Photo by Jimmy Mitchell.
Mountain Brook senior Clark Griffin (40) during a game against Tuscaloosa County on Sept. 6 at Spartan Stadium in Mountain Brook.
Clark Griffin used to be a shy presence on the Mountain Brook High School football team as a sophomore. But in his senior year, he is leading the defense.
Griffin has started since his sophomore year at Mountain Brook and recorded 131 tackles last season for the Spartans. He has already recorded a 21-tackle game in the 2019 season as well.
Griffin is not the most vocal leader, but he believes leading by example will help him guide the Spartans through their season.
“There are a lot of people who try and be vocal leaders but don’t back up their words with their actions,” Griffin said. “I feel like I’ve done a good job with being a consistent vocal leader and playmaker for our team these past three years.”
Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager said Griffin has one of the most knowledgeable football IQs he has ever seen. He said Griffin is normally two steps ahead of what his competition is doing on the field.
After consistently making plays on JV and special teams, Griffin had to learn leadership when he was thrust into the starting role as a sophomore. He realizes the pressure of leading the defense and ensuring everyone is doing their job to win.
“Sophomore year I was pretty shy and passive with my voice,” Griffin said. “I just went out there and did my job. Junior year I stepped up in a more vocal leader and knew the defense well enough to help out the people around me. Being a senior and being the only returner has been really cool. Everyone is looking to me for a lot more than they were last year, and I’m embracing that role and running with it.”
Griffin is not done playing yet, as he has drawn interest from colleges, but he is not focused on that until his season ends with Mountain Brook. Griffin said he did not have a particular top memory from his time at Mountain Brook, but being able to play alongside his brother Grant Griffin the past two years has been special to him.
“Playing with my best friends my whole life has been really special for me, but the most special thing was getting to be on the field the past two years with my brother,” Clark Griffin said. “Getting to experience Friday nights with him was awesome and something I’ll never forget.”
Yeager said football players come in all shapes and sizes, but the intelligence and heart of Griffin is what stands out to him. Yeager often compares him to a recognizable movie character and famous race horse when he talks about his star Mike linebacker.
“I tell everybody he’s the Seabiscuit of football,” Yeager said of his 5-foot-9 playmaker. “He’s small but fierce. You can measure height, weight and speed, but you can’t measure heart. He has heart.”
Mountain Brook will lean on Griffin’s heart as it navigates the rest of the 2019 football schedule. The Spartans started the season 3-0 and allowed only 11 points per game in their first three contests.
