There’s one voice Hasbrouck Heights senior quarterback James Klenk loves to hear.
And only one place where he knows he will.
The football field.
“Every game, I still hear him,” said Klenk, 18, “yelling my name, cheering me on, and obviously, the last few games we have had a guardian angel watching over us.”
Robert Klenk Jr., “Bob” to one and all, died in June of 2016 after a short fight with lung cancer. He was 51. The Aviators wear a sticker on the back of their helmets with his initials on them. They actually wear two stickers, another is in memory of the mother of senior lineman Zach Gilligan who died last March.
James remembers his father checking into the hospital in May of 2016 with what was believed to be pneumonia. After a brief recovery he came home, only to return to the emergency room about a week later.
The youngest of three Klenk children, James felt the loss of his father deeply. It’s clear the way he talks about his Dad the love and respect he had for him. Members of the Aviators coaching staff call Bob one of the greatest people associated with the program.
“He was a hard worker, I don’t think I ever met a more genuine person,” said James. “He was really kind.”
The same could be said for Klenk. He hasn’t followed in his Dad’s profession (electrician) yet, but this being Hasbrouck Heights, he joined another family business as a child, playing sports, especially football.
James’ older brother Robert was a starter for Hasbrouck Heights, and like so many other Aviators, was a tough, hard-nosed player. Robert lost to Pompton Lakes in the sectional finals in 2013.
The next year James became an Aviator. He played freshman and junior varsity football, mostly behind Aviators standout quarterback Frank Quatrone. During his sophomore year he saw time on varsity as Quatrone dealt with a nagging ankle problem.
Last year saw James take over as a starting safety for the Aviators, who reeled off a perfect 11-0 season capped by a win in the North 1, Group 1 final against New Milford.
“I don’t think we could have asked for a better season,” said James. “It was a dream season the way we put up a lot of points and played defense.”
James likes playing safety because it gives him the ability to see the whole field and use his instincts to make plays.
Coming into this season the quarterback job was finally James. At six-foot-one, 185 pounds, he’s taller than Quatrone, and used differently. Last year Quatrone was Plan A and Plan B for the Aviators, this year James has multiple weapons including junior slotback Jasiah Purdie and fullback Nico Facchini. But Klenk is a dangerous weapon with a long stride.
These last few weeks have been quite a roller coaster for Hasbrouck Heights. It lost to Rutherford in the NJIC Championship game on an overtime interception thrown by Klenk. It flipped the script on Cedar Grove in the first round of the playoffs, as the Aviators got an interception in overtime to win, 12-6.
Then, against New Milford in the sectional semifinals, call it the “Hasbrouck Heights Heave,” or the “Blocked Kick Six.” The final play, a field goal try by New Milford to tie the game was blocked, only to see the ball tossed skyward and land in the hands of a Knights player who ran for a touchdown, before the officials ruled they had blown the whistle ending the play. The discussion over that interpretation is still ongoing.
But Hasbrouck Heights is moving on, playing against Pompton Lakes in the finals Saturday night at Kean. The two teams last met in the 2016 NJIC Championship game, which the Aviators won.
“It’s just awesome to go back to the state finals your senior year, I can’t really explain it, there’s something different about it,” said James. “It’s your last ride.”
James keeps the memories of his Dad close to him and says his mother Maureen is doing better, ‘for the first year, it was tough.’
The Aviator coaches remember Bob’s’ voice, loud and strong, being heard over the crowd wherever they play.
“You could hear him from anywhere,” laughs James. “He kind of paved the path for my siblings and I to show us that if you work hard, you can achieve anything.”
Bob Klenk’s voice still carries even after his gone. The words have meaning. The lessons are what echo.
