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LEHIGH VALLEY WEATHER

Parker's actions on field are loud

Alex Parker is a young man of few words, but his actions on the field for the Catasauqua Rough Riders have certainly reverberated louder this season.

The soft-spoke senior has been one of the major reasons for the Roughies' fast 5-0 start out of the gate this fall. Through the first five games, Parker has caught 15 passes for 257 yards and has scored five touchdowns.

"Alex is a little shy, but he hasn't been on the field," exclaimed Roughies' head coach Tom Falzone. "He had a standout game against (Saucon Valley) and made some great plays. But he has been that way all season. (Parker) goes about his business on the field and doesn't let everyone know about it."

Parker had a career night in a 37-0 win over Saucon Valley last weekend when he hauled in nine receptions for a game-high 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Along with Paryss Marshall, the duo have formed one of the most potent receiving tandems in the Lehigh Valley, and they became more of a target against Saucon Valley when the Roughies' backfield of Ra'Von Burton and Eric Matz left the game with injuries.

"They (Saucon Valley) tried to stop our running game all night," stated Parker. "But when those guys (Burton and Matz) got hurt, Paryss and I knew we had to step it up. We did and made some plays."

Being involved with the varsity program for four years, Parker is enjoying each moment of a season in which many expect the Roughies to take it deep into the year.

"It has just been great," he said. "If I could ever have asked for a senior year, this would have been it. Everything has gone right for us this year. We've done what we had to do and worked to have everything better."

It has been an evolving year for Parker, whose season started well when he caught a touchdown pass in the season-opening 37-6 win over Wilson.

"I had a game like that (Wilson) early and it helped," recalled Parker. "We all knew Wilson would be a tough team, but when we beat them like we did, we all were a little startled. We realized what we could all do, and we knew we could keep moving this forward. We have managed to play well all season."

Transforming himself into a top-flite receiver literally been an overnight process. In the early part of the summer, Parker still had aspirations on being the Roughies' starting quarterback, a position he has played since a freshman. It was only last season when he began seeing some time at receiver. He also battled some nagging injuries the main one being an injured shoulder - over the past three years.

Yet, he finally realized his role as a receiver and believed the quarterback role might be better suited for junior Zack Bradley. As a result, he began to hone his skills on the outside inside of the inside.

"I knew I would be better off as a receiver," Parker said. "Bradley is a great quarterback and he should be there.

"I knew I had to work on my route running and blocking. It was a process for me, but I worked hard to try and be the best I could out there."

Parker - a member of the student council, Varsity C, and SADD would like to continue his football career in college, but he isn't quite sure where that place might be as well as his major in college. Instead, he is focused on finishing the season string and then playing his final campaigns with the Roughies' basketball and baseball squads, the latter being the first time since his middle school.

Whatever he does, Parker is likely to make more noise on a field or court than off them.