As Matt Kimes begins his second season as head coach of Parkersburg’s football program, he does so with the luxury of a proven quarterback with which to work with.
Senior David Parsons enters his final go-around at PHS coming off a strong junior campaign in which he completed 144-of-249 passes for 22 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Parsons, who passed for just south of 2,000 yards as a junior, has the stature of a well-built college player at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds.
Yet for the many physical tools Parsons possesses, Kimes is hopeful the signal-caller will make strides in areas not seen in a box score, and believes through work this offseason, he’s well on his way to doing just that.
“The growth in his maturity has been astronomical this year,” Kimes said. “He’s really developed an understanding and concept of being a total high school football player through his diet, work ethic, studying and understanding of the game. You put all that into a second year of the same system and now you have something you can really prosper with.
“It’s never been a physical question with him. The first time I ever saw him throw a football, I was like, ‘this guy spins it as good as any kid I’ve ever seen spin it.’ But the intangibles part of the game, being a leader and understanding what we’re trying to accomplish offensively, but also understanding what they’re trying to accomplish defensively, he’s really grown in that part.”
Parsons gained valuable experience behind center as a sophomore when he passed for 1,340 yards and 12 touchdowns. That was a season in which PHS finished 4-6 and opted to have then-senior Bryson Singer — the program’s all-time all-purpose yardage leader — play running back and wide receiver more frequently than quarterback.
Parsons stepped to the forefront in 2022 and put forth a season good enough to earn Class AAA all-state honorable mention status along with all-Mountain State Athletic Conference second-team honors.
Also a basketball player at PHS, Parsons has added strength Kimes feels will be especially beneficial and enhance his ability to be a dual threat.
“Pound for pound, he’s one of our strongest kids in the room,” Kimes said. “At times, we’re going to ask him to get a couple tough yards for us. Why not? Put your shoulder down and go get that yard or 2 when we need it. He’s capable of that and understands we’re going to ask him to do that some and he’s going to relish that role. The durability part of it, you have to be careful how much you run your starting quarterback, but the added strength and good weight that he’s put on is going to allow for him to take those hits when we need him to.”
While Parsons made a strong impression at several college camps, including West Virginia’s, over the summer, his recruitment hasn’t taken off the way Kimes felt it would. The second-year head coach believes the signal-caller is hoping to let his play speak for itself in 2023, which in turn, should create college offers.
“It’s weird it’s kind of slow. From what I feel like I’ve seen him do and what I think he’s capable of, I felt like there would be more,” Kimes said. “There’s some D2 and FCS schools. He’s taken tons of visits, but that first offer hasn’t come. He’s gotten to the point now where he’s like it is what it is, let me go put my best foot forward, have a great season and then see what happens. Kind of let that show that I’m the guy I know I am.”
Parkersburg finished 4-6 each of the last two years and failed to qualify for the postseason on both occasions. A year ago, the Big Reds began 2-0 under Kimes, before dropping six of their final eight contests.
Each of Parkersburg’s four wins in 2022 came against non-playoff teams, while all six of its losses were to teams that reached the postseason, including two to Huntington and Parkersburg South — the matchup in the Class AAA final.
“There’s no weeks off. When you’re working in the offseason, it’s about understanding that you only get 10 guaranteed opportunities if you stay healthy to go out there and perform, and each night it’s going to be a challenge,” Kimes said. ”Getting that message across to the kids is where we’ve accomplished a lot and understanding where we need to be as a program compared to who we have on our schedule.“
For a program with as rich of a tradition as Parkersburg, a 12-time state champion since 1938 and four-time state champion from 1999-2007, a return to the glory days is at the top of Kimes’ wish list in the season ahead. His quarterback will surely be a focal point of opposing team’s game plans. So, too, will Anthony Ice, the team’s leading returning wideout who did the bulk of his damage in the slot and like his quarterback, was a second-team all-MSAC selection in 2022.
“I like our guys this year. We have a lot of returning guys. They’re hungry to improve upon what we did last year,” Kimes said. “My objective when I first took the job was to talk about the traditions of Parkersburg High School and the successes we’ve had in the past and say, ‘what’s it going to take for us to get back to that point?’ We’ve made some strides in that area. Win-loss wise, if we’re going to do it, this is a year for us to take that next step.”