Morning Sentinel
FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Clark the latest in line of talented Skowhegan backs
BY TRAVIS LAZARCZYK Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 12/04/2008

You can see it developing right from the snap of the football. The ball goes from center Cody Williamson to quarterback Jordan McGowan to running back Billy Clark with speed and efficiency, and as soon as Williamson and McGowan pass off the cargo, they morph into another brick in the Skowhegan blocking wall.

Clark sprints alongside the line of blockers, then slows. He almost stops which makes a defender overpursue just a step, then Clark turns and sprints upfield. Maybe Clark will go 10 yards and maybe he'll go 90, but once he gets to the corner, one thing is sure. Nobody is going to catch him.

"Once I get past the first level, the hole opens up and I see the field better," Clark said. "I can kick it into an extra gear."

In a league of teams that love to run the ball, Clark was the best. The senior finished the season with 2,187 yards and 28 touchdowns, helping the Indians win the Pine Tree Conference Class A title for the first time since 1989.

Also recently named a semifinalist for the Fitzpatrick Award, Maine's highest high school football honor, Billy Clark is the Morning Sentinel Football Player of the Year. Lawrence linebacker Kenny Pelotte also was considered.

Clark finished his career as Skowhegan's all-time leading scorer, with 328 points. This season Clark averaged more than two touchdowns per game, and that helped the Indians average 30.6 points per game.

Clark had five games with more than 200 yards rushing, and four other times he ran for at least 184 yards. Clark averaged 182.2 yards per game and 7.6 yards per carry.

A senior, Clark accounted for 47 percent of Skowhegan's carries, and 58.7 percent of Skowhegan's yards on the ground.

"(Clark) just seemed to have that instinct to find that little crack of daylight," Skowhegan coach Mike Marston said. "He finds that yard when it seems like there's no yard to get."

Skowhegan has been a running back's paradise this decade. Since 2002, backs like Josh Meyer, Jared Walker, Aaron Chambers, Lucas Cole, Josh Whiting and Zach Whiting have excelled in the Indians' run-heavy offense. Clark is hesitant to put himself in their company.

"I don't think I would put myself up there with them," Clark said. "All of my success comes from the blocking."

While Clark is modest and self-deprecating (Clark said he plays running back because "I'm probably not smart enough to be a quarterback") he's not entirely accurate. True, he had plenty of long runs on which he was never touched, but Clark also broke a few tackles along the way. With his team trailing 21-8 early in the fourth quarter in a PTC quarterfinal game against Brunswick, Clark broke a handful of tackles in reeling off an 84-yard touchdown run.

Clark did his best work in the PTC playoffs. In wins over Brunswick, Lawrence and Edward Little, Clark ran for 657 yards and six touchdowns. After gaining just 54 yards in a 35-6 regular-season loss to Lawrence, Clark hit the Bulldogs for 277 yards in a 30-22 playoff win.

"We wanted to set our goals high. Everybody had to do their part," Clark said.

Clark made his varsity debut as a freshman, when injuries thinned the Skowhegan backfield.

"As a freshman, he caught our eye. He was extremely fast, and he had great vision on the field," Marston said.

Clark remembers his first carry, a 6-yard gain for a first down against Messalonskee.

"I didn't really have time to think. I stood on the sidelines for two games then they threw me in," Clark said. "They hit a lot harder, I remember that."

That year, Clark tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the PTC A championship game at Mt. Blue. Before and during his rehab, Chambers, himself a Fitzpatrick Award finalist, became a big influence on Clark.

"Aaron Chambers helped me a lot that year, especially in the weight room," Clark said. "I wanted to be huge like him."

Nature made sure that wasn't going to happen. Chambers was a 6-foot-2, 200-pound steamroller. At 5-11, 175 pounds, Clark has to be more shifty.

"I try to be elusive," he said.

Reggie Clark, the namesake of Skowhegan's home field, is Clark's great uncle. Many of Clark's relatives have enjoyed success wearing the Skowhegan helmet, and he's happy to carry on the family name.

"I've got a lot of pride for it, going down and seeing my name on the field," Clark said. "A lot of my family did well."

Clark has spoken to coaches at Husson and Maine Maritime Academy, but he's not sure about his college plans, or even if they will include football.

"I don't know where I'm going or what I'm doing yet," Clark said.

No matter what Clark's future holds, Marston is sure his co-captain will succeed.

"He's very quiet. He's a good student," Marston said. "Billy is a very good kid all-around."

Travis Lazarczyk -- 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

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