The “Unts”stoppable Alex Clark

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Isabella Escamilla, Sports Editor

   Playing with intensity and a strong heart, Senior Alex “Unts” Clark works hard every day to achieve his goals as a pivotal member of the Boys Lacrosse Team.

   Head Varsity Coach CK Littlewood stated, “He shows up to every practice, and plays hard both in practice and in games.”

   “Alex is a senior, and through sheer determination and hard work has earned a position as a starter and captain on the Lacrosse Team,” said Littlewood.

   Clark’s leadership skills prove to be greatly beneficial in the sport. Littlewood added, “Alex leads by example. He is at practice every day, and shows up early for games to help get ready for the competition.”

    Lacrosse was introduced to Clark at a young age, as he started playing for fun in elementary school. Littlewood stated, “In his four years at UC High, he started off his freshman year with little lacrosse skill, but that did not stop him from working very hard to attain a starting position in the line up. Clark did not become a starting player until his junior and senior years.”

   “Lacrosse is not an easy sport to start. Sticking with the sport until you can consistently do the basics will open you up to so many possibilities of things that you can do. There are almost endless ways to improve the game because of the freedom of movement and stick skills,” said Clark.

   Clark has the motivation to do his best no matter the circumstances. Littlewood stated, “His hard work and dedication have really paid off for him and the team.”

   Junior Filip Isakovic said, “Alex gets a lot of goals and is a high IQ player.” These skills are very important in a fast-paced sport like lacrosse, as learning the minute details of the sport help with the fast judgment thinking needed to play, especially when shooting. “He is very fast and knows the sport very well,” said Junior Declan Dunne.

“[Clark] is also an offensive attack specialist who is able to get into scoring positions frequently because of his speed and knowledge of the game,” said Littlewood.

    “Alex is our faceoff man; he is the one who is charged with starting every series of plays and he is very good at it, winning most of his face-offs this season. Alex possesses speed and amazing agility, and is very strong. His stick skills are extremely good, and he uses them well, both offensively and defensively,” said Littlewood. A faceoff is at the start of each game and after every goal, one player from each team goes to the middle of the circle and fights for possession of the ball.

  “He is fast and good when it comes down to face-offs. He also helps set me up for goals and helps the attack generate goals,” added Isakovic.

   All of Clark’s hard work and commitment to lacrosse has shown how he is a great team player and person. “Not all high school athletes put in the time and work necessary to excel, and Alex has done so admirably. He’s just a great kid and a pleasure to coach,” said Littlewood. He added, “The only thing that the coaches wish is that we could put 40 pounds on him!”

   Clark encourages others to join the sport and share his love for lacrosse. “Even though the first times you play may be rough, once you get past this molehill, there is a field of endless exploration waiting on the other side,” said Clark.

   Best of Luck to our Male Athlete of the Month in his final season.