Click for Duke Clinch Highlights
After helping to lead the way for his team’s surprising run in the state playoffs, 2016 Woodinville OL Duke Clinch is ready to look to the future and he updated Northwest Elite Index on where things stand on the recruiting front.
“Right now, the only offer I have is from Central Washington,” Clinch told NEI recently. “Montana State and Idaho State have both started picking things up with me pretty recently and I’ve seen a little bit of interest from Montana and Idaho, so things are going pretty well.”
Clinch checks in at 6’3”, 285 pounds and he’s a three-year starter having started five games at right tackle as a sophomore, then holding down that same position for his entire junior season before switching to the left side as a senior this fall.
“I think what sets me apart is that I block all the way through the whistle,” Clinch noted. “When I was a sophomore, I was sorta timid, but I worked on that and my coaches got me to really focus on playing through the whistle and as a junior and a senior, I took pride in finishing my blocks.”
In addition to his abilities as a blocker, Clinch also was recognized by his teammates and coaches for his leadership skills, naming him a team captain before the season began.
“It was a huge honor and something I set as a goal for myself from the moment I got into high school,” Clinch said. “I like to challenge myself and push myself, so this was a big way to do that and I took it as an important step for me as a person and as a player.”
Clinch was so impressive as a senior that he earned First Team All -Kingco 4A and he was named to the Seattle Times top fall athletes list.
While his future lies on the gridiron, Clinch is also a very talented wrestler having won the Kingco 4A heavyweight division as a junior last season.
“I went to state, but this year I want to win it,” Clinch said. “Everything I do, I do it to be the best I can be and I love to compete and wrestling helps me with my conditioning and leverage and stuff like that, so it’s definitely been a help for me as a football player as well.”
Clinch is a gritty, hard-nosed player who projects well as a guard in college. With his leadership skills and the attitude with which he plays the game, the senior line prospect is one to watch in the coming weeks as the 2016 recruiting cycle gets closer to winding down.
