has the greatest impact on whether we improve. I still believe this Senior class turned us into a Playoff team that was not in the Playoffs and I will always be grateful for their efforts.

Over the Holiday, the BC family dealt with a tragic loss in the death of Julian Pierre who played for us in the to 2002-2005 era. Ju-Ju came from Immokalee, Florida and showed up as a 175 pound receiver and left here as a pretty good 225 pound TE. He was a champion every year he played, and really never left the Bridgewater area once he arrived. BC became his home and family in some sense, and after graduating in 2007, he stayed in the area to work. He was in the management program at Texas Roadhouse. If you have ever been to Immokalee, Florida you would know that in Ju-Ju’s family there is not a lot money. We have told his sister and mom that we will take the responsibility of getting the body back to Florida where they would like to have the funeral. One of the characteristics of a good program and teammates is that the people in it give back when they are needed or capable. The Pierre family needs our BC football family to help them. Beyond his smile which will never be forgotten, I remember at H-SD in 2005 when Jacob Lewis checked a 2-Protection in a (Ace) 2-TE set to throw a post to Brandon Copeland who was manned up on a HSD cornerback. We do not use that protection with that set, but Ju-Ju was smart enough to kick back out and take the Tailback’s block (who was not in the game) and block the wide rusher to the weak-side. The QB was protected, the play went for a TD and we won that game and the title that came with it. Thanks JU-JU, for that and a lot of other reasons I am donating. Always an Eagle. Coach Clark

Details of donation process will be posted on Bridgewater Football face book fan page.

Nice Way to Cap Off a Strong Year

2010-11-16T05:04:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the fans who showed up Saturday at CUA. I think for the fifth straight time the visiting Eagles outnumbered the CUA fans on our DC trip. It is great to have a home-field advantage on the road. Although I feel we developed into a Playoff level team that is not in the Playoffs, I have asked the Senior group to not be defined by two close but brutal losses. Their story is the energy and guts it took to hold together after the 35-34 setback to W & L and the ability they showed to refocus and continue to play hard. It is true we are two plays away from being undefeated, but no BC player, coach, or fan should ever apologize for being 8-2 in 2010. These kids were winners (CASE CLOSED).

The two greatest moments of the game were not record setting completions by a QB or catches by a WR, but a catch in the last drive by Joel Gast and a seven yard run to end the game by Michael Ward (who is a LB). These two Seniors are team guys who only could be finishers at the Division III level. Their selflessness in the support roles they played on and off the field during their four years are now etched in a stat book that will last forever. The one catch or one run on a stat sheet represents much more for these two and our program. I am thankful to coach kids who play hard and assign value to football in their lives. These lessons learned transfer beyond the field and therein lies their real value.

MClark

One More Chapter to Write

2010-11-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

Week 10 always brings special challenges to coaches and players. Particularly coming off an emotional victory at RMC last week, it will be real important that everyone in the program stays hungry. There is one more important chapter to write about this team. I told the team in our Monday meeting that what we do at CUA on Saturday will either add to, or detract from the final evaluation of this group.

I want to thank the fans who hung with us and gave us such a large following at R-MC last Saturday. Leaving the field at the half, I know our kids got a charge from your energy as we passed the stands and I hope you can offer the team the same support this week. I cannot recall coaching a team where the defensive group was accountable for 16 points in my 31 years. Overcoming defensive scores is difficult for an opponent to do, but I give a lot of credit to R-MC to sticking with their plan of running the ball and playing defensive football. It gave them a chance to win in the fourth quarter. Those scores and the quick strikes to Beiler really taxed our defense in terms of possession time, and it is not often that your defense plays 95 plays in a “winning” effort.

Still, working hard here and being successful on Saturday is determined by choices and the efforts the players and coaches make Tuesday through Friday to a large degree. Our kids understand that, as we chase win number 8.

The Clark girls are planning a Tailgate by the tennis courts with the Alumni Group so come out in force. If my daughters are involved expect to have fun and be primed before you take your seat.

Go Eagles.

