Quite a few high school football teams around Virginia have impressive leaders on the field and players who have exciting prospects to play collegiately. Fortunate coaches have a player who combines a high level of leadership and talent.

King’s Fork’s Chuck Clark is a team leader and already a standout college recruit. The best news for the Bulldogs and head coach Joe Jones is Clark still has two years to go as a Bulldog.

“He’s a leader. That goes for on the field, in the weight room, in the classroom. He’s just one of those guys people follow,” Jones said.

Even as a freshman and sophomore, the only problem Jones and the KF coaches have had with Clark is playing him too much.

On defense, where college scouts see Clark first and foremost, Clark’s a safety at 6-foot-0, 180 pounds.

“He’s the quarterback of our defense,” Jones said.

Clark’s a wingback/tailback on offense and returns punts and kickoffs. In short, putting Clark in any position where he can use his athleticism and speed is a great idea.

Jones attributes part of finishing last season with three straight victories to keeping Clark fresher for defense.

“There have been several times we’ve literally had to carry him off the field. He leaves everything out there,” Jones said.

“He will lead vocally, but he mostly leads by example. He’s a very unassuming kid, which helps guys flock to him,” Jones said.

College coaches are already flocking as well. Clark received scholarship offers, starting with the 2013-14 school year, from Virginia and Virginia Tech this summer. Clark was one of the few underclassmen invited to the Nike Football Training Camp at Duke earlier in the summer, a camp for the best high school players in the east.

“He’s had fun with it. Of course, he knows my background,” said Jones, a star as a Hokie tight end in his playing days.

Clark wore a Virginia shirt to team workouts in the weight room one morning, followed the next day by Virginia Tech colors.

“By the end of the season, Chuck will have all the offers he wants,” Jones said.

The notice Clark’s earning is good for all the Bulldogs. The more college coaches see King’s Fork games on tape, even while watching primarily for Clark, the likelihood a few more kids earn college opportunities increases.

Recent KF standouts now playing collegiately, such as Dominique Patterson at Virginia Tech and Derek Wright at Towson, influence the younger kids as well. The track record they set athletically and academically, Jones said, is important to King’s Fork’s reputation from coaches’ standpoints.

“These days, when character is revealed more and more and character is something that has to be more important for college coaches, that makes Chuck someone a coach wants even more,” Jones said.