Cimarron’s Parker sacrificed rushing yards to state his case on defense

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Dec. 3, 1998 | 11:20 a.m.

Coming into 1988, much of the talk in the Las Vegas area was about the area's top returning running back, Cimarron-Memorial senior Arnold Parker.

There wasn't much being said about Spartans outstanding outside linebacker Arnold Parker.

As the season progressed, the two-way star put up solid offensive numbers to pace his team's tough rushing attack. But it was his play on the defensive side of the football that really gave opposing coaches nightmares.

And ultimately, Parker and his teammates lifted the Spartans to their first 4A state championship with consecutive dominant defensive efforts against playoff foes Green Valley, Bishop Gorman, Cheyenne and Elko.

In 1997, Parker earned a reputation as one of the state's top running backs, racking up over 1,500 yards and helping Cimarron reach the state title game, where the Spartans fell to McQueen in the closing seconds.

This season, the 6-2, 200-pounder focused on getting back to the championship and finishing his storied high school career with a trophy in his hands.

Back in August, Parker said he would do whatever was asked of him to achieve that goal. As it turned out, that would often mean sacrificing offensive statistics to help the Spartans where they needed him most -- on defense.

"In certain situations, we needed him more on defense," Cimarron coach Greg Spencer said. "And we had other running backs we knew could do the job."

Indeed, many of Parker's potential carries went to fullback Leonard DeRoche and backup tailback Darien Hall, but the senior never seemed to mind sub-100 yard rushing efforts.

Instead, Parker became the area's most difficult player to prepare a successful game plan against, proving equally adept at playing the run or the pass.

"He has size and speed, and he wasn't afraid to mix it up," Spencer said. "We just turned him loose and let him go."

In the team's opening-round 28-17 victory over Green Valley, Parker put constant pressure on the Gator quarterbacks, forcing them to throw four passes to Spartan defenders. Cimarron returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns to take control of the game.

Against Gorman in round two, Parker keyed a valiant effort against the Gaels' option-oriented ground game, as C-M pitched an unexpected 13-0 shutout against a team that had posted 31 points in a victory over the Spartans earlier in the year.

And in a 27-17 zone championship win over Cheyenne, Parker made sure Desert Shields' backup quarterback Chris Hall never felt comfortable in the pocket after the latter replaced injured starter Lawrence Turner.

It wasn't until the team's state championship win over Elko on Nov. 20 at Sam Boyd Stadium, however, that Parker truly emerged as the obvious choice for Sun Defensive Player of the Year honors.

The northern champs came into the finale averaging more than 40 points in playoff wins over Douglas, Elko and Reed. The Indians' Wing-T offense also was essentially new to the Spartans, who were used to seeing more traditional one- or two-back sets.

But with Parker and teammate Kawika Sagopolu -- the state's top two-way lineman -- leading the way, Cimarron threw all that out the window, shutting out Elko.

Parker made sure the Indians' running game never got going, turning what most expected to be a close game into a lopsided affair.

And to mark the occasion, Parker showed he still had what it takes to be Nevada's top running back, scoring all three touchdowns in the Spartans' 24-0 state championship party.