Clarke in conference driver's seat

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After sweeping Elmont last Friday, Clarke boys’ volleyball improved to 13-3 and is two wins from locking up a second conference title in four years and the top seed in the playoffs. 

Joe Harclerode has coached a few outstanding teams during his 21 years at the program’s helm, but none had the depth of his current squad.

While most teams have a strong hitter or two, the Rams boast four players who can put the ball down hard, with captain Mike Zanni leading the charge. The senior racked up 12 kills, four blocks and four aces against Elmont. He had a similar game versus Hewlett on Oct. 19, another 3-0 win that put Clarke atop Conference B-III.

“Mike is a very good hitter, averaging about 12 kills and about four or five blocks a game, so he’s doing really well,” Harclerode said.

Zanni and fellow middle hitter Tommy Talbot both played their best against Hewlett last week. Talbot had 12 kills and four blocks.

“Tommy also picks up quite a few aces with his jump-float serve,” his coach noted. Sophomores Derek Smith and Tyler Winans are the starting outside hitters. 

Called “ferocious” by his coach, Smith is also a solid server and passer. He had 15 kills when the Rams swept and handed Hicksville its lone loss this season on Sept. 9. 

Meanwhile, Harclerode has tinkered with his team, and probably his most important move was to bring up Winans from the JV squad. “Tyler has really good hands, is a really good passer and is a tremendous server,” he said. “He’s really added another dimension to our team.”

The coach also took junior Joe Collica out of the second setter spot to turn him into the team’s libero. 

“That’s a hard thing for some kids, but Joe accepted the responsibility nicely and he’s made us so much better since he’s changed that spot,” he said. 

Harclerode made the switch after sophomore Sal Taylor emerged as the superior setter. “He has the ability to set different types of sets, not just one,” he said of Taylor. “He gets to a lot of balls; that really helps us a lot.”

The Rams have swept their opponents in 12 matches and posted six consecutive wins at mid-season, defeating Valley Stream North and Sewanhaka during that streak when their passing started to jell.

Senior Nick Scotti plays back row on defense and shines as a passer. “We rely on Nick along with Joe Collica to start the offense,” his coach said. 

Clarke faces Carey (Oct. 26) and Levittown District (Oct. 31) before the postseason starts. Despite his team’s many virtues, Harclerode believes his players still need to improve if they are going to deliver the longtime coach his elusive first county title. 

“At certain times, we don’t communicate and things don’t go well on the floor,” he said. “It’s the one thing I stress all the time. We have to be very verbal, and when we do that we’re extremely dangerous.”