Anthony Clarke just finished up his successful four-year career as a star wide receiver and special teamer for Carroll College in Helena, Mont.

But in Eastern Idaho, he is known as one of the five alleged perpetrators in a hazing incident at Blackfoot High School that made national news (here’s the first link that pops up when you Google “Anthony Clarke Blackfoot”).

The allegations halted Clarke’s blossoming walk-on football career at Boise State and split the Blackfoot community. But they only made his relationship with his father, Mark, stronger.

Here’s my story on Clarke, which made A1 of the Dec. 11 issue of the Post Register.

Here’s the first section of the story:

On the first carry of Anthony Clarke’s football career, he burst through a hole and galloped 60 yards for a touchdown.

As he sprinted down the sideline, his coach and father, Mark, ran stride-for-stride with him.

‘He was yelling at me, telling me to turn on the jets, I better not get caught, stuff like that,’ Anthony said.

The year was 2002. The team was the Blackfoot Jets fifth-grade Grid Kid squad.

It was evident early on that Anthony was a special football player. And it was obvious that Mark would do whatever he could to help his son succeed.

When Anthony, 23, was a boy, Mark sometimes worked from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., but that didn’t deter him from playing sports with his children when he got home. If Anthony wanted to work on his passing skills, Mark would be his wide receiver, and vice versa.

‘The fire that keeps me going is the fire that fuels him, too,’ Anthony said.

As a Blackfoot High School senior, Anthony gained a combined 3,169 all-purpose yards and scored 24 touchdowns to lead the Broncos to their second 4A state title in school history. The Post Register named him its 2009 Football Player of the Year.

He chose to pursue college football at Boise State University as a walk-on. Even so, he quickly made an impression, earning the Broncos’ offensive scout team player of the year award. Anthony seemed destined for an increased role at BSU, one of the nation’s top programs, during his redshirt freshman season.

But his football story doesn’t end on the blue turf of BSU’s Albertsons Stadium. His story is part Greek tragedy and part a tale of redemption. It’s also the story of a father and a son and their unbreakable bond.