Humboldt Sports History Today: Kendal Clark

By: Donovan W. Mann – [email protected]

Humboldt, IA – While there are currently many great athletes making their own history at Humboldt High School there is one who finds themselves weaved in and out of the schools record books.

Current Wildcat Senior Kendal Clark is a five sport athlete and has been for the past two years. From season to season she is a common name on the court, field or mat for Humboldt.

In the fall Clark plays volleyball. She has started each of the last seasons for Humboldt as either an outside or right side hitter. As a sophomore she was named second team all-North Central Conference and in 2020 she was first team all-conference.

Humboldt Volleyball Coach Justin McDaniel on Kendal Clark:

  • “Kendal has been a strong competitor and great team member for us here over the last three year, starting varsity. She has done an outstanding job, not only in volleyball, but all her sports. She’s been involved in so many things and she has really come out to be a strong leader for us and to see her be so successful in so many sports is just outstanding. Like in the winter to see her successful not only in basketball but wrestling at the same time is just amazing. And I think, you know, a big part of her success is her work ethic. She has put a lot of time into the weight room, and it just shows what the weight room can do for somebody. And, you know, Kendal has done so much for all the programs here and she’s definitely going to be missed and remember.”

As a wrestler Clark claimed the first state title in Humboldt girls’ wrestling history in 2020 and in 2021 finished as runner-up.

Humboldt Wrestling Coach Chad Beaman on Kendal Clark:

  • “Kendal Clark, obviously, what a tremendous athlete. As a representative of our girls’ wrestling team she was a state champion and she was a state runner up. Just extremely competitive, all the time; every time she hit the mat, running on all cylinders. Probably most importantly, she was a great teammate to the rest of the girls on the team and really she was a big part and was responsible for the popularity of girls’ wrestling here in Humboldt. So, she definitely left her mark here and we’re very proud of her accomplishments.”

As a basketball player, in just this past season Clark set the record for points in a season at 385, was a unanimous first team all-NCC selections and a third team all-state selection in Class 3A by the Iowa Newspaper Association. In 2019-20 she was also named third team all-conference report.

Humboldt Girls’ Basketball Coach Rodd Mooney on Kendal Clark:

  • “I think Kendal’s biggest advantage as an athlete is her competitive nature. She has a will to win that is second to none and I think that comes out all the time in practice and in games. Another strength for her is her coach-ability. She’s physically strong, she’s mentally strong and that naturally leads to being a leader on the court. I think her legacy for Humboldt girls’ basketball is all of the little kids who have been watching us play for the last four years and have been able to see how she carries herself on the court and the expectations that it comes with. And Couldn’t be more proud of how she played this past year and in years past.”

In the spring Clark throws shot put and discus for the Wildcat girls’ track and field team. While this is the sport currently in season she is already in the school record books for shot put with a top throw of 42-10.5 and discus at 135-08.50

Girls’ track coach Spencer Ross on Kendal Clark:

  • “When thinking about Kendal as a track athlete, what I most appreciate about her is her personality and her perspective on, not only sports, but on life. I see her, she gets done competing at a meet and she’s down there right away with the runners we don’t get to interact with very much with on a day to day basis at practice. But she’s kind of just a magnet and that’s due to her personality and leadership ability. Also, she’s just a hard work in whatever she does; whatever season it is that is going to get her full attention and we’ve seen her success in just about everything she tries and every sport she plays. From a coaching perspective she’s an easy person to coach, she listens and as much success she’s had it would be easy to assume that sometimes kids in that position kind of get a big head but not her, not Kendal. She’s remained humble and a great leader and I’m very fortunate to have had her on our track team as well as my experiences with here in other sports.

In the summer Clark plays softball. In her softball career so far she is a three time first team all-conference selection. In the shortened 2020 she tied the school home run record at 10 and was a first team all-state selection. While she still has one more season to play for softball for Humboldt she is also continuing her athletic career in this sport at Des Moines Area Community College after signing a scholarship offer.

Softball Coach Doug VanPelt on Kendal Clark:

  • “What is awesome about Kendal is she’s not only great at softball but she’s a five sport athlete. She’s excelled in all five sports and I think that’s very important in today’s age, is that kids experience everything and she’s been elite in all five of them and hasn’t specialized in one and has the ability to perform at the highest level because of that. Even though she is taking her talents to play softball at DMACC she could have picked anything she wanted to do. It’s just a tribute to her hard work and leadership. She’s put in the time in the weight room, improving herself individually and is just a great teammate that leads by word and example. I’m very happy for her and, you know, just another one of the great examples that we’ve had of athletes go through HHS and it’s really cool that she is a multi-sport athlete. Hopefully, young kids who are younger than her, who have looked up to her, will pick up the baton and do the same thing and try to excel in all the sports.”

While Humboldt High School has and continues to produce many different great athletes, with her work ethic, personality and leadership abilities Clark has turned into one the Wildcat faithful will not soon forget.

Featured photo courtesy of Rick Thompson.