Parker Stirnkorb: A bright spot for Dunedin football
DUNEDIN, Fla. — For nearly a decade, Dunedin High School has been searching for a winning formula for their football team. Unfortunately, they didn’t find it during the 2021-22 season, but they did find something else: Parker Stirnkorb. Through the ups and downs of his first season in the starting quarterback position for the Falcons, Stirnkorb showed the potential for a bright future in Dunedin.
Just a week before the start of the season, Stirnkorb wasn’t expecting to be the starting quarterback. However, three days before the start of the season, Stirnkorb got the nod, and his high school football career began. And he didn’t disappoint. Despite taking very few snaps with the starting offense, Stirnkorb threw for four touchdowns and nearly carried Dunedin to an opening week win.
From that point on, it was a season of growing pains for Stirnkorb and the Dunedin Falcons. They came close in many games but weren’t able to seal the deal. Ultimately, their season ended at a mark of 2-8, but the Falcons got progressively better as the season went on and they managed to win two of their last four games.
As for Stirnkorb, his season matched the rollercoaster that was the Dunedin Falcons. He had sensational performances that garnered him player of the game honors, but he also had performances that he would like to forget. Overall, it was a solid junior season for Stirnkorb, who hopes he did enough to lock up the job for his senior season yet to come.
Stirnkorb broke Dunedin’s all-time season passing record for yards with 2,026 and was one touchdown shy of matching that all-time record. His final numbers looked like this: 114-259 for 2,026 yards, 21 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. He threw for just over 200 yards per game and had a completion percentage of 44%.
Throughout the season, Stirnkorb showed his inexperience with a number of interceptions and a poor passing percentage, but he always proved one thing: that he couldn’t be kept down after a bad pass or a bad game. He could throw three interceptions one game and three touchdowns the next. He showed mental toughness and the ability to put bad plays behind him, which is essential if you’re going to make it as a quarterback. No one’s going to be perfect, but the key is to stay aggressive and not let mistakes define your season.
Dunedin’s offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach took to Twitter following the end of the season and had nice things to say about Stirnkorb.
“Thrusted into the starting lineup three days before the beginning of the season, Parker stepped up for the offense this year. He has great accuracy, high football IQ, and only going to get better next year. Excited to work with him for another year and see him continue to grow.”
Thrusted into the starting line up 3 days before the beginning of the season Parker stepped up for the offense this year. He has great accuracy, high football IQ, and only going to get better next year. Excited to work with him for another year and see him continue to grow. https://t.co/uXl3cwzscX
— Coach Gardiner (@GardinerCoach) November 10, 2021
With Stirnkorb at the helm, Dunedin has a chance to turn things around next year and have a winning season.
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