Northwood coach JC Clarke and his dog Nepo at Friday’s meeting with players. (PHOTO: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
Northwood’s JC Clarke has been coaching high school football for 50 years.
Friday, Clarke said it’s time to step back a bit. He has resigned as Timberwolves head coach after four seasons but will be the defensive coordinator for the Timberwolves’ new coach Erik Terry.
In an interview, Clarke said he is proud of what the Timberwolves accomplished during his tenure. Among the accomplishments were back to back CIF titles in 2021 and 2022.
“It’s always the kids, they just give you such energy,” said Clarke. “I see Peter Abe (Portola coach) is the coach of the year, we had a very similar first year. I think we were 1-4 after going through (non-league) and then we won (Pacific Valley) league and took off and won CIF, that was unbelievable for a first year, and then we topped it by doing it again the next year.”
Northwood finished 9-3 this past season before winning their CIF Division 6 playoff opener vs. Ayala before losing to Murrieta Mesa in the second round.
“The kids this year were 9-3 and they surpassed anybody’s (expectations) about what were we doing in Division 6. I couldn’t have been prouder,” Clarke said. “This senior class was as good as any of those other senior classes. They played above their level. The Northwood kids punched above their weight class, it was fun to watch.”
Clarke was also part of Coach Terry Henigan’s staff at Irvine that won a CIF title in 2000.
Clarke said he’s looking forward to continuing to do what he does best, coaching defense.
“The big thing is that Coach (Dean) Toohey and I are going to be the weight room guys and the conditioning guys in the off-season so I will be around the kids every week,” he said. “It’s a nice transition.”
Clarke brought his dog Nepo, a boxer, to the meeting Friday in which principal Leslie Roach made the announcement. The friendly dog seemed to enjoy the session, greeting those who attended.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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