High school success has Penn footbal recruit Phil Parchment set for Ivy League

As a Florida native, Phil Parchment hasn’t had the pleasure of playing football on the frozen tundra of the northeast. But the 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive lineman welcomes the new challenge with exuberance.

“Hell yeah I’m ready,” the Red and Blue recruit exclaimed. “Honestly, the weather does not bother me one bit. I’m ready to take on the cold.

“If it’s 20 degrees, I don’t care. I’ll still get in my stance. I’ll still pancake a player to the ground.”

Parchment is no doubt a dominating force given his frame, but his confidence also stems from the environment that he was a part of at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale. The football powerhouse — which holds claim to seven state titles and two national championships — breeds superstars.

The Raiders produce the most Division I and NFL players in the nation. Supported by an impressive coaching staff that features Hall of Fame wide receiver Chris Carter, Parchment and his teammates know what it takes to make it to the big time.

Parchment credits his soon-to-be alma mater with treating its students like collegiate athletes, thus preparing them to make the jump to the next level.

“Every single day in practice they treat it as business. There’s no fooling around, everybody’s focused,” the high school senior said with the eloquence of a veteran college player.

“We’re jumping around excited but we are all focused on one goal, one game at a time,” Parchment added.

This year alone, the Raiders produced 17 Division I recruits, an absurdly high portion of their roster. Their most notable recent alum — Joey Bosa — has made a name for himself on Ohio State’s national championship winning defense. Bosa was Parchment’s teammate for two seasons, and they won the state title together in 2012, proving that Parchment is used to playing with the big boys.

With two players in his class bound for Florida and another headed to Ohio State, Parchment was not the most high profile star of his team. However, the three-time varsity letter winner has the passion and experience to become a force in the Ivy League. He excelled in his senior season and started in all 15 of St. Thomas Aquinas’ games.

Parchment also looks to his favorite player — J.J. Watt — for influence, and tries to play with the same aggression as the NFL star.

“On the line, it’s whatever happens happens,” he pointed out. “Once you’re down in the pile, once you’re engaged with that person in front of you, you have to be aggressive, and you have to be able to manhandle the person and throw them aside.

“Or just pancake them into the dirt and keep on protecting your quarterback, and protecting your running back and running down the field trying to make another block.”

However, Parchment isn’t all football all the time. In fact, it was the University itself more than the football program that attracted him to West Philly.

“I dreamed of going to the Wharton School of Business, and I truly believe that football won’t last forever,” he said. “I love the game, but education is more important later on in life.”

Still, Parchment had to be sold on the program. He credits Penn coach Ray Priore with walking him through the recruiting process and speaking to him numerous times, both in person and on the phone.

The coaching change doesn’t phase the soon to be Penn athlete. He’s ready to head into battle with his new teammates in hopes of being part of a group ready to lead Penn football back to heights seen at times during the Bagnoli era.

“I’m most looking forward to winning four Ivy titles in four straight years once I head up there with the new class ... and bringing back the traditions that Penn holds,” he added.

With big-time matchups against Princeton and the rest of the Ancient Eight on the horizon, look for Parchment to show up ready to perform. After all, he’s played on the big stage before, and he’s hungry to clear the path to the end zone for the Red and Blue.

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