STARKVILLE — Sophomore year was an important one for Starkville tennis player Charlie Clark.

Heading into the tennis season, he started to have aspirations of playing tennis at the next level, to continue to improve and compete at a higher level against the best of the best.

That meant that he not only needed to improve his game, but he needed to improve himself. So, that year, he put in the work on the court and in the weight room, losing roughly 50 pounds as he gained more mobility and agility in his game.

His tireless work ethic and countless hours of practice and more all culminated on Monday afternoon, as Clark announced his intent to continue his tennis career at Northwest Community College.

“I’ve been working really, really hard for the past couple of years,” Clark said. “I realized that I wanted to try to play college tennis…I overcame a lot. I started looking into college last year, and the coach at Northwest, a guy named Will Irvin, he graduated from Starkville High.”

“He told me that if I kept working, he would be interested in taking me on the team. I kept working and working, I proved myself and he gave me an offer.”

As coaches and administrators described and talked about Clark, hard work and perseverance were the two phrases and words that came up the most, and for good reason.

Clark hasn’t wasted his opportunity to not only chase titles and championships at Starkville, but put himself in the right position for what’s to come after high school.

His role as a leader for the Yellow Jackets has increased exponentially over the past year as college came into the picture for him, which has rubbed off on his teammates.

“When I became coach last year, I think the energy I brought, constantly telling him what it takes to be a winner, to be committed, that motivation and belief, put a thought in his mind of what he can do,” Starkville tennis head coach Vanessa Shaffer said. “I’m really proud that Charlie is getting an opportunity to play at Northwest.”

When speaking on his tennis game, the weight loss helped with court mobility, to get to tough shots on the baseline or drop shots near the net.

It’s allowed him to add to his game while honing in on some of his strengths, like his serve and backhand.

Monday’s signing day event was weeks in the making after Clark caught the flu bug around a month or so ago. 

Now that he was able to recover from it, signing day was 100 percent on, meaning that he could celebrate with family, friends, coaches and teammates alike.

“It’s been great,” Clark said. “I’ve been looking forward to this for forever. I can’t tell you how anxious I’ve been to get this done.”

Clark will be part of a new wave of tennis players playing for Northwest, who brought back both the men’s and women’s programs this season after a five-year hiatus.

Before he heads to Senatobia, however, his senior season with the Yellow Jackets still awaits. Clark and Starkville’s state title quest begins with the 2023 season opener on Jan. 23.