By Andy Rogers

Aaron Clark, 39, has been active in baseball since the age of 5. He has followed the sport all the way to becoming the head coach of Leon’s baseball team.

Clark has been the head coach for 11 years, after a stint as an assistant coach.

Clark played baseball for Leon all four years of his high school career, which landed him a scholarship at Florida State University. After a shoulder injury that cut short his Seminole career, Clark immediately returned to Leon to coach.

In addition to coaching, Clark has worked with the Student Affairs Office at Leon for the last three years. This tops off his already busy schedule of coaching baseball and raising his daughters, Courtney, 14, and Abby, 11.

In student affairs, Clark is in charge of disciplining students involved in fights, vandalism, drug usage and other misdemeanors.

14 hours a day, starting at 6 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m.

Balancing time between coaching and discipline can get rough when something unexpected occurs during either one of these priorities.

“Anything can happen during the day to mess with my schedule,” Clark said. “Finding time to do both can be a hassle.”

This season seems to have a bright outlook for Clark, who expects the team to compete in the state championship.

Leon’s district includes Lincoln and Chiles. According to Clark, the toughest contender should be district rival Chiles High School.

Even with a strong team such as Chiles to compete against, Clark sees his players with the ability to go all the way to the state championship game.

This season’s team is led by seniors Tyler York and Jared Walker, as well as junior Jordan Priddle. All three have signed on or been offered baseball scholarships to different colleges.

“These guys really encourage the team to go further,” Clark said.

Clark has served at the helm of Leon’s baseball program with passion, coaching at the state playoffs twice, winning a District Championship and two JV City Championships. He has served this program well, and is eager to coach further in the future.

York, who has been playing baseball for Clark for four years, has had offers from several colleges including the University of Iowa, Jacksonville University and the College of Charleston. With the experience he has had under Clark’s guidance, York describes the head coach as very experienced in the sport, but also strict about what he does.

“He knows what he’s talking about and knows how to use his experience in the right way,” York said.