Post Emory & Henry Update

2010-11-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

It was satisfying that our Senior group could make that run up to the victory bell in Memorial Hall on Saturday. It took a lot of character to shake the W & L loss off and not live in a “could have been world.” I will appreciate the kids who finish and the people who support them along the way. At 6-2, we are exactly where we were a year ago, only we will be facing a better R-MC team on the road who has had the extra week to prepare for us. The open date for them has allowed their new quarterback to get comfortable, and I have always felt they have been one of the more physical teams in our league as of late. All the pressure is on them though, because a loss would be fatal to their post-season hopes.

We will meet with the kids on Monday and try to take the same approach we did two years ago when we went and played Catholic who at 8-1 only needed to beat BC to advance, but tightened up and could not finish off the Eagles. We have enough talent to beat anyone on our schedule, and with nothing to lose, can play loose and with a clear spirit. People with ability and nothing to lose can be a dangerous crowd to compete against. We have not done our best collective work yet as a total team in 2010. Will need to do it to Saturday in Ashland to beat a RMC team with so much on the line.

On a second note our JV team won again on Sunday night at Shenandoah 33-8. It was one of the more impressive JV performances of the year. Great to see the young kids playing hard and well.

~Coach Clark

The Fighter Still Remains

2010-10-25T05:25:00.000-07:00

As I shared with the team last night, we chose to be involved with a great game, but it has the ability on occasion to "Saw you in half ". It did that to us on Saturday. As I mentioned in my post game I regretted my end of game decision making and at minimum should have taken a timeout when we faced 3rd and 11 at the 22. Although we had one of our best players running his best route it was into double coverage and a tight shot for the QB. Those games are difficult when a pretty big group in the locker could improve one play and turn it into a BC win. Although the kicker takes the most heat, it seldom is just about the kick. I thought our offensive plan of grinding the ball trying to limit their offense chances worked for the most part. It was a game where I felt the last possession would win it. Our defensive group, despite playing very hard, did not quite have the discipline in assignment football that a fast paced option offense demands. Give credit to W & L they are operating at a level where a defense gets no margin for error in assignment or pursuit angles. The turnovers we asked the defense for were there, but we were only able to turn one of them into points. I guess if you were in the stands watching and not caring who won, you saw a great game

It is going to take some real character on our team now to recover and face an always tough Emory and Henry team. It is Senior Day and for that group which has invested so much into this operation, we owe them and they owe each other a chance to meet on their final Jopson Field appearance at the Bell post game.

I even quoted Simon and Garfunkel to them today from the “Boxer” who “Carried a reminder of every glove that laid him down or cut him till he cried out in his anger and his pain I am leaving I am leaving……...But the fighter still remained.” We need the fighter still to remain in all of us here at BC football. We're going to ask the kids to prepare and compete every day. We need to do the things winners do regardless of the outcome. There is still time for us to do our best work in 2010.

~MCLARK

Thanks for the Support

2010-10-11T05:03:00.000-07:00

I really want to thank the fans, and the students in particular, for the all of the energy and enthusiasm they brought to Jopson Field on Saturday. After watching the tape on Sunday I want you to know that our kids matched that with their effort on the field. Defensively, to hold an explosive offense like H-SD to only 250 yards and deny them big plays for 60 minutes was an outstanding performance. To hold five straight opponents to less than 100 yards rushing is an outstanding feat. This last week we added sound coverage to the equation. H-SD's longest plays from scrimmage had to be screens. The short drives of 40, 35, and 12 yards they got off of turnovers and the opening kick return were the difference makers. The gun snap which went over Hagan’s head at the start of the third quarter and showed that a football can take bad bounces was a back breaker. Sometimes the ball bounces funny when you try to pick it up, unfortunately.

Although a QB always gets both more credit and blame than he deserves, with the exception of the 3rd quarter interception where he tried to force a ball into Tyler, Hagan actually played well on one leg after a brutal below the knee roughing the passer shot he took in the first series of the game. (It was the type where in the NFL you would be reading about the player being fined today). Like always there was a ball he would have liked to have thrown again, but that is always the case. We were short-handed on offense due to injury in back-field and the line, but on tape we saw young linemen getting better and the energy that Darrin McKenzie plays with is fun to watch. The heat of the day really drained the kids by game’s end. I had asked them to leave everything on the field in terms of effort and by game’s end that was the case. Although our wide-receivers are followed closely when they catch and run, a coach is really glad to see how hard they play off of the ball when it is not about them. Follow Tyler, Keenan or Julius sometime on a running play.

