Jim Clarkson

Jim Clarkson, head football coach at Clarkson High School, isn't from the town that bears his name - he's from Montana.

Click to Enlarge Michael Konicek, an all-class running back last season, also stars at linebacker for Clarkson.
...
"The biggest key is we got some players who really dedicated themselves to being successful," Clarkson said.
...
The Red Devils lost three "pretty big studs up front," Clarkson said, but "we have some seniors who have been waiting their turn."

Red Devil coach Jim Clarkson is hoping the offensive line develops rapidly.

Half the town of Clarkson arrived in Lincoln to root on their team, according to Clarkson head coach Jim Clarkson.Though the game did not go as the Red Devils would have liked, falling 39-30 to a speedy Pope John squad, the Clarkson crowd still cheered heartily for their players, and the players themselves never gave up.

Down 17-0 at the half and 24-0 midway through the third quarter, Clarkson fought back into the game with quick scores on trick plays to make it 32-16 with the entire fourth quarter to go.

LINCOLN , For Elgin Pope John's comfort, Clarkson was getting too close.

Click to EnlargePope John's Jake Schindler, left, dives into the end zone in front of Clarkson's Erik Brabec.
...
No. 5 Clarkson (10-3) was in the finals for the first time as well.

The Crusaders' team speed on defense led to a scoreless first half for Clarkson as it trailed 24-0 after a 31-yard run by Veik, a 23-yard field goal by Dean Reicks and Schindler's touchdown runs of 4 and 35 yards.
...
"We didn't want to come out here and get embarrassed," Red Devils coach Jim Clarkson said."We know we're a better football team than we showed at times tonight."

Michael Konicek, who ran for 90 yards and three touchdowns, scored for Clarkson on back-to-back possessions in the second half.
...
"So it was planned even before Clarkson had that drive."
...
Clarkson, Konicek 21-90, Brabec 17-65, B. Dinslage 9-51.
...
Clarkson, Brabec 4-10-0 44, Dinslage 2-2-0 56.
...
Clarkson, Dinslage 2-32, Oenbring 1-31, Brabec 1-25, Harney 1-7, Konicek 1-5.

Clarkson ready for the big game
...
CLARKSON -- The Clarkson football team just won the biggest game in Red Devil program history -- beating rival Humphrey St. Francis at the Flyers home field in overtime 22-20.
...
Clarkson (10-2) will be facing Elgin Pope John (12-0), which is coming off a 40-21 thrashing of Elwood in its semifinal contest.

Clarkson head coach Jim Clarkson, however, isn't too concerned about his team practicing hard and preparing themselves for the match.

"Sure, we were just in a big game," Clarkson said.
...
"I feel (our practices) have been pretty good, though we're a little banged up because it was a tough game," Clarkson said."We have a few guys who need to get things healed up, but other than that practice has been good."

One thing that may work to Clarkson's favor is the fact that Pope John is a fairly similar team to St. Francis.Clarkson and his coaching staff have been studying lots of game tape, and they noticed several similarities.

"I know they're fast, they do a lot of innovative things on offense," Clarkson said."They do a lot of flying around, they look pretty good.Athlete-wise I'd say they're very similar to St. Francis.Same size and everything."

Clarkson was quick to point out that the similarity may not work out in the Red Devils' favor, however.After all, St. Francis nearly pulled out the game against Clarkson Saturday, and the Flyers did beat the Red Devils 30-28 earlier this season.But at least Clarkson has an idea of what his team will be getting into.

"We'll try to use our strengths the best we can against them, and hopefully it'll work out," Clarkson said.

The thing Clarkson may be most concerned about is how his players will adjust to playing at a venue such as Memorial Stadium.

"The biggest thing will be the stadium," Clarkson said.
...
Clarkson expects to see a large portion of the town, as well as many alumni, at the game.He said the fans have been incredible all year and have helped his team with their support.

"We have great fans who have been very supportive," Clarkson said.
...
Clarkson believes his team is committed to play well in the game, and he cited a reason for it.

"It's kind of funny," Clarkson said."On the way back to Clarkson from Humphrey Saturday, our senior quarterback, Eric Brabec, stood up and told us a story.
...
"Going down to Lincoln for the state championship game is special," Clarkson said.
...
Clarkson's Jake Harney intercepts a pass intended for Humphrey St. Francis' Jameson Werner in the third quarter Saturday in Humphrey.
...
Clarkson defeated the Flyers 22-20 in overtime to advance to the Class D-1 state championship game against Elgin Pope John Thursday in Lincoln.
...
Clarkson ready for the big game

You had the feeling this was going to be a great game, and it didn't disappoint as Clarkson defeated Class D-1, No. 10 Humphrey St. Francis by a score of 22-20 in overtime Saturday at Humphrey.
...
Clarkson head coach Jim Clarkson said he was having difficulty even thinking about the state championship game.

"It's crazy -- it was the goal of these guys all year to make it to the championship game and now they've done it -- I'm so proud of them," Clarkson said."But we have to approach it just like any other game."

The Red Devils were in charge of the game after scoring two second-half touchdowns and a two-point conversion to lead 14-0 with 5:29 to go in the game.Clarkson scored its touchdowns on runs by Konicek.
...
The conversion failed and the Flyers still trailed Clarkson 14-6 with 4:22 to go.

The Red Devils attempted to pound the ball and run out the clock on their next drive, but were stopped by an energized Flyer defense.Then, on a fourth and four from its own 32, Clarkson opted not to punt and ran to the right -- a play that was snuffed out quickly by St. Francis.The turnover on downs gave the Flyers the ball at the Red Devil 32 with two minutes left on the clock.

"I made a very stupid call on fourth down," Clarkson said.
...
Clarkson attempted to put together an answering drive in regulation, but couldn't manage to bust into Flyer territory as the game entered overtime.

Clarkson was in town for a rematch against Humphrey St. Francis in a Class D-1 state semifinal with a trip to Memorial Stadium for the state championship game on the line.
...
On the following possession, after an inexplicable attempt by Clarkson to go for it on fourth and four with two minutes left, St. Francis got a chance to tie the game. (I give props to Red Devils coach Jim Clarkson, however.When I talked to him following the game, he admitted his mistake even before I asked him about it and gave a valid reason -- not an excuse -- for his decision.I love it when a coach acknowledges he's human.)

St. Francis capitalized on the good field position by tying it with a TD and two-point conversion, sending the contest to overtime.

In OT, Clarkson was able to come up with a big stop on a two-point conversion, after scoring eight points of its own, to seal the win.

What a game!

HTRS is 10-0 on the season, Clarkson is 8-2.Clarkson coach, Jim Clarkson says his teams success on offense depends on their offensive line. ( play audio :17 seconds )Coach Clarkson says his defense will concentrate on stopping Titan quarterback Lance Hanzlicek. ( play audio :25 seconds )

Vargo got stronger as the game went on , said coach Jim Clarkson.

Head Coach: Jim Clarkson