Graphic by Kenny Larabee

By KMAland Derek Martin

The KMA Sports Year-End Awards wrapped up August 15, 2026, with one final award, celebrating another successful year of Rock Port athletics.

KMA Sports announced the latest KMAland Athletic Director of the Year is Donnie Parsons.

“It’s just been absolutely awesome,” Parsons told KMA Sports of the success the Blue Jays have seen in the last several years. “The team and the school culture from our kids and our staff and our community has kind of built on itself. We’re on a couple-year run of just doing some special things.”

One year after winning eight district championships, Rock Port piled up another six in the 2025-26 school year. It all started with a great fall that saw the football program finish as state runners-up and the volleyball program qualifying for another state tournament.

“We’ve definitely had some remarkable athletes come through,” Parsons said. “But we’re not just trying to live off those athletes, so our coaches have done a heck of a job of building programs that are going to have sustained success. Even after you watch these generation-type people come through, they’ve done a good job of instilling the core values, the work ethic and the team culture that is going to keep it going.”

Both basketball programs made deep postseason runs again this year with the girls finishing in third place and the boys advancing to a state sectional. Girls track took third and were five points away from a third straight state championship, the baseball program had its best season and advanced deep in the state tournament and countless others put up outstanding individual performances, including another state wrestling title from Ryder Herron.

“It was just sustained success across the board,” Parsons said. “Honestly, it starts with just identifying our coaches. About a dozen years ago or so our school board made the decision that our coaches didn’t have to be in-house. We had a good run of that, but there was kind of a transition of that we didn’t have as much interest. We kind of opened up the doors to the community, and then it was just being able to kind of go through and work with the folks that have expertise.”

With 14 district championships over the last two years, Parsons says that they don’t feel the need to slow down and have even bigger goals for the upcoming year.

“We’ve got the same expectations, if not a little bit loftier this year,” Parsons said. “Just seeing what we’ve been able to accomplish, and we want to keep that culture running. We’ve got some great leaders in the fold that are waiting to step up and kind of take the reins. That’s what we’re working for. There’s a lot of promise there.”

Parsons is just the third KMAland AD of the Year, following Jake Lord (Clarinda) and Darrell Frain (Riverside).