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The Advocate
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theadvocate.com
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
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71
AREA HIGH SCHOOLS
SONS
Continued from page 61 lots of things. Being the home to three rising NFL sons happens to now be one of them.
Tunnel vision Most Atlanta Falcons fans focus on quarterback Matt Ryan or star receiver Julio Jones. Not Maverick McClure. “Uncle Matt” and “Uncle Julio,” as he calls them, were seldom his focus. “I watched my dad. I followed him, saw who he blocked and where he was,” McClure said. “He played until I was 11 years old. I remember being on the field and going to the practice facility with him when he would go for treatment. I got to hang out with the players, things other kids don’t do.” Todd McClure is a hometown hero. He played three sports at Central High and was a teammate of Clark’s at LSU before starting 195 of 198 games at center in 14 seasons for the Falcons. None of the fathers forced football on their sons. Maverick McClure is the lone junior and a prime example. Already 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, he made 104 tackles a year ago. Baseball is another option for him. “He has a knack for getting to the football, and we’re fortunate to have two linebackers who have it — Maverick and Wes Brady,” ZHS coach David Brewerton said. “He will be better this year.” For Todd McClure, it is hard to imagine life being better. He won four LHSAA baseball titles and played in a basketball title game at Central. But the McClures — Todd and his wife, Ryan — were awestruck when Maverick scooped up a fumble in Zachary’s win in the 5A title game last season. Celebrating on the Superdome turf, where Todd McClure once battled the Saints, was breathtaking. “I had success at LSU and with the Falcons,” Todd McClure said. “There is nothing like winning a high school title — especially a football title in Louisiana. My heart was so full. There were so many emotions. The word ‘proud’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
Potential realized Reggie Tongue was an NFL defensive back for 10 years. The ex-Oregon State standout met his wife, Debra, a Baton Rouge native, while playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, and the family eventually moved here. Makiya Tongue was 4 when his father’s NFL career ended, and Reggie Tongue actually nixed an early start for his tackle football career. “I wasn’t thrilled about things I saw in youth football,” Reggie Tongue said. “Winning seemed to be more important than teaching kids the right way to play the game. We did other things for a while.” There were flag football games and other sports until Makiya Tongue was a fifth-grader. He recalls an awkward transition. “At first, I really didn’t know what I was doing,” he said. “Most of the plays I made were because I was bigger than other kids
out there. I owe everything to my dad. I didn’t know what I wanted to be or how to get there. He taught me so much, including the value of hard work.” Now 6-3, 217 pounds, Makiya Tongue plays both sides of the ball but appears destined to make his mark on offense. He is ranked No. 13 among Louisiana prospects for 2019 by 247Sports. The decision to transfer from The Dunham School to U-High was a turning point. Makiya Tongue sat out his sophomore year and used the time to train. “For most of his career he’s been more on the defensive side, and he’s moving to be more of an offensive guy,” U-High coach Chad Mahaffey said. “Depending on how the depth chart looks and other factors, he would be willing to take on another position. Reggie played the game at a high level and he shares his knowledge with his son. You see that with Ryan and Jordan, too.” Reggie Tongue has one very dad-like wish. “I’d love to see him catch a bunch of balls ... like six or seven a game,” he said. “That probably won’t happen, but as a parent you want see your child excel at what they love. Ki makes me look good because he is a good kid and yes, he works hard.”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE TONGUE FAMILY
Makiya Tongue of University High and his dad, Reggie
Alike, but different Jordan Clark is as engaging as Ryan Clark, who has gone from the NFL to a career that includes personal training and broadcasting at ESPN. This son who loves to tell stories is a pretty good one himself. But at 5-11, 168 pounds, he weighs nearly 40 pounds less than his father did in his heyday. “We are very different players,” Jordan Clark said. “I’m a finesse cover guy. My dad was the guy who came up to hit people. I learn so much from him every day. He is a genius when it comes to film study and the game of football. I watch him train pro players and learn from that.” Jordan Clark is not committed to a college. He is 16th on the 247Sports list of 2019 Louisiana prospects. He Snapchats with one of Ryan Clark’s protégés, ex-LSU star Tre’Davious White of the Buffalo Bills. Heady stuff? Not for Jordan Clark, who grew up around the Steelers. Back in 2008, he helped break down final playoff practices with coach Mike Tomlin and got his own Super Bowl ring after the Steelers won. There is a twist to the story: Football almost did not happen for him. Jordan Clark played soccer and then basketball. The vision of a speedy Clark breaking ankles as a point guard was a tantalizing dream. Instead, he broke his own ankle as a ninth-grader. Next came a father-and-son heart-toheart talk about the sport that would provide the best chance to play in college. The answer was football. Another advantage: His mother, Yonka, can wear her Steelers jersey to U-High games because they look the same. “It is one thing to be a player and have a passion for a sport,” Ryan Clark said. “But to have your son grow up and see him develop that same passion … it’s surreal. I would not trade it for anything.”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MCCLURE FAMILY
Todd McClure and his son, Zachary linebacker Maverick McClure
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CLARK FAMILY
University High’s Jordan Clark with his father, Ryan