Give H-SD credit, I believe they are a top 20 team who found a way to win. They have won 16 straight regular season games, have beaten 2 play-off teams in their non-conference schedule, but they have a lot of work ahead of them in ODAC. I told the kid’s on Sunday night they showed they could be a top 20 team too…IF

1. They attack every remaining game with a play-off mentality.
2. Have the discipline to attack personal and team weaknesses rather than ride strengths.
3. Run the table in the ODAC starting with Guilford regardless of their record.

Our margin for error is zero. Thanks for giving us a big-time atmosphere on Saturday. Sorry to disappoint with the bottom line, but give us another chance when we return to Jopson Field in two weeks.

Coach Clark

Update on Leigh Bradley

2010-09-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

After meeting with Leigh Bradley he has decided to take a Medical Redshirt for the 2010 season. The best decision was to wait and have him come back in 2011 with a full season of participation. He has the ability to be an impact player at this level. This choice will allow him to heal fully before participating and he was involved in a change of majors a couple of years ago and he is scheduled to graduate in December of 2011 so it matched his academic track also.

We will miss him now, but he and Ryan Richmond are great additions to the recruiting class of next season.

MC

Showdown in Salem on Thursday

2010-09-27T05:10:00.000-07:00

I wanted to set the story straight on how the Thursday night game this season came about. Lebanon Valley College in PA was scheduled to replace Lycoming in our week five slot on the schedule. Last March, they backed out on the signed two-year contract. It is a scramble to find games on short notice unless you are willing to fly to Texas or Wisconsin. Southern VA had an open date that week, but because of a national conference in the Church of Latter Day Saints on Saturday they needed to play a game on a weeknight. We were looking for a one year fill-in game and I offered to contact the people in Salem to see if they would provide the venue for us to play. The Salem group is a first class operation and although we agreed to manage the game and take on the costs, we felt we were dealing with a great host and facility in Salem.

We have partnered with Feeding America Southwest VA and plan on donating any profits from the game to them as they bring their September “Go Orange” campaign to a close this month. September is hunger awareness month and orange is the color of hunger. We are working with contacts in the Roanoke Valley to generate some publicity for the event and hopefully our friends, fans, and families will take the trek on Thursday to Salem Stadium. Although the ultimate goal is to play there in December, I hope a Thursday night game will give our kids the charge they need to try to go out and play a complete game in the pre-season finale.

Formidable foes await us in ODAC action, and although we are grateful to be 3-0, playing a complete game has eluded us so far. We will need to be able to do that reach our long term goals. Southern VA has beaten Ferrum and has played several fully funded scholarship Division II schools who have beaten them, so they will be used to playing kids who are bigger and faster than we are. It is a test we need.

MC

Tough Ferrum Team Coming to Town

2010-09-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

We will get an angry Ferrum team in here this weekend. They were the polar opposite on tape in their Southern VA game upset than the team we watched the week before versus Emory & Henry. I know Coach Davis is an old school guy who will not take that performance lightly and we have prepped our kids for the intensity they will bring to the field on Saturday. We need to be an improved football team for sure and this game has as much to do about us as it does Ferrum. We beat the flu in the Open week, and will have to beat an athletic team on Saturday. We will look forward to a good parent’s day crowd and with the dedication of the Bowman Alumni Plaza it should be a great BC Saturday. Hope to see you there. MC

2K10 is Just Around the Corner

2010-07-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

The entire coaching staff will return to work on August 2nd and our preparations for 2K10 will find an accelerated gear. We anticipate around 150 athletes reporting to summer camp this August. This will be our biggest group since 2005. That was our last Playoff Year so I hope it is a formula that will work for us again. It is not about the numbers, but rather the players who are in the group that will determine our success. Despite the numbers there are some big openings that will have to be filled for us to be successful in the fall. An improved returner or newcomer who is physically and mentally ready for the college game will have some great windows of opportunity. Things have to happen quick in camp, the first impression an athlete makes is important in this setting. There has been a core group of kids who have stayed local, and in Division III you have to hope the work of those kids away from campus has matched that of the athletes who are around campus on a daily basis.

