BY MAT CLOUSER
BRANDON — OV senior football players Keevon Parks and Caleb Whitney were recently named to the South team’s roster for this year’s North-South All-Star game to be held at 1 p.m. at Norwich University in Northfield on November 20.
Whitney, who is the team’s starting quarterback, and Parks, who starts at running back, also excel in all three phases of the game and head coach Jordan Tolar said he wasn’t surprised to see either player make the team.
“[Caleb] always leaves it all out on the field,” said Tolar, who also credited Whitney’s playmaking ability and athleticism, citing his “quick-strike ability,” as well as his contributions all across the defense and special teams. “He takes to coaching on the fly,” said Tolar.
Parks, who had not played organized football before high school, credited Whitney for encouraging him to play and for teaching him the game. He also mentioned Whitney’s outstanding two-way ability, saying, “He just gets into it—he’s scrappy.”
On the subject of Parks, coach Tolar had similarly excellent praise. “He’s just a joy to coach, for myself and my staff,” said Tolar. “He’s the heartbeat of the team.”
The number one rusher for the Otters, Parks is also the team’s leading tackler. He said he was first made aware of making the All-Star team after making a tackle against BFA-Fairfax. “I made the tackle, and I was helping him up,” said Parks. “He thanked me for helping him up and congratulated me for making the team. Then I found out [officially] after the game.”
The Otters’ season has been up and down this year, going undefeated at home but winless on the road. They currently sport a 3-4 record but can improve to 4-4 if they handle their business at home against a winless Missisquoi Valley team on Saturday, October 22, at 1 p.m.
“We’ve overcome a lot,” said Parks, who feels like the team has improved as the season continues. “Losing out first two games set us back,” he said. “But [we knew] as long as we got into the playoff picture, we could be okay.”
Coach Tolar acknowledged the team’s poor road showing this year, also pointing out that they had to play the top four teams in Division III on their home fields. “It could be an edge for us [in the playoffs],” he said, pointing out the learning experiences the team picked up along the way.
“We’re going to have to be road-dog warriors,” he added.
