Parker Collins comes up firing for the Falcons. (Heather Collins photo)
Back in his Coupeville days.
After 10 months of “picking” on South Whidbey, I have decided to offer an olive branch to Coupeville’s closest rival.
While I don’t exactly want the Falcons to beat the Wolves at anything, the reality is there are a lot of very talented, very smart young men and women wearing the blue and white. Let’s take a moment to acknowledge them.
Cause Lord knows the Canadian-owned South Whidbey Record isn’t exactly doing a bang-up job at it.
Parker Collins has his head on straight.
The South Whidbey High School junior, who actually attended Coupeville Elementary for several years (“A big shout out to Mr. Noste and the 4th grade recess football crew!”), lists lunch as his favorite school activity and is a die-hard Portland Trailblazer fan.
“I enjoy rooting for the Trailblazers, who are going to make a deep playoff run with future All-Star Damian Lillard and current All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge leading the charge,” Collins said.
As a fellow Blazer true believer who has cheered/suffered with them since the glory days of Clyde the Glide and Uncle Cliffy, here’s hoping the kid knows what he talks about.
Whether on the court (he plays forward for the Falcons hoops squad) or gridiron (he’s a quarterback/tight end for SWHS), Collins is a talented player on the rise. One who has developed his skills while learning the games the right way under strong coaches.
“My father has had a big impact on who I am today,” Collins said. “He is an “old-school” coach and player, and I think I get my work ethic and sense of team play from him.”
Collins was also heavily influenced by one of his teachers at Langley Middle School, who showed you can impart wisdom while keeping it fun.
“Mr. Ratekin is my favorite teacher. He is a really good teacher because he was able to teach us difficult material and still make it enjoyable,” Collins said. “We played basketball every day at lunch, and he made us play as a team, while playing with us, which was a blast.”
In post-season interviews of last year’s Falcon seniors, Collins name came up frequently as being a big part of South Whidbey’s future hoops success. After playing AAU basketball off-Island this year, he’d love to live up to their hopes, but remains low-key when discussing his own talent.
“I think that I am a team player. I put the team before myself,” Collins said, “I also think that I am a pretty intelligent player. I understand the game and enjoy the strategy behind it.
“I feel like that I have grown a lot as a player, and I enjoy my teammates and coaches,” he added. “Each year I try to improve some aspect of my game, and I would also like our South Whidbey squads to play as a team.”
A big fan of local musical artists such as the KnowMads, Collins likes Will Ferrell films and says “Netflix is always there for me, so I try to return the favor.”
As one of those who have spent time in both school systems (Collins‘ fourth grade class photo features current Coupeville High School athletic stars like Aaron Curtin, Hailey Hammer and Joel Walstad), he has a unique perspective on the differences between being a Falcon and a Wolf.
“I think that both schools are very lucky in that each one is small, so you are able to be part of a close-knit community,” Collins said.
Then he stops and grins and delivers a nice zinger.
“Well, Coupeville USED to be better… However, since my transfer to the South Whidbey School District, it has been all downhill for the Wolves!”
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