The ODAC press day this year has been replaced by a conference call the morning of Friday August 6th. This will be a good format and will open up the ODAC coaches and a selected player to a lot of media markets who would or could not travel to Salem to discuss Conference football. BC is scheduled first out of the block at 9:00 am. On that day we will have a more detailed pre-season prospectus to deliver and discuss. I was asked to Speak at the Shenandoah Valley Sports Club for their initial program of the season on Thursday, August 12th. Details will follow on the event and if you are local we would love to have you join us that evening.

Congrats to Ben Taylor who helped us the past two years coaching our Inside LBs. He was hired as a teacher and coach at Skyline High School in Front Royal, Virginia. Andrew Keller their principal is a BC guy and they got a good one in Ben.

~Coach Clark

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

Summer Update

2010-06-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hot weather in Bridgewater and as long as the river does not run dry, (we need rain really bad) the football fields that Kevin Moore sprigged with Patriot Bermuda love this weather and will come in thick and lush by August.

We've been working on all the behind the scene details that goes into getting the football program running smoothly in August. That keeps us busy during the day, but still with evenings and weekends free, summertime allows a football coach to as my wife says, “Work normal hours.”

I met with Dr. Stone today and thanked him for bringing me on to share a great ride with him over the last 15 years. Thursday is his last day, and he followed my Dad’s advice to leave places better than you found them and early enough that people are sorry to see you go. He has done both, congrats. We look forward to the new leadership and direction of George Cornelius and will work hard to do our part and try to make this program an asset to Bridgewater College.

In the summer months, Division III athletes face the biggest challenge in that the majority of our group has to do their preparation on their own. Quality college athletic performance demands a year-round approach in this age at any level, and we have to count on a lot of individuals to make this choice daily at the Division III level. Unlike Division I, where athletes are made to stay around and work, to our group, success has to be a personal choice.

The constructions projects are running strong on campus, and I was glad to get staff things settled a couple of weeks ago. I think the players, fans, and department people will enjoy the new additions that will join our BC staff. They are three guys who are making sacrifices to be a part of this and look forward to “Chasing Championships” with them.

Graduation Wrap-Up

2010-05-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

It was a big day last Sunday to see 18 of our kids march at graduation. I noticed also there were 13 kids who we had recruited for football, but did not finish out with us received degrees too. It is a testament that BC can be a great place for kids without sports even if they choose to go in another direction. Spring grades have been posted and although we will have some kids who will have work to do over the summer, the team’s academic effort will give us a good chance to keep key kids on the field. Thirty kids had GPAs in spring above 3.0.

There is a lot of individual work that will need to be done over the next 12 weeks for us to be a team to challenge for the ODAC championship. The seniors have a pretty good sense of urgency about them, and their off field efforts have set a pretty good standard to follow. Coach Healey did Strength and Conditioning clinic last weekend for a group of High School coaches and they were impressed with the video he had of Bieler, Burris, and Tate. The numbers of these “Non-Scholarship” athletes surpassed those of the kids of the Division I coach who shared the stage with him. To make it to the National level you need about 10 kids in Division III who we use the term “play-up.” Kudos to these kids and over the summer they need to pull teammates up with them.

On the other end of the spectrum it will be the ability of the group in the rising sophomore class to mature and add a sense of urgency to their summer preparation that will be important to our success. We are razor thin on the defensive side of the ball everywhere but at LB. In the offensive line we will need about 5 young linemen to grow up quickly over the summer. You can have great skill kids, but if you lose control of the line of scrimmage that speed does not show as often.

At this stage now we have to buy into the process. The product will then take care of itself. Recruiting numbers are good, but there is a big difference between team members and players. Team members are easy to find, finding or developing players however determines success.

