Clancy’s move to tackle pays off for Lake Zurich football

LAKE ZURICH — At 5-foot-7 and 165 pounds, Lake Zurich senior starting defensive tackle Tommy Clancy isn’t your prototypical lineman.

On almost every snap, he’s up against opposing offensive guards, centers and tackles who outweigh him, sometimes by more than 100 pounds.

And he’s doing it in the North Suburban Lake, one of the state’s toughest conferences.

“I think it was April of this spring, coach [David] Proffitt approached me in the weight room at school and said he needed to tell me something,” Clancy said. “At first I was nervous, and thinking to myself, ‘This can’t be good.’ ”

Clancy couldn’t have been more wrong.

“So then coach Proffitt asks me how I’d feel about transitioning from being mostly a special teams player and a backup linebacker to the defensive line instead,” Clancy said. “At first, I almost thought he was kidding.”

But it was no joke. There was a method behind the perceived madness. Proffitt knew Clancy was a standout varsity wrestler during his junior year, and hoped his skills would translate to the defensive tackle position.

“I just felt he had a very specific set of skills that would benefit our defensive line,” Proffitt said. “His time as a wrestler has taught him how to use his hands to shed blocks, among other things. The fact he’s had some success at the defensive tackle position this season for our football team doesn’t really surprise me either, quite frankly.

“I can’t speak for other coaches or teams, but I personally feel sometimes size [difference] is overrated in the game of football. A person’s size has absolutely nothing to do with how much heart that individual has. As a coaching staff, sometimes it’s incumbent upon us all to find the proper fit for a player, no matter how unlikely it may seem to others.”

In a 21-0 loss Oct. 2 to Stevenson, which is ranked No. 1 in the latest Sun-Times Super 25 and Associated Press Class 8A polls, the Bears’ defensive line held its own. Just two of the Patriots’ 31 rushing plays went for double-digit yardage.

“Don’t get me wrong, the transition hasn’t been easy at times,” Clancy said. “Facing such big athletes play after play can take its toll. But like coach Proffitt preaches, size isn’t everything. Speed and technique are just as important. If I can beat my guy off the ball first, when the ball is snapped, I have the upper hand immediately.

“The different types of takedowns I’ve learned while wrestling have helped with my tackling, too. I’ve even had teams throw double-teams at me, which seems kind of crazy considering my size. But they have.”

He hears comments from opposing players — and even some of his own classmates — who are often surprised to see him in the trenches each Friday night.

“I can’t tell you how many people have approached me asking me why I’m playing defensive line,” Clancy said. “Or I get comments like, ‘You’re so small, why are you playing that position?’ It just motivates me even more to succeed. I’m always gonna grind it out. If we want to be successful these last three games, and make a run at the playoffs, I can’t take a single play or a single down for granted.”

Lake Zurich faces Lake Forest Friday, then Warren and Vernon Hills in Weeks 8 and 9. The Bears need victories in two of those to become playoff eligible. All three games will be on the road.

“Our football team is one that still has a ton of fight left in it,” Lake Zurich senior defensive back Trevor Staley said. “We’re still gonna take each game as it comes, one at a time. But every game from now on is going to have to be viewed as a must-win for us.”