In Friday's Public League Class AAAA Gold Division matchup against Fels, the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder notched three touchdowns, including an 87-yard interception return, as visiting Germantown rolled to a 49-16 victory at Northeast High.
Parks, who wears No. 11, not Sanders' No. 21, opened the scoring by beating his defender along the left sideline and hauling in a 30-yard pass from Cedric Wright. In a 21-point third quarter, Parks found the end zone on a 3-yard run.
Parks and the Bears rebounded from a 35-12, season-opening loss against District 11's Emmaus. "That was a very good team," the 17-year-old said. "I wasn't that disappointed. We took some positives away from the game."
On defense against Fels, Parks was matched against wideout Nijay Kelly. "He had two catches on me," Parks said. "I think I did a pretty good job on him."
Last year for Germantown, Parks served as a wideout, halfback, fullback, tight end, cornerback, and kick returner. "I try to be everything for the team," he said.
Growing up, Parks, who lives near 2d Street and Lindley Avenue in Olney, played youth football for the Wissahickon Braves. One of his teammates was current Germantown senior Myles Brooker, also a speedy receiver and cornerback.
"We look at each other as brothers," said Parks, a point guard in basketball. "If he makes an interception, my head is on a swivel. If I make an interception, his head is on a swivel."
Parks started high school at Father Judge. He transferred to Germantown two weeks before his sophomore year. "Tuition money was an issue," he said. "I was a little bit bummed. But it's OK. Without struggle, there is no progress."
In May, Parks was working out at Germantown when two University of Pittsburgh assistants, co-offensive coordinator Mike Norvell and defensive backs coach Tony Gibson, showed up to take an up-close look at the multipurpose standout.
