PORTAL — Nolan Clark, a senior at Portal High School, was selected as one of 20 state finalists in the 2010 Wendy’s High School Heisman Award program.         “I’m proud of the honor, and it’s come after a lot of hard work,” said Clark, who is the son of Neal and Joanne Clark of Portal.
    Clark’s academic, athletic, leadership, and civic accomplishments set him apart from thousands of Georgia’s student athletes.  The All-Region 3-A center, defensive tackle and catcher, who holds Portal’s home run record, is used to hard work. 
    “My mom, who teaches math here at Portal, always told me to work hard in school, and I didn’t want to test her,” Clark said.
    He has a 4.0 GPA, and he’s on track to be salutatorian.  He is a three-sport athlete, but having played basketball, football and baseball, it’s a baseball scholarship he is pursuing to take his academic and athletic abilities to the collegiate level. 
    Clark serves as president of the Beta Club, has served on the Youth Leadership Council at Statesboro First Baptist Church, and is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Anchor Clubs at his school.  Clark is also passionate about giving blood, and he regularly donates twice a year.  “It’s such a simple thing to do that can really save someone’s life,” he said.
    As a state finalist Clark was one of only 10 males selected, as the program narrowed the list of prestigious applicants to 10 male and 10 female finalists in October.  Two of the 10 males were from Bulloch County, Clark and John Harden of Bulloch Academy. In November, from these athletes, the program announced its male and female winners from each state and then further narrowed the winners to 12 national finalists. These students will attend the Wendy’s High School Heisman National Awards Banquet in New York City, and attend all Heisman Memorial Trophy Weekend festivities.        The Wendy’s High School Heisman Award is the only other award to use the Heisman name.  Sponsored by Wendy’s and ACT, the program was created with help from members of New York’s Downtown Athletic Club’s, Heisman Trophy Committee.  Archie Griffin, the only two-time winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy serves as the program’s spokesperson.