BETHANY - When Ollie Parker first saw the list of players selected for Sunday's Rudy Mumley OVAC All-Star Football Charity Classic, he admits he was a bit disappointed his name wasn't on it.
So, when the Bishop Donahue standout got a call from West Virginia coach Doug Taylor last week asking him if he'd still like to play in the game, there wasn't a question of what his answer would be.
''Yes,'' Parker said this week while preparing for the game at Bethany College. ''I was really happy and I'm excited to play in the game.''
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PHOTO BY RICK THORP
Bishop Donahue’s Ollie Parker hopes to help W.Va. up its winning streak to three games Sunday.
When an opening occurred on the Mountaineers roster, Taylor asked assistant coach John Durdines if one of his former Bishops would be interested in suiting up. After checking with Parker, Durdines was happy to report Parker was very interested.
And a few days later, Parker reported to Bethany to beginning training for Sunday's game with the other 65 all-stars.
''I think it's a great opportunity,'' he said. ''It's going to be a great opportunity to meet new people.''
Parker is joined on the West Virginia squad by former teammates Andrew Beveridge and Kyle Gillis. The trio was part of a Bishop Donahue renaissance the past four years.
However, the Bishops went out on a low note last eason, falling at East Hardy in a West Virginia Class A quarterfinal.
The Mountaineers have won two straight all-star games and Parker said a victory Sunday would be a great way to cap his prep career.
''My high school career was great and I had a lot of good times,'' he said. ''I want to get the 'W' for West Virginia and make it a three-game winning streak.''
Parker was one of the many talented role players Durdines used to help make Bishop Donahue one of the top programs in the state the last few years. He was more than happy to suggest Parker as an all-star.
''Whenever we played Madonna, Ollie always had a good game,'' Durdines said. ''He was high on (Doug's) list.''
Despite not being selected to the original roster, Durdines tried to keep things in perspective for Parker.
''I told him it was pretty much the position he played,'' Durdines said. ''You have players like (Tim) Faulkner, (Jayson) Keller and (Gino) Bianconi at running back.
''It just ended working out for him. Every year certain positions are loaded. There may be three or five really good quarterbacks, but you can only take two.''
Parker was a special mention all-state selection last fall and a second team All-Valley running back.
''What people don't realize is he started the other corner opposite Kyle Gillis - an all-state defensive back,'' Durdines pointed out. ''(Ollie) was constantly getting thrown to because of it.
''And, at running back (Ollie) was our workhorse.''
