K.P. Parks completed a legendary football career on Saturday by leading Mt. Ulla West Rowan to a 28-21 victory over Eastern Alamance in North Carolina’s Class 3A state championship game. 
K.P. Parks, West Rowan
File photo by Don Wessel
Named the game’s offensive MVP with 155 hard-earned rushing yards and four touchdowns, Parks helped the high-flying Falcons finish their banner campaign with a 16-0 record and 30-game winning streak.
In the process, the dynamic 5-foot-7, 195-pound senior running back established two national career records. One record was 55 games with at least 100 rushing yards. The previous record was 47 by Michael Hart of Onondaga (Nedrow, N.Y.) from 2000-03.
The second record, however, is even more mind-boggling – Parks carried the pigskin more times than any other high school player in history: 1,370. The previous record was 1,353 by Brad Hocker of Archie (Mo.) from 1988-91.
In addition, he finished his four-year career with 10,895 rushing yards, which is No. 3 in prep history. The record of 11,232 by Ken Hall of Sugar Land (Texas) has stood since 1953.
Parks, who never missed a full game due to an injury, attributes his records to "how durable I am and how much the coach trusted the ball in my hands. It takes place in the weight room and I take good care of my body.
"It’s a great honor. I believe it’s a program award and a team award, too."
Coach Scott Young calls his superstar’s amazing records "a testament to how solid of a program we’ve had the last three years and how durable he’s been. It shows we are committed to running the ball, and K.P. has stayed injury-free against good competition. He’s a great one and the best one I’ve ever coached. Obviously his numbers make him one of the best ever to play at the high school level."
Salisbury Post assistant sports editor Mike London says, "Every time you see him, he does something you’ve never seen before. That’s what he was born to do. Coaches have been conscious of records, but at the same time they have taken pains not to run up the score on people."
Parks missed only one game in his career. As a sophomore he did a flip into the end zone (more for joy than showmanship) and was penalized by the officials, forcing him to sit out the following contest. London estimates it probably cost him 200 yards.
London said that Parks played with painful injuries several times during his career, but he "answered the bell every time and always wanted the ball." Even in the state-title game, he noted, "He was bloody (nose) and bruised at the end."
Parks, who has committed to the University of Virginia, concedes that he probably is playing with a chip on his shoulder because at 5-7 he doesn’t fit the mold of a powerful running back.
"I tell everybody that it’s a motivating factor," he pointed out. "It keeps me working harder and harder. I won’t change anything (at Virginia)."
