From a track perspective, Ozark's Sam Clark looks back fondly on his senior track teammates from three years ago.
As a freshman, Clark teamed with seniors Ben Miller, Will Scheer and Hunter Johnson in the spring of 2022 for a 4 x 200 relay COC championship.
Miller, Scheer and Johnson served as mentors to Clark and upped his confidence by telling anyone listening he would be the Tigers' next multi-sport athlete to watch out for.
Their encouragement continues to have a positive effect on Clark.
“Whenever I’m working out in the weight room, what motivates me is they cared enough about me to say that,” Clark said of his senior track teammates’ high praise. “They had expectations for me. That really drives me. I want them to be able to look back and know they weren't wrong.”
Clark has already made his former track teammates prophetic. Entering his own senior year, he’s about to be a third-year starter on the gridiron and is fresh from a junior season in which he collected 57 receptions for 682 yards, in addition to starring as a kicker and punter.
From his football-playing perspective, it’s an entirely different story for Clark when he recalls his senior teammates from three years ago. He can’t say he was thrilled with their leadership, particularly to him and his fellow freshmen.
Clark and his current Tigers senior teammates agree the seniors from three years ago made things all about them and left a negative impact on them as wide-eyed freshmen that has proven lasting.
“The seniority thing, I don't really do that,” Clark said. “When they did that to me, it hurt.”
“Everything back then was about seniority,” linebacker Parker Elliott said. "There was separation. There were the seniors and then there was everyone else.”
In contrast, Clark and Elliott report their senior class has made a purposeful attempt since the start of summer workouts to build stronger unity within all of Ozark’s ranks, no matter if a player is a senior, junior, sophomore or freshman.
As practices officially kicked off this week, the seniors think they have made everyone feel included and are optimistic the bonds will carry onto the field.
“We need to come together. The last couple of years, we've kind of been on our own and playing for ourselves,” Clark said. “If we want to be good, we need to play as a team.”
“Now, everyone is working like an actual team,” Elliott said. “I like to see that. I like the collective group that we have. We're all working together for one common goal.”
Jordan Giles, a senior linebacker, points out he and his classmates have a grand opportunity to help turn around the Tigers’ program by establishing a trend to be followed for many years to come.
Giles doesn’t doubt there have been Ozark freshmen from years past who weren’t happy with how they were treated and walked away from the sport.
“Obviously, you are nervous coming in here as a freshman and practicing with seniors,” Giles said. “It can be kind of scary at times. We're all out here because we love this game. You don't want to lose someone because they get nervous at practice.
“You want to make them feel included and push them, so they learn from you,” he added. “We need to make sure the future of Ozark football is set up good.”
