By Kev Moyé
News-Times Staff
Logan Clark has worked hard to create his own highly celebrated legacy.
Thus far, Clark’s endeavor has been a rousing success.
However, considering his lineage, it’s no surprise that the Smackover graduate has an impressive résumé. He’s the son of an individual who also left his stamp on Smackover back in the early 1990s.
“Trying to uphold my family legacy both academically and athletically was tough at tines. But, I was never pressured by my parents to meet a certain standard,” Clark stated. “Of course I was required to have straight A’s in school, but other than that, all my parents asked of me was to give it my best and let God control the rest.”
The Heavenly Father has led Clark down a path to success and happiness. In both academics and athletics, the Smackover graduate produced elite results.
“My faith impacts my life tremendously. I feel like I couldn’t make it through each day - or certain obstacles in my life - if I didn’t have faith in God,” he stated. “God has done everything for me and I feel like I would be doing Him wrong to not trust Him in everything that I do.”
By the way – Clark does a lot. And he conducts himself in an exemplary manner while partaking in the various activities.
The son of Chris and Keitha Clark finished fourth in a class of 64 students with a grade point average of 4.07.
Clark was a member of the National Honor Society, English National Honors Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student Council, Future Business Leaders of America, in addition to serving as president of , “64 Guys Giving God the Glory”. Clark also teaches Bible classes for the youth group at his church.
In the process, he has earned the praise of several individuals - and Mr. Clark is at the head of that group.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better person to have as a son,” he said. “The academic accomplishments, and athletic feats have been a lot of fun to sit back and watch.”
It’s likely that Mr. Clark sees a lot of himself in Logan.
His son was a 3-sport athlete. Additionally, the younger Clark was a difference-maker on the football field, basketball court, and baseball diamond for Smackover. Clark has signed to play baseball at the University of Central Arkansas where he’ll major in Pharmacy. He plans to eventually open his own pharmacy.
So when did Mr. Clark first recognize his son’s potential?
“I could see glimpses of it when he was a 10-year-old,” he answered. “He already had good grades. That’s when I also realized that he had a love for sports and wanted to be good.”
In regard to Mr. Clark’s tenure as a Smackover Buckaroo, he too was a talented, multi-sport athlete. In fact, according to Baseball-Reference.com, the elder Clark was drafted by the Florida Marlins twice and the Detroit Tigers once. He also played baseball for the University of Arkansas.
Fittingly, Clark has received plenty of motivation from his father’s past athletic glory.
“I used to go to my grandparents’ home and read all the articles about my dad. I’ve heard people talk about how good of an athlete and person he was,” Clark said. “I have always wanted to be like my dad and be as good as he was. He’s been a good role model.
“Both of my parents are big on never pushing me to do anything specific. But, they do push me to do my best. They’ve always respected every decision that I’ve made. For the most part, my parents and I are on the same page.”
Clark didn’t have to deal with the burden of trying to match or surpass his father’s achievements.
“I’ve never felt any pressure from anybody. But, I could tell while getting ready for football that people expected a certain level of play from me. I had to give it my best and trust in the Lord,” he said. “It is tough sometimes to know there are a lot of people looking up to you, and expect you to do good things. But all you can do is your very best.”
Clark has evolved into a special athlete, scholar, and humanitarian, thanks partly to receiving astute affirmation from his dad.
“We tried to make sure there was no pressure on him and that he understood that if he didn’t play sports at all – it was OK. To compare us … is just unfair,” Mr. Clark stated. “He’s a different kind of athlete than I was. He’s a lot stronger than me. We play at different positions. Really, we just wanted to make sure that he had fun.”
In regard to having fun, Clark and his Buckaroo teammates enjoyed success in several sports this season. However, in football they were narrowly defeated by Charleston in the Class 3A state championship game. In both baseball and basketball, the Bucks were handed shocking, season-ending losses in round one of the regional.
In all three situations, especially on the gridiron, Clark’s ability to lead was put to the test. He admits that it was tough to uphold a proper decorum while dealing with the disappointment.
“In football, because I was the quarterback, I felt at times I could’ve played better just to help my team out,” he said. “But I never felt like I had more pressure than anybody else.”
Serving in a leadership role is a duty Clark enjoys.
“Being asked to lead a team or school group is definitely a big responsibility, but it’s a great role to have,” he admitted. “The ability to lead came strictly from God and seeing how my dad leads our family each day.”
Mr. Clark also believes that his son’s knack for being a leader is an innate gift.
“I don’t think the leadership is anything in which there’s been a conscious effort to develop, it’s just kind of the person Logan is,” he said. “He earns the respect of his teammates and classmates. We talk about it from time-to-time. But I think it’s something that he just has.”
Foremost among Clark’s goals is to be an example of what a leader, and Christian, is supposed to be.
“I just want to encourage people to have full faith in God. He has a plan for each of our lives whether we can see it or not,” Clark said. “I also feel like we should give it our best in everything we do because we never know who is watching and looking up to us.”
Clark is the child of a man who will not be forgotten anytime soon. However, Smackover football and baseball coach Brian Strickland perfectly detailed why Clark has created his own place in Smackover folklore.
“Logan is a natural leader. Whether it’s in the classroom, athletic field, church, or in the community, he is heavily involved,” Strickland said. “Many of his peers look up to him. He is a coach’s dream who has left his mark on Smackover High School.”