Jack ClarkClark, the No. 3 overall recruit in the class of 2014 (according to InterMat), has been racking up tournament titles since 2003. He's a seven-time New Jersey junior state champion, a three-time Tulsa Nationals winner, and a freestyle national champion at 112 pounds in 2009. His latest triumph was a FILA Cadet freestyle national title at 119 pounds.
Like many special young wrestlers across the nation, he is serious about his success in this sport. He even went so far as to take up gymnastics in order to improve his wrestling flexibility. Last week, he landed wrong and bent his lower back while attempting a back flip. The wise thing to do would have been to ice it up and get some rest while it healed.
Wisdom usually comes with age, however, so Clark hid the injury and wrestled through the pain. After he hit a wall during a drill, his back went into spasms, and now he awaits the results of an MRI to determine the full extent of his injury.
Jack Clark won the 2010 War at the Shore title at 121 pounds in the high school division"It's tough just because I didn't tell anyone," Jack laments. "If I did, I'd probably be fine now and have gotten rest."
Jack started wrestling almost by accident. His dad, John, had wrestled some in high school, but it wasn't until his buddies from football started wrestling at age 6 that Jack wanted to, as well. Unlike many of his buddies, however, Jack took to it immediately, and by age 10, he decided to quit football and everything else to focus solely on wrestling.
After participating in junior duals for several years at McDonough School in Owings Mills, Maryland, Jack started thinking seriously about crossing state lines to attend the school back in seventh grade. He liked the team, its facilities and the strong academics and environment that the vaunted prep school offered. Clark visited Blair Academy, but liked the fact that he could board at McDonough during the week and return home on the weekends to see his family. Plus, the school is much closer to his home in the New Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia.
"I realized it's great for academics and that I can get into good colleges by going there," Jack says. "I really liked shadowing there ... The kids on the team were really nice. I want to help build their program back up."
Jack ClarkA wrestling junkie, Jack studies videos online to try and pick up tips. While his favorite wrestler is former Olympian Cary Kolat, he also consumes freestyle videos of the Russians and Iranians. His favorite collegians include NCAA All-American wrestlers like Reece Humphrey (Ohio State), and Franklyn Gomez (Michigan State). "They're good on their feet, always moving -- always on the offense," Jack says. "I try to imitate them and wrestle just like them."
He freely admits to preferring freestyle to folkstyle, and says he has Olympic ambitions in the style after college. "I like freestyle the best," Jack says. "It's more open, there are less rules ... I like locking hands, going for throws more, you have to finish your shot -- it's much more exciting."
It's one of many reasons that Jack dreams of attending Northwestern -- a school with solid wrestling and academic credentials, and one with proximity to Chicago and the Overtime School of Wrestling.
Jack Clark attempts a throw at the 2010 New Jersey state freestyle tournament"He's been a great student, everything about him is consistent," Johnson says of Jack, who expects to wrestle between 145 pounds 152 pounds by his senior year of high school. "He's just the type of kid that responds to training with older, more mature athletes. He challenges himself in the room, always been that. Great bounce back ability."
You need that kind of resiliency when you're practicing at a club in a state that is loaded with wrestling talent. That kind of daily workout can only accelerate your proficiency in the sport.
"(Growing up in New Jersey) was [key] just from a competitive perspective," John Clark says. "First, having to face tough competition daily in New Jersey just pushed him to work harder. Secondly, the coaching that we have here (Clark worked with Johnson three-four times a week), and third, the kids in the practice room -- like Deutsch and St. Mark's Sean Boylan -- have been essential to his development."
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