By Don Ketchum

Cody Hill opened the trunk of his car and found a surprise – a basketball rolling around.

It was a strange sight for a guy trying to concentrate on football. He took the basketball and shot a few hoops outside the hotel that houses the Division IV All-Star football team.

“Have to occupy your free time somehow,’’ he said.

Don’t worry. The product of Parker High will have plenty of energy left for Friday night’s (June 22) Arizona Football Coaches Association All-Star Game at Surprise Stadium.

Hill and his Division IV teammates will meet a combined team of Division V and Division VI players at 7 p.m.

The 6-foot, 195-pound Hill will line up at linebacker and perhaps have a few plays as a receiver or running back. He helped lead Parker to a 6-4 regular-season record and a win over Winslow in the first round of the playoffs before the Broncs fell to Chandler Seton Catholic in the second round to finish 7-5.

“This whole week should be a very good experience,’’ he said. “I am looking forward to playing with and against the top players, some of whom will go on to the next level (college). I’d like to play at the next level, too, but we will have to see if things will work out.’’

That’s why having a significant impact in a game such as this would catch the eye of a scout who might be in attendance.

The game is important to Hill, but also important to the folks back home in Parker. He is his school’s lone player representative.

“There’s a lot of weight on my shoulders,’’ he said. “I want to play well for the people in Parker. It is a good opportunity for me and I am putting my whole heart into it, just like I did during the season.

“A lot of kids have come up to me in the store back home and have said they have watched me play and that they also want to play some day. That’s a good feeling for someone to recognize you.’’

Hill lives about 10 minutes outside Parker in the Parker Valley and played football in youth leagues featuring teams mostly from along the nearby Colorado River.

“I have played just about every position there is. I just want to play, it doesn’t really matter where,’’ he said.

As a freshman, he played quarterback. As he grew, he moved to nose guard as a sophomore and then defensive end as a junior.

He rushed for 436 yards and three touchdowns as a senior, had 14 catches for 204 yards and three TDs and averaged more than six tackles a game from his middle linebacker spot.

Hill expects to have his parents and friends from Parker and relatives from the Phoenix area at the All-Star game.

This time, though, he will have to leave his basketball in the trunk.