Josh Parks will attend the Gophers senior camp this week.
Josh Parks, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound running back from Chisago Lakes (MN) High, is one of the top rushers in the state. Parks is attending the Coach Kill’s Senior One Day Camp July 19th and was a guest at two home football games last fall. Gopher Hole caught up with Parks to learn the latest on his recruitment.
Parks helped lead Chisago Lakes to a 7-3 mark, losing to Bemidji 31-29 in the second round of the playoffs. He rushed 112 times for 860 yards with ten rushing touchdowns and had three games of over 100 yards.
Gopher Hole: What camps have you had a chance to attend this summer?
Josh Parks: I am going down to the University of Minnesota on the 19th and on the 20th, I am heading up to NDSU.
Gopher Hole: Are these going to be your first camps?
Josh Parks: I went to SDSU and that was when they offered me and I went to Northern Illinois.
Gopher Hole: How many offers do you have right now?
Josh Parks: I just have one from SDSU. NDSU and Northern Illinois sound like they are going to be offering in the next few months.
Gopher Hole: What things have you been really working on during the summer to continue to improve yourself as a football player?
Josh Parks: I have been mainly focusing on my speed. I have been lifting a lot more than I used to, so I am making sure that I am still flexible, while working on my speed and foot work. I would say agility and speed.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a running back?
Josh Parks: I think that I am pretty good at reading holes and making the right cuts, so that is what I think are my strengths.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Josh Parks: They have been sending me letters, like two or three times a week. Coach Limegrover is actually my recruiting coordinator, he says to keep working hard and at the end of the summer, everything will wrap up and fit into place.
Gopher Hole: Did you get a chance to go to many college games this past year?
Josh Parks: I went to the game versus New Hampshire and I also made it down to the Homecoming game against Northwestern.
Gopher Hole: You rushed for nearly 1000 yards last year. What are the expectations for the upcoming season?
Josh Parks: Definitely, over 1000 yards this year. I don’t really have expectations for myself. It is more for my team. State is definitely where we want to be heading. Anything less than state is going to be a disappointment, I think.
Gopher Hole: Last year, you had a heartbreaking loss to Bemidji in the playoffs. Is that a motivating factor to getting even farther in the playoffs this year after getting so close to making it to the Dome?
Josh Parks: Oh, yes. Of course. Any loss is bad, but a loss that prevents you from going to State is always in the back of your mind, especially when you are working out and want to give up. You just remember why you are working hard again to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Gopher Hole: Do you play any other sports or are you just playing football only?
Josh Parks: I run track also and I am probably going to get basketball back going again.
Gopher Hole: What events did you run this spring?
Josh Parks: I ran the 100, the 4 by 100 and the 4 by 200.
Gopher Hole: Did you qualify for state in any of those events?
Josh Parks: I did something to my hamstring, so I was out for six weeks at the end of the season, so I couldn’t go to sections. I was out a week before sections.
Gopher Hole: What is your 40 time right now?
Josh Parks: My 40, I was clocked hand-held at 4.55.
Gopher Hole: Did you grow up as a Gopher fan? What would a Gopher offer mean to you?
Josh Parks: That was a team that I grew up watching and it is always nice to say that you can play for your home city. It would mean a lot. Being close to home. Being close to family and growing up and watching them, I would really enjoy that.
Gopher Hole: Do you come from an athletic family?
Josh Parks: My dad actually played football when he was younger. My mom, she still runs every day. She runs like seven miles. All my siblings played sports, too. We are pretty athletic in the family.
Gopher Hole: Did anyone play at the collegiate level or just high school?
Josh Parks: No. Just high school. My sister had a chance to play rugby overseas, but she decided to not do that.
Gopher Hole: Would that mean even more to you being the first person from your family to play sports at the collegiate level since athletic sound like they are very important to the family?
Josh Parks: Oh, yes. Just another experience. Just another milestone. It would definitely be important for me.
Gopher Hole: Have you made any plans to visit any schools besides the camps that you are going to attend?
Josh Parks: I talked to the Iowa State coach. I think that I might head down there. I wasn’t able to attend their camp this year, so I think that I am going to head down there and get an unofficial visit and check that out. I have been talking to them for a little bit.
Gopher Hole: Were you originally planning on attending one of the Gopher camps in June or had you always planned on going in July?
Josh Parks: I was going to go to a June one, but then that whole deal with my leg happened, so I was out for six weeks. The doctors said not to go hard for that five to six week area, so I extended it out until the 19th.
Gopher Hole: What are you hoping to show the Gophers at the camp?
Josh Parks: I went to their camp last year and they liked what I did, so I am just trying to add on to that. Show them that I still have the speed from last year, even though that I weigh more and show that I have the agility and can still play at a high level.