By Michael Wojtychiw

To get an invite to show off one’s skills on the national stage is one of the greatest achievements an athlete can get in their careers.

National all-star games offer an opportunity for athletes in all sports to showcase their talents in front of not only collegiate scouts and other coaches and players from across the nation, but also potentially thousands or millions of people watching on national television.

One of those possible opportunities in football is the Blue-Grey All-American Game, which features kids from the junior and senior classes and offers them a chance to play the ATT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

One of those players this year was Clark senior Anthony Spivey. The linebacker, who earned All City Second Team Defense honors, was the Chicago Public League’s lone representative in the game, but it didn’t matter to him.

To even be considered for the game was an honor.

“Right after my junior year, I got a message on social media from the people running the game that told me they thought I was a player who could play in the game,” he said. “We were down in Dallas for the weekend before the game to get some practice in and then played four days later.

“When I found out I was going to play in the game, I was so excited because I was going to be able to showcase my talents on TV, showcase my talent against other talent. I was an All-American and that meant something.”

The road to the All-American Game wasn’t an easy one, however.

The two-time All-City performer was a four-year varsity player and saw how much he developed over his career at Clark.

“I learned a lot down there, from going off hand signals, new defensive concepts because it was different than the formations I ran in high school,” he said. “I’m young for my grade, so when I was coming into high school, I was 13 and going up against 17-year-olds.

“I’ve gotten a lot stronger since those early days. I couldn’t lift 135 pounds my freshman year, now I’m lifting 365. I feel like I’ve become smarter too. I always have had a lot of football knowledge but my football IQ has gotten a lot better over the past four years.”

Spivey earned his accolades as a linebacker, but he was a jack of all trades for Clark.

Along with the defensive position, he also played running back and fullback.

“This season, I had over 800 yards, 6 touchdowns, so I’m very versatile and comfortable on both sides of the ball,” he said. “On the offensive side, it’s fun because I know it’s hard to tackle me. When I get the ball, I’m looking to run through somebody’s chest. They can’t tackle me, I’m too big for them to tackle me.

“On the defensive side, I love hitting, love contact, knocking somebody off their feet. It brings so much excitement.”

As of the early spring, Spivey hadn’t made a collegiate decision, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t interested in playing at the next level.

“I’m a linebacker and a running back and am willing to play wherever a school will want me,” Spivey said.

Whichever school gets the talented Clark football will be a lucky one, because if if we’ve seen something about Spivey, it’s that one way or another, he’ll be successful.