(Photo contributed/DAVE JOHNSON) Coach Paul Tungate runs with the state championship trophy after Clarkston secured the championship.

On rare occasions, a truly gifted athlete emerges. Take this athlete combine him with the ultimate team concept, and something special is created.

There, in a nutshell, is the story of the 1976 Clarkston High School baseball team.

Clarkston, behind the incredible left arm of future National League Rookie of the Year Steve Howe, and tremendous team defense and solid pitching overall, won the Class A state title. The ’76 Wolves have been named as the fourthbest high school team in the history of Oakland County by The Oakland Press.

“Steve was the franchise, so to speak,’’ said Paul Tungate, who coached the Wolves on their magical ride throughout the state tournament. “He wasn’t intimidated by anybody or anything. He had total control of his pitches. The days he pitched, were my easiest in coaching. He just took charge — and away we went.’’ Howe, who died in a traffic accident in 2006, was truly a schoolboy legend. As a junior in 1975, he complied a 10-0 record. It was a precursor to his senior year when he was 13-1 with a 0.37 ERA. His only loss was 1-0 to Waterford Kettering.

The Wolves had a terrific double-play combination in shortstop Doug Manigold and second baseman Larry Bennett.

“Seemed like every time we needed a double play, we got one,’’ said Dave Johnson, an outfielder for the Wolves.

That included double plays during the fourth and fifth innings to get out of jams during the state title game — a 2-1 victory over Hazel Park.

Howe threw extremely hard — conservatively 95 mph — in high school. But he also had an outstanding breaking ball and tremendous command of the baseball for a pitcher so young.

“The thing with Steve is that he kept the ball down and we had great defense behind him,’’ Tungate said. “He never worried when the ball was hit against him, which wasn’t that often. We made the plays.’’

Tungate, now retired, knew early he had something special in Howe.

“When he was a sophomore, I brought him into a game against Lake Orion with the bases loaded and nobody out,’’ Tungate said. “Steve struck out the side and didn’t give up any runs. He didn’t even flinch.”

Howe, who played right field when he didn’t pitch, was also the Wolves’ leading hitter with a .302 batting average. As a team, Clarkston hit just .260, but it wasn’t the Wolves’ hitting attack that made them exceptional. It was their propensity to pull out one-run victories, including a pair over powerful Royal Oak Kimball — in the George Gary Tournament in Pontiac, and during the the state tournament regional. At the time, Kimball featured future major league pitcher Brad Havens.

Howe was not the entire pitching staff. Bill Matthews and Jeff Schatz combined to win the state title game. Schatz closed it out with five innings of one-hit, shutout pitching. Howe pitched a one-hitter, striking out 12, and had an RBI double, during the semifinal victory over Owosso.

Clarkston’s team ERA for the season was a paltry 1.22.

Tungate didn’t know what to expect going into the season. While his team was seniorladen, many of Clarkston’s position players were starting for the first time in 1976.

“We had a lot of players who seemed to be on the same teams for a long time,’’ Bennett said. “And we had some key pitchers besides Steve, who performed very well for us. Steve only pitched in half the playoff games, but he was brilliant when he did.’’

Bennett said Tungate was a key.

“How did we win all those games?’’ Bennett said. “It was through Paul. The way he handled the pitchers was masterful. He pitched one pitcher three or four innings, until the opposing team dug in its heels against him, and then went to another pitcher with a totally different style. He did a great job of knowing his players and how to use them.”

Center fielder Rod Hool provided excellent defense and was the Wolves’ biggest power threat. First baseman Steve Pearson was very consistent. Tungate singled out catcher Jeff Furguson for particular praise.

“He was always picking guys off first base or second, and was a strong presence behind the plate,’’ Tungate said.

Howe’s career was marred by seven suspensions by Major League Baseball for substance- abuse violations.

“We never had a problem with Steve in high school,’’ Tungate said. “Whatever problems he had came later. The whole team was made up of a great bunch of kids.”

Pat Caputo is a senior sports reporter and columnist for The Oakland Press. Read his blog and listen to his audio podcast at Blog Central at theoaklandpress.com. E-mail him at pat.caputo@oakpress.com.