In basketball, players like Clark are point guards. In baseball, they are utility players. In football, they are position players who can long snap for kicks. But not all of them are the caliber of Clark, the do-everything midfielder for the Trojans' soccer team.

Clark does a little of everything for the Trojans, and without him, Northwestern might not be where it is. The Trojans, 21-2, are ranked No. 2 in the state in Class AAAA, looking for a fifth trip to the state championship in six seasons and have a big date tonight with Irmo, 20-3 and No. 4, for the Upper State championship.

The winner plays the Lower State champion -- Spring Valley or Wando -- Saturday night at South Carolina's Stone Stadium.

Clark will be front and center. If Northwestern needs a throw-in, Clark will take it. If the Trojans get a corner kick, or if they need someone to take a direct kick, he's the man.

And he could get an assist or two. He's No. 3 in the Northwestern record book in that category with 62. Former Trojans player Ryan Kropp leads with 113 and junior Enzo Martinez has 68.

"Zack is one of those players who's priceless," Northwestern coach Dom Wren said. "He can play any position on the field except goalkeeper, and we've used him everywhere but there.

"Zack is our leader. He's got game smarts, work ethic and a good attitude. He's very good on his throw-ins and his set pieces -- can put his throws and kicks on a dime. And he's tireless, hardly ever comes off the field."

Clark is often overlooked because of high-profile teammates like Martinez, who leads the state with 49 goals and set the record for career goals with 142, and freshman Ricardo Garbanzo, who has 26 goals.

But people are watching and know Clark is talented. He and Martinez were named Class AAAA All-State on Monday by the South Carolina Soccer Coaches Association.

Clark's position is much like that of a point guard in basketball. He stays in the middle of the field, setting the Trojans' offense. He falls back on defense when the other team reaches the midfield area.

He has scored eight goals and has 25 assists this season, but scoring is not foremost in his mind. He's satisfied to set up a teammate.

"I'm happy about being all-state, but I put the team before everything else," said Clark, a 5-foot-7, 150-pound junior. "I've always been an assists guy. It doesn't matter to me who scores as long as we win.

"I'll do whatever the coaches ask me to help the team. I've been playing soccer since I was 7 years old but only started doing throw-ins and corner kicks three years ago. I work on it on my own time, trying to get better. And we practice them every day.''

Although the rosters for both teams have changed, Northwestern and Irmo have a history. When Irmo was in the Lower State, the Yellow Jackets beat the Trojans two straight years in the state championship game. Irmo won in 2003 on penalty kicks after regulation ended at 0-0, and 2-1 in 2004 in overtime.

Clark knows what it's like to be on the winning and losing sides. Northwestern beat Spring Valley 1-0 in the 2006 title game and lost to the Vikings 3-2 last year.

Clark was on the team, but sat the bench in 2006. He started as a sophomore last season.

"I was excited when we won, but it just wasn't the same as if I had got to play," Clark said. "I got my chance last year and we came up short. It was tough.

"We're one win away from going back, but we're not going to look past Irmo. They have a good team and we know we'll have to play our best."

Clark and his teammates relaxed Monday, kind of like the calm before the storm. Wren gathered them in a room and they watched a soccer movie -- "Mike Bassett, England Manager."

"It's a comedy about a guy who's the manager for an English soccer team," Wren said. "It's really funny and the players enjoy. It's become a tradition here, do it every year.

"We decided to do it today to give the players a break. We've coached them hard all season. They are ready and know what has to be done."