MATT PARKER

SCHOOL: Blackhawk.

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior fullback-linebacker who has helped Blackhawk reach the WPIAL Class AAA championship football game. He also is the team's punter.

LAST WEEK: Parker rushed for 122 yards and returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown in a 42-3 victory against Pine-Richland in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals.

RETURNS ARE IN: It was the second week in a row Parker had returned an interception for a touchdown. In the quarterfinals against Hampton, he returned one 48 yards.

"He's had two tremendous playoff games," said Blackhawk coach Joe Hamilton. "For whatever reason, he has just turned it up a notch the past two weeks."

SEASON: Parker is Blackhawk's leading rusher with 740 yards on 138 carries and has scored 19 touchdowns. He has 13 receptions for 191 yards. On defense, he leads the team in tackles with 85, including 13 for loss.

TACKLING THE ISSUE: Parker has been a three-year starter on defense for Blackhawk and has led the team in tackles every season.

SOCCER BROTHERS: Football talent doesn't run in the family. Parker has two younger brothers, but they are avid soccer players.

"They're not really big and strong. They're more tall and skinny," Parker said.

GETTING A TURKEY: Parker likes to water ski, but his favorite hobby is hunting. His family lives near the woods, and Parker likes to hunt for turkey. He got a turkey last year, and the family ate it.

"We plucked the feathers, put it in the deep fryer and put it in the freezer for another time," Parker said. "It was pretty good."

He hasn't had time to hunt turkeys this year, but that's a good thing. That means football season is still going.

THE FUTURE: Parker plans to play college football, and Massachusetts, an NCAA Division I-AA school, is close to offering a scholarship.