HE'S QUICK, STRONG, SMART AND DOMINATING NEWBURY PARK'S CLARK HAS IT ALL GOING FOR HIM, INCLUDING COLLEGE RECRUITERS.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

NEWBURY PARK - Watching offensive lineman Philip Clark push his defensiveteammates around Newbury Park High's practice field, it's difficult to imagine a time when he didn't dominate.

Clark, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound senior who is being recruited by most of the Pacific-10 Conference, has it all: the quick feet to keep defenders in front of him, the brute strength to overpower them and the intelligence to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage, or even during a play.

But these talents were not always evident.

``When he was a sophomore, he just wasn't very good,'' Newbury Park coach George Hurley said. ``He was a big kid who just kind of stood in everybody's way. Then, at the end of last September, it was like a light came on in his head, and he just got better and better.

``It was evident in the classroom, too. I had him for algebra, and for a while it was just, 'What can I do to get a C?' And then all of a sudden, the grades started to rise. I think he just grew up.''

Clark recognizes that he went through a dramatic transition last year, both on the field and off, and although he says there was no single turning point, he agrees that his fortunes began to turn at the beginning of his junior year.

It began just before the start of football practice, when Clark's grandmother died and he traveled back East to be with family. By the time he returned to practice, Hurley had put another player in his strong tackle spot, and Clark had some catching up to do.

Around the same time, Clark's mother decided to move to Nevada to be close to friends and family, leaving Clark, whose father lives in La Quinta, without a home in the area. Clark's parents agreed to let him live in Westlake Village with his 23-year-old sister, Renae, who is now his legal guardian.

Many teen-agers would be felled by such distractions, but Clark grew stronger. He began dominating opponents by midseason with the help of line coach Mike Scarpace, strengthened his resolve in the classroom with the help of his girlfriend and quickly settled into his new living arrangement.

``It was really easy,'' said Clark, who still receives financial support from both parents. ``I was really independent when I lived with my mom, and then when I moved in with my sister, it was just another room, and I kept going the way I was. All I have to focus on is school and football.

``With football, I just had to work my way back in. I was more concerned with working my way in than learning the plays, and when I finally got around to learning the plays, it shaped my game up.''

The change was dramatic, according to Hurley, who watched Clark rededicate himself to weight training and saw the improvement on the field. Hurley recalls leaving the campus several times last year and watching Clark, on the field by himself, pushing the team's weighted sled.

``We had our all-county meeting at the end of the season,'' Hurley said, ``and the teams that played us early in the year didn't even know who number 77 (Clark) was. The teams we played at the end of the season sure knew who he was.''

Clark won't surprise anybody this year. At strong tackle, Clark has the challenge of protecting sophomore quarterback Ryan Lombardo, and he will have to be successful if Newbury Park hopes to challenge Westlake for the Marmonte League title.

But Clark, who lists UCLA, USC and San Diego State as his early college favorites, has bigger goals in mind for the Panthers.

``We want a CIF title,'' Clark said. ``If Marmonte (championship) comes along with that, then great, but nobody looks at a Marmonte championship and says, 'That's great.' They all talk about Keith Smith and the CIF title. That's how I want to be remembered.''

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Photo: (color) Philip Clark