After the announcement, Linnekin and his friends began recruiting players, and 24 were in uniform for Saturday's 36-0 loss to a Penns Grove team that is expected to be a serious threat in the Tri-County Classic Division and Group 1.
Not only did Linnekin play his heart out, he also changed positions after the forfeit loss so the team could execute the most elementary of plays - the center snap.
A wide receiver and defensive back since earning a varsity spot as a freshman, Linnekin moved to center, going up against the grunts that outweighed him sometimes by more than 100 pounds.
"He stepped in at center so we could play a game," Clayton coach Ryan Caltabiano said in admiration. "I asked him, and he never complained, and he wanted to do anything to help the team."
One reason Caltabiano asked Linnekin to be a center was that he is the team's long-snapper. Yet getting beaten up immediately upon snapping the ball isn't a job for the meek.
"I decided that I would do anything I had to for the team to play," Linnekin said. "And the coaches have done a great job helping me to learn the position."
He had to learn it in about a week. Linnekin's selfless attitude wasn't lost on the opponent.
"Any time you make the decision to help your team, you have to tip your hat to a kid willing to do that," Penns Grove coach Kemp Carr said. "Usually those type of players with those mentalities are successful people because they aren't selfish."
Add Carr to the list of unselfish people. He realized the difficult situation that Clayton was in, and that is why the starters were pulled with nearly a half to play.
"Kemp Carr is a classy guy, putting the second stringers in early in the third quarter," Caltabiano said.
While the final score indeed matters, this instance shows that the chance to compete is as important to some as the chance to win.
Linnekin said Clayton would be competitive with some opponents, and who would argue with somebody who fights in the trenches with much bigger opponents?
"There were linemen out there who were twice his size," Caltabiano said.
And Linnekin's reaction to mixing it up with the behemoths up front?
"It wasn't that bad," he said. "I know I am little on the line, but I feel I can still make a big effect on the game."
Linnekin isn't playing for a team bound for the state championship. He isn't competing for a scholarship. All he is doing is playing the sport he loves, looking to make a memorable senior season after it was nearly lost.
That's why no task is too tough for somebody with a strong will. And it's why this undersize athlete with the oversize heart has made playing center look like a snap.
Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or mnarducci@phillynews.com.
