Clark returns as head coach at Garnet Valley
Mark Clark couldn’t stay away from volleyball any longer.
Garnet Valley announced on social media last week that the veteran coach has returned to his role as head of the volleyball team. Clark led the Jaguars to the PIAA Class 4A championship in 2016.
Clark stepped down from his post in 2017 after eight seasons. He compiled an overall record of 114-43 with four Central League titles and one PIAA championship.
Clark, a business education teacher at the middle school, stayed involved in coaching at Garnet Valley despite leaving volleyball behind.
“I was out for a couple years, but I got done with all of my graduate classes, and I saw an opportunity,” Clark said. “With the time off, I just wanted to get back in the mix of things again and felt this was a good time. I love the game, love coaching the kids.
“i definitely
missed coaching the girls. I was the assistant coach for softball, so I wasn’t out of the whole coaching realm. I did lacrosse for a season and then I did softball for two, even though the last one this past spring got cut short. So, I stayed around as a coach and loved being involved.
“But I definitely missed coaching volleyball and I’m happy to be back.”
Clark was content with his decision to resign following the 2017 campaign, sitting personal reasons and the fact that he was pursuing a graduate degree ate into a lot of his free time. In his absence, Garnet Valley continued to thrive under Clark’s former assistant Greg Wood, who was at the helm of the program in 2018 and 2019.
Clark left the door open for the possibility of coaching volleyball again in the future. He never actually considered himself retired.
“i needed to take a break from it because I had so many things going on,” Clark said. “I couldn’t commit totally to being a head coach at that time. When you’re the head of a program, there is so much more involved than when you’re just an assistant coach. So, that was the big thing. I knew then I had to take a break.”
Clark kept a close eye on the development of the program and was proud of the job Wood did in maintaining the Jags’ winning tradition.
“It was definitely tough giving it up because I was there for eight years and we were coming off some really great seasons. In 2016, we won the state title and in my last season we made it to the state semifinals,” he said. “But I knew at that time, I was handing over a really good team. It seemed like a good split in time and I could take care of things and I knew the program was in good hands with Greg. Sure enough, they went back to the state semifinals the year after that.
“Greg had some conflicts with work. With all the COVID stuff and since we’re not sure where things are going to go with school and stuff, and with his job requirements, he felt it was best to get out now so he can straighten all of that now. And now I’m back.”
Last Thursday, the PIAA announced that it will go forward with fall sports, unless otherwise directed by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.
Clark coached his incoming seniors as freshmen in 2017. The pandemic has made it difficult to for Clark to meet in-person with the team, but he has been communicating with players via email. The first full week of fall practice is set to begin Monday, Aug. 18.
“I hate to get these kids all jacked up and excited, just to be left out,” he said. “We’ll have tryouts and stuff like that. I’ll leave the meetings and stuff until after we figure out what the PIAA is doing.”