By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

MOUNT ULLA — Everyone agrees that the South Piedmont Conference is a deep, well-balanced league, but in three major girls team sports, West Rowan was 44-2 in league play during the 2022-23 school year and swept the conference tournaments.

The common thread in the Falcons’ volleyball, basketball and softball conference championships was a 6-foot bundle of energy named Emma Clarke.

Clarke killed, rebounded and slugged as a junior in one of the strongest, year-round efforts in local history. Clarke is the winner of the Tracy Connor Rowan County Female Athlete of the Year Award. She is the first West honoree since Taylor Martin in 2016.

Connor starred for South Rowan in the early 1990s. She was one of the finest basketball players in county history (and Wake Forest history) as well as an individual state champion in track and field.

Rowan had no shortage of talented multi-sport girls, but there wasn’t any doubt that Clarke stood out.

She made the North Carolina Coaches Association All-State teams for volleyball and softball. While she rolled opponents in her best two sports, she was also impressive just playing a role for a basketball team that stampeded 3A and went 31-0.

“Softball is my thing,” said Clarke who is committed to the University of Tennessee and is regarded as a national-level talent in the Class of 2024. “But during the volleyball and basketball seasons, I focused everything I had on helping those teams be as good as they could be. It’s a wonderful honor to be recognized when you put in a lot of work.”

Clarke was mentally wrestling with her college decision in September, so West volleyball coach Jan Dowling gave her some time and space and an opportunity to ease into the volleyball season, using her as a front-row player in the early going. But once Clarke made her softball commitment, West relied on her as a full-timer. She responded by piling up digs to go along with team-leading totals of kills and blocks.

“The recruiting decision for softball was the biggest of my life so far,” Clarke said. “So I had to deal with all of that, but then volleyball really got rolling for me  in the second half of the season. I started connecting well with our setter (Ashlee Ennis) and we ended up having a very good season.”

West was 23-4, ran the table in the SPC and reached the third round of the 3A state playoffs.

“Emma is as talented as any athlete I’ve had the opportunity to coach,” Dowling said. “She has the drive to be great. Super player and super teammate.”

Basketball was next for Clarke.

In hoops, the Falcons spent the summer meshing at camps and incorporating some new talent into their rotation. They did it without Clarke, who was busy with softball.

“I get to basketball after we finish volleyball and that’s when I get to hear all the great stories about what happened during the summer,” Clarke said. “Basketball is a different group of girls than the ones who play volleyball and softball at West, but my basketball friendships were just as strong and the bonds I formed with my teammates were still the same. One of my strengths is I can be good with anyone and can fit in with anyone. I will do everything I can to fit in and help my team.”

The Falcons were loaded, deep and talented, so coach Ashley Poole was able to give Clarke one job to focus on— rebound on both ends of the court.

It was a task she proved to be very good at. Clarke is capable of making turnaround jumpers and hook shots, but she focused on stick-backs. She gave the Falcons close to 10 and 10 every night, even with a lot of blowouts and a lot of running clocks limiting her minutes and stats.

“Emma was a huge part of our success,” Poole said. “We used her leadership to guide us through tough situations, and her energy is infectious. She has all the qualities it takes to be a great athlete and leader — attitude, hustle, grit, energy and hard work.”

The Falcons were playing basketball on the last day of the season, so softball was already under way when Clarke arrived.

She got in one practice, then launched a home run the next day.

“Most people don’t realize how hard it is to immediately switch sports,” Clarke said. “But I was able to keep my head in it and play. I was able to just be me. We had one rough stretch, but the seniors got everyone together. After that, he bats started clicking and the defense started communicating better. We got on a roll the second half of the season.”

West lost a one-run game in the third round of the playoffs to East Lincoln. East Lincoln went on to win the 3A state title.

Clarke put up mind-boggling stats while playing for her uncle, Jimmy Greene. She was dazzling as a shortstop and aggressive as a base runner. She smacked 10 homers, four triples and seven doubles, while scoring 40 runs and driving in 32. She had a .567 batting average, and with 24 walks, most of them intentional, she had a .685 on-base percentage. She made only 26 outs in a 25-game season. West went 20-4-1.

“She’s probably the best softball hitter and player ever to come through the county,” Greene said. “She has great ability, but I think it’s her love for the game that makes her really special. That’s why so many colleges recruited her.”

Clarke had her pick of schools. She chose Tennessee over a final four that also included Georgia, Virginia and Florida State.

She was a finalist for Gatorade Softball Player of the Year and High School OT Softball Player of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year.

She didn’t win those major awards this year, but that’s OK. After a busy softball summer that will take her all over the country as part of an elite team, she’ll have some things to shoot for as a senior.

Her last high school softball season should be amazing, but there also will also be one final fling with volleyball and basketball. Her commitment to those coaches and teammates is strong.

“I got to play for three conference champions, three very successful teams,” Clarke said. “Just an awesome school year.”