Former Walk-On Clarke Exceeds X-Pectations
by Andy Krauss | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
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Bucknell's Jake Clarke digs out a faceoff against Holy Cross. Despite a setback Tuesday to Penn State -- in which Clarke won a school-record 20 of 21 faceoffs -- the Bison remain optimistic and unbeatean in the Patriot League. Clarke leads the nation with a .661 percentage. © Bucknell |
Jake Clarke's school record 20-for-21 performance Tuesday might
have only underscored Bucknell's inability to capitalize on Penn
State's Drew Adams in a 9-8 loss, but it punctuated the sophomore's
rise among the best faceoff specialists in the nation.
Consider the Patriot League on notice.
Prior to Penn State, Clarke went 13-for-17 in an 8-6 victory over
Army that moved the Bison to 4-0 in the conference a year after
falling just short of a championship.
This is nothing new for Clarke and the Bison -- he's been doing it
all season. His record-setting performance Tuesday pushed him
past North Carolina's Shane Walterhoefer for the top faceoff
percentage (.661) in Division I men's lacrosse.
These accomplishments are impressive for faceoff men, like
Walterhoefer, who have been perfecting their craft for years, but
Clarke doesn't fall into that category. In fact, Clarke
hadn't taken a faceoff since eighth grade.
If you think that's a head-turning feat, prepare to have your neck
broken.
Prior to enrolling at Bucknell in the fall of 2007, Clarke didn't
even have a spot on the team.
Clarke had a standout prep career Greenwich High School in Cos
Cob, Conn. He was named all-state and All-Fairfield County
Interscholastic Athletic Conference as he captained the team to a
state runner-up finish.
While his current teammates were doing their best to impress
college recruiters at camp during the summer, Clarke was taking it
easy. "I was so busy during the school year, that I felt the
summer was my time off," said Clarke. "By the time senior year came
and it was time to figure where I'd play lacrosse, it was too
late."
Clarke was not a complete unknown, however. Bucknell head
coach Frank Fedorjaka came to Greenwich to watch Clarke compete in
a playoff game during his junior season. Unfortunately,
Fedorjaka got to the game in the second quarter and was unaware
that Clarke had hurt his quadriceps muscle already after scoring
two quick goals. By the time his future coach had arrived,
Clarke was not at 100 percent.
Although Clarke was accepted to Bentley College to play football,
he opted enroll at Bucknell, major in economics and walk on to the
lacrosse team, of which he was told there were no spots for
short-stick midfielders.
That spot quickly became available.
During the first day of fall practice, Clarke posted the fasted
time on the team in the 40-yard dash, 1.5-mile run and t-shuttle
drill. "We immediately said, ‘We've got to find a spot
for this guy,'" said Fedorjaka, who gave Clarke a spot on the team
by the end of the fall.
In his freshman season, Clarke saw action in just eight games, but
his time increased when a starting defensive midfielder broke his
wrist.
This past offseason, Fedorjaka knew he needed to make an addition
to put the Bison over the top. The Bison won just 44 percent
of their faceoffs in 2008, so Fedorjaka brought in Eric Genova, who
had volunteered at Cornell, to fix the situation.
The quick fix was Clarke.
Genova and Fedorjaka realized that Clarke's speed and
aggressiveness would make for a difference-making faceoff man.
"I knew he'd be quick off the ball, but didn't realize that he'd
have the distance control he has to win faceoffs and create
opportunities," said Fedorjaka.
Clarke had the opportunity to try out his skills right away in the
opener. He won eight of 14 faceoffs that day against then
sixth-ranked Duke in an 11-7 loss. From there, his prowess in the
circle has taken off.
"It's a weird feeling to look back and see what has unfolded since
last season started," said Clarke. "My attitude is the reason
for my success."
