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MOCKSVILLE— Maybe it’s good that Mike Clement carries the nickname Mike-Mike. When the sophomore tailback at Davie County carries the football, defenses think there are two of him.
He’s that quick.
Ask the Salisbury Hornets, who watched Clement churn and twist and sprint his way to 95 yards on 18 tries in a 40-14 victory. It left the War Eagles 2-2 on the season and gave them a sense of confidence in their running game going into Friday’s contest at unbeaten North Davidson.
Clement is just the next in a long line of tailbacks over the last decade with 1,000-yard potential. You remember Hamilton Cuthrell and David Daye and Cedric White and Ricky White. Now, Clement is being given the chance to earn his place in the spotlight.
“This year, he’s the feature back in our multiple-I set,” said head coach Doug Illing. “He worked hard over the summer and has bulked up 15-20 pounds.”
He follows the lead of his fullback, Justin Goode, who blocks and gives advice. Goode is a senior who has taken Clement under his wing. He enjoys big games from Clement because as soon as the defense keys on the sophomore, Goode pops free. In fact, while Clement had 95 yards against Salisbury, Goode rumbled for 72 on 11 carries.
In a year when it appeared Davie wouldn’t have its usual dominating backfield, these two have held their own.
“If anyone’s been surprised, it has been you guys,” offensive coordinator Bill Oakley said, referring to the fans and media. “We knew we had guys who could play.”
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Even though he was just a freshman last season, Clement had an idea that his time would come. Illing decided to put him on the varsity to back up Ricky White, who happens to be Clement’s cousin.
“We knew he had good speed and ran hard,” Illing said. “He did an excellent job for Coach (Barry) Whitlock in middle school. But we were weak in depth at running back and Ricky was hurt. We had no other alternative. We pulled him up for emergency purposes.”
Now, if there’s an emergency, Oakley just calls Mike-Mike’s number. And Mike-Mike smiles when he hears it.
Of course, Mike-Mike Clement smiles. He is always smiling.
“He comes out with a smile every day,” Oakley said. “He plays loose and he enjoys the game. And that’s why we’re out here — to enjoy football.”
Mike-Mike was enjoying himself early against Salisbury. His first two runs were 25 and 26 yards.
“It’s the greatest feeling,” he said of breaking a long one. “You don’t hear anything.”
Once he comes back to the huddle, he hears plenty, mainly from Goode.
“He helps me stay in control on the field,” said Clement.
Goode said it’s all part being a senior.
“(Illing) nominated me as a captain so I automatically had to step up my leadership,” said Goode. “I need to set an example. Yeah, I talk to him a little bit. He’s a real good athlete and real competitive. He’s going to be good.”
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Illing discovered Clement at South Davie Middle School. That was when Mike-Mike discovered himself.
“Coach Whitlock brought me from the little stage to the big stage,” said Clement, once again showcasing that infectious smile.He taught me how to take handoffs, how to run with the ball, stuff like that.”
Clement has learned his lessons well.
“He’s very explosive,” Oakley said. “Actually, for somebody with a good burst of speed, he likes to run between the tackles.”
Goode is the heavy-duty fullback. If there is a short-yardage situation, he gets the ball. That happened Friday. Oakley was faced with a fourth-and-one and he called Goode’s number.
“There’s no doubt,” Oakley said, “that if we need a yard, we know Goody’s been there.”
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Now that it has been established that Clement has the talent, what about that nickname Mike-Mike.
Another big smile.
“It’s a thing I grew up with,” he said. “It’s a little short for Michael. I didn’t like that name so I told people to call me Mike-Mike. My teachers call me Michael ... but I respect that.”
Illing respects that Mike-Mike is so focused, even though he’s just a sophomore.
“We like our tailback to carry it 15-18 times a game so he has to take some punishment but dish out some too.” Illing said. “He is getting stronger where he can take it.
Then, Illing showed a Mike-Mike-like smile.
“He’s going to be here this year and two more after this, Illing said. “We’re hoping he gets stronger and faster.”
And you can bet there will be some little-leaguer out there watching, telling his dad, “I want to be like Mike-Mike.”
Clement would like that. He has goals
“Iwant to beat the yardage of my cousin,” he said.
With 2 12 seasons left, he’ll get plenty of opportunities to do just that.
In other words, expect Mike-Mike to be on the go-go.
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