~Coach Clark

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

Spring Ball in Full Swing

2010-04-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

We have moved into the last week of our non-traditional season and with the ODAC track season complete we will operate at close to full strength over the next four practices. We are proud of the four football players who captured individual championships on our track team last weekend. Damien Ward (High Jump), Leigh Bradley (Triple Jump), Julius Delbridge (200 meters) and Tyler Beiler (100 meters). I reminded our young kids that three of those four are kids who have really bought into the explosive training our strength and conditioning people push, and it is a great example of buying into a process and letting the product take care of itself.

I was able to see our baseball team celebrate a team championship last Sunday too, and I was reminded how fun those can be. I miss them and we will do the pushing of the process so we hopefully will get another generation of players the chance to experience them.

On a down note, Rudy Jackson underwent re-constructive knee surgery about two weeks ago and his status will be uncertain for the 2010 season. He is a good student who is on track to easily graduate in 2011 and at the Division III level potential Red-shirt issues involve some big and sometimes tough choices for athletes and their families.

I will be taking part in one of the live chats tonight with Asst. SID Tim Leister, go to http://www.bridgewatereagles.com/livechat3 if you want to follow at 6:30 pm or ask any questions.

Go Eagles,
Coach Clark

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

Spring Testing in the Books

2010-04-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

We have just completed our spring testing and it is a high enough priority in our evaluation that we give up non-traditional practice days to do it. Top lifts were posted on our Facebook page and, in general, team strength is higher in the skill positions than it was a year ago, but behind in both lines of scrimmage. The maturity of the positions is shown by this data, and no question the forced maturity we talked about in the lines will have to take place throughout the spring and in the summer months.

There are only about 25% of kids testing at award level and our play-off teams of the past averaged about 40%. Self scouting is important and that is what this allows us to do. There is a lot of work to be done, and if you are a young linemen out there on either side of the ball, add strength and we will look at you in the fall.

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

Happy Easter

2010-04-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Have a blessed Easter weekend. I'm going to watch the "Wahoo’s" practice on Friday and will pick up a tip or two to help the Eagles I hope.

I posted a spot on former player Brain Stanfield who is finishing up his MBA and is currently a Captain in the US Army stationed at Fort Bragg N.C. I remember when Brian was activated as a reservist after 9-11 while a student athlete here at Bridgewater. He missed those early play-off runs serving, but we still sent him one of the first Championship rings.

If you hang around a place long enough and one of the paybacks is you get to see former players doing well as adults in life. I'll never be a millionaire coach at this level and you hustle to be a “thousandaire,” but some things are priceless and make it all worthwhile. Go Eagles.

~Coach Clark

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

Biology Lesson from Jeremy Guinn

2010-03-19T15:57:00.001-07:00

This week, I attended a lecture in our Biology Department by former Captain and All Conference player Jeremy Guinn. Jeremy was here for win #1 at Western Maryland in 1996 and is now a PHD and Professor at Sitting Bull College in North Dakota.

It was a fascinating talk, and it is always a thrill as a longtime coach to see your former players, who are now a lot smarter than you, being successful.

In Jeremy, you had a real student athlete who has become a poster for BC in terms of showing what an educated person should look like. It provided me with a great perspective too, and someday I might take him on up on that offer to go big game hunting with him out west.

Spring has arrived and we are still pushing recruiting very hard. BC's rising senior class seems to have a sense of urgency about them, and they need to transfer it down to the larger freshmen group.

~MClark

Getting Ready for Spring Practice; Coach Healey Update

2010-03-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

The kids are back from vacation and it will be up to them to make an extra push as they prepare for our Non-traditional season. We will begin on April 6th , the Tuesday after Easter. We will devote three days that week to strength and conditioning testing for evaluation and awards. At the Division III level we have to count these as practice days to make them mandatory, but it has that much value to us. We plan on putting some of the events on video to showcase the top performances of the best kids.

An update on Coach Healey. His O-Visa was approved and he will meet in London at the American Embassy on March 22nd and after that interview he should be free to return to BC at the end of March. Good timing, and this secures his broad based contribution for BC in this off season and the season to come.

~Coach Clark

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

Speaking at Ted Barker's House

2010-03-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

I'll be speaking at an alumni event on Thursday night in Winchester, Va. at the home of Ted Barker. Feel free to join us, contact Alumni Office at campus web-site for details. Dr. Stone is going too, has been a nice event in the past. Quiet on campus with break, Got about three days to study last years film cut-ups. Can target spring improvement through this study. Go Eagles!

