By Aaron Beard
Associated Press
RALEIGH ó K.P. Parks ran into the state record books on the way to becoming the top prep football player in North Carolina.
The West Rowan running back was named The Associated Press Player of the Year for North Carolina in 2009 after guiding the Falcons to consecutive state championships while setting numerous rushing records. Parks earned 13 of 17 votes from sports writers across the state in results released Friday, easily outdistancing Matthews Butler quarterback Christian LeMay for the award.
Parks, a 5-foot-7 senior who has committed to Virginia, ran for a state-record 3,794 yards and 59 touchdowns this year. He set the state’s career rushing record with 10,895 yards ó a total that ranks third in U.S. history ó and scored 158 touchdowns. He set national records for career carries (1,370) and 100-yard rushing games (55).
Along the way, West Rowan won 30 straight games and a pair of state titles.
“I always tell everybody it’s a team thing, and I feel like it’s a program award,” Parks said. “It’s the defense getting the ball back and the receivers making a block downfield. I feel everybody was pushing for me, and I wasn’t going to let my team down or my community down.”
Parks capped his career by running for 154 yards and four touchdowns in a 28-21 win against Eastern Alamance in the 3A championship game at N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium, capping a 16-0 season for West Rowan.
He finished tied for second place for the award last year, when the Falcons went 15-1 and beat West Craven 35-7 in the 3A title game at Wake Forest’s BB&T Field.
Parks was the leading vote-getter as he returned to the AP all-state team for a second straight season earlier this week. His selection as player of the year for North Carolina marked the 10th time in 16 years that the honor went to a running back.
“He broke some records that people thought would never be broken,” said West Rowan coach Scott Young, last year’s AP Coach of the Year in North Carolina. “That’s not just a testament to what he did on the field for us this year. That signifies the great career he had for us.”