VALPARAISO — Forgive Justin Clark if he cuts to the front of the dinner line when his family gets together for the holidays later this year.
After watching his siblings thrive in a variety of arenas during the course of his life, the Valparaiso sophomore got a chance to emerge from the shadows on Friday night when Clark was given the chance to start at quarterback at the last minute.
Earning extensive snaps for the first time, Clark threw for a touchdown and added another on the ground as the Vikings knocked off Lake Central 49-7.
“It was like a dream,” Clark said. “I’ve played football since third grade and I never thought I’d make it here. Catching that first snap, throwing that first touchdown (to Thomas Vo), it just felt amazing.”
Clark was pressed into service after starting quarterback Logan Lockhart suffered an injury in practice earlier in the week. Lockhart’s injury isn’t expected to be long term and Valparaiso coach Bill Marshall chose to exercise caution in the regular-season finale.
“Logan is good, it’s just precautionary,” Marshall said. “Going into the playoffs we want to be at 100% and he wasn’t at 100% tonight. We’ll have a light week of practice next week and continue to get him ready to go for the postseason.”
Clark, who didn’t play quarterback as a freshman, found out he was going to start five minutes before the game. Marshall could’ve gone with backup quarterback Ian Wilson, but the junior has shined at free safety this year. When Lockhart got hurt earlier in the week, word spread quickly through Clark’s family that there might be an opportunity to play on Friday night.
“I heard from every one of my siblings (Friday) morning,” Clark said after the game. “They all texted me and told me to trust what I’ve been doing and to listen to my coaches. My mom came to her first ever varsity game tonight.”
Clark has good reason to listen to his family when it comes to athletics and trusting his instincts. His father, Bob, played basketball at Loyola and Clark’s oldest sibling, Billy, followed in those footsteps after a stellar basketball career at Mt. Carmel High School.
Three of Clark’s older sisters, twins Carie and Sara, as well as Anne, all shined on the volleyball court with the Vikings before going on to play at St. Francis in Fort Wayne. Carie, Sara and Anne are three of the seven players in St. Francis program history to record at least 1,000 digs.
Finally, Clark’s closest sibling in age, Mary, stepped away from volleyball after her sophomore year and the senior is currently focusing on academics where she has earned the reputation among her siblings as the smartest in the family.
“There’s been that shadow, but they’ve always been supportive of me,” Clark said. “I know my phone is going to be full tonight. Not just my siblings, but my cousins, my uncles and the rest of my family members. Not only them, but all the Valpo fans that have supported us throughout. Tonight was just amazing.”
Gallery: Valparaiso hosts Lake Central in Duneland Athletic Conference play