It took years of hard work to get there, but this season, Alphonso Clinch will take his spot in the starting lineup for the Brunswick High Pirates. At 5’6 and 156-pounds, the junior may not be the biggest player on the field, but he makes up for it in heart and determination. “Mr. Clinch is one of the hardest working young men on our football team and that work has earned him a starting spot on our varsity defensive unit,” said Pirates’ second year coach, Larry Harold. With a 4.6 second 40 yard dash, Clinch is a speedy cornerback/safety who can drop back into man to man coverage or blitz the quarterback: a threat to intercept or sack on any given play. “In my mind, it’s all about getting lined up, reading my keys, and making a big play to help my team,” Clinch said. In the weight-room he can bench 215, squat 410 and clean 210-pounds.
Last year, Clinch got his first taste of varsity play when he was called on to take the field against Bradwell Institute, an experience that encouraged him to work harder. During the off season, he started working on technique, strength and conditioning. “Through off-season workouts and spring practices, Alphonso has worked hard in the weight room to improve his physical strength. He has spent a lot of time in the film room with his position coach, Kurt Williams, to improve upon his reads, techniques, and fundamentals,” Coach Harold said. Clinch worked with his coaches to improve his vision and footwork. They continued to push him in the weight room and on the practice field by pitting him against some of the top receivers in the state like South Carolina-commit, Shawn Smith.
By the time spring practice came around, Clinch was ready to stand out. “My first big play was when I caught a pick in the spring game because I had been beaten by the same person. I told him that I was going to get him back and on the next play, I caught a pick to end practice.” Before the Coffee County Trojans visit Glynn County Stadium to start the 2016 regular season, Clinch hopes to improve on his man and zone coverages as well as his ability to be physical and make big plays. This year, Brunswick moves back up to the AAAAAA classification. The Pirates will be in the five team Region 2 with Bradwell Institute, Effingham County, Richmond Hill and cross-town rival, Glynn Academy. Clinch will be part of a defense, which returns nine starters from last year’s team. The Pirates have a total of 18 starters returning and hope to return to the playoffs for the second time in six years.
While he puts in time in the weight-room whenever he can, Clinch also gets it done in the classroom, where he holds down a solid 3.5 grade point average. He has maintained a spot on the A/B Honor Roll since middle school and is still deciding whether to become a football coach or an electrical engineer in the future. No matter what he decides on his major or where he will attend, he plans on playing football in college.
In addition to football, he has also run track since his middle school days. But it was football that attracted him the most. Clinch got started playing football when he was 10-years-old and continued until he got into high school. He got the opportunity to play and will become a starter in his junior year. His biggest moment came last season, as the Pirates defeated Richmond Hill to snap a six-game losing streak. The following week, he was on the field helping the Pirates win their second in a row. Clinch’s favorite part of playing is watching teammates make big plays that change the course of the contest.
For now, Clinch continues the hard work that has earned him a position in Brunswick’s 2016 starting lineup; in a position that has seen two players move on to the NFL recently: Darius Slay with Detroit and Justin Coleman with New England. Whether he will follow in their footsteps is uncertain, but for now, Clinch continues to work. This year he becomes a starter, perhaps in two years a collegiate. After that, the sky is the limit for Alfonso Clinch.
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Hard Work Earns Starting Spot
Written by Rob Asbell
Photo by Michael Brinson