- MC

Stephon Healey Update

2010-03-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

I wanted to update people on the Stephon Healey situation to clear up things on the status to someone who is of great value to our program. Bridgewater College is in the process of sponsoring Coach Healey in the procedure necessary to go gain his Green Card status. There has been a snafu or two in a complicated process and Coach Healey returned to London while the procedure plays out. It is our best hope that his O-Visa gets approved and that will allow him to return the end of March. If this visa is not approved we will then have to go the conventional route which should allow Stephon to return to BC this summer. Not only with football, but in track, strength training, and academics he gives the school a broad-based contribution of which a lot of us are doing double time to make up for in his absence. I have told him the job is here for him and is not a question of if, but when in regards to his return. Not perfect timing, but we will make do and benefit from the surge we get when his energy and contribution returns.

~ Coach Clark

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

We've Entered the 21st Century!

2010-03-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

We are up and running on both Facebook and Twitter now and those and this blog will stay connected in the months to come. Recruiting still is our primary focus in house, but next week’s spring break will give the staff time for in house football study.

In the off season that is often tough to do at the Division III level with the recruiting calendar we go by and the collateral duty we pick up.

Kudos to Taylor Marie Trobaugh and Ray Decker who have helped me set this up. Once spring ball starts in April will try to keep updates that allow fans to follow our progress. A lot of work to do, but in house development is the biggest key to 2k10 success.

~ Coach Clark

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

Recruiting Updates

2010-02-22T12:23:00.000-08:00

Recruiting still takes the bulk of staff attention at least until Spring Break which begins after class on March 5th. We have had kids visiting campus throughout the past two months and the snow has made the weekends difficult for prospects to get their travel in this past month. Financial Aid is being sent out now, and that will always be a key in the decision making process of most of the kids we are able to get on campus. I do not think that most people realize that the Division III recruiting calendar is most intense in the December to April window. Although some decisions are made late in the cycle (Mid-April/ May) most kids have made choices by the end of March. The difficult thing about Division III is that when a choice is made, and a student athlete puts in a deposit (which by NCAA standards is considered an intent to enroll) there is nothing that stops the competition from continuing to recruit a student athlete. Some coaches (I include ours in this group) will wish a student athlete good luck and move on, while others will push to change a student’s mind. It is a process where the kids themselves really are the only ones who can shut it down.

We have had BC Football FaceBook and Twitter on the table the last several months and anticipate being able to launch it soon. I hope it will serve as great communication tool for the fans, friends, and potential prospects of Bridgewater College Football. No question these are the tools this generation uses to communicate and I think we will have a concise and exciting message to send out. Coach Clark

Coach Clark On Recent Passing of Former Player

2010-01-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

It is with great regret that I have to alert the Bridgewater Football family that Desmond Jalloh passed away Sunday morning in Northern Virginia. Dez was a passionate football player for us in his time here at BC. Those of us that knew him, know that on Saturday as a teammate he would lay it on the line for the Eagles. He was a complex man, but I know he had a Faith component that insures him a peace in the next life that his competitive nature sometime denied him here. We enjoyed seeing him at Shenandoah and Homecoming this year and I think we can all be a good teammate of his again by keeping his Mom and sisters and his close friend Brittany in our prayers. Death and youth is a bad combination, but sometimes we have to deal with it in life. I remember winning a game at Emory and Henry on the road in 2007 and Ferrum in overtime in 2006 that we would not have won without his effort. Thanks Dez, and God’s Peace to you!

- Coach Clark

Merry Christmas from Coach Clark

2009-12-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

Post-Randolph Macon Blog

2009-11-09T05:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-04T14:44:00.000-08:00

Thank You For Sharing 100

2009-11-03T05:23:00.001-08:00

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

2009-10-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

Post-100th Victory Update

2009-10-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

Post-Guilford Update

2009-10-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Post-Bye Week Update

2009-10-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Coach Clark's Key to the Game: Lycoming

2009-09-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

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

Post-Shenandoah Update

2009-09-15T05:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-31T04:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

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