Kids do stupid things.

That statement isn't a revelation, especially to parents and coaches and teachers. And Marcus King was no different than any other kid last summer.

The Clarke Central running back, poised for stardom just before his senior season, did something stupid.

Early in the school year, a pocketknife was found in King's backpack -- a violation of the school's strict weapons policies. King said at the time that he had merely forgotten to take the knife out before he came to school, that it was just an innocent mistake. But the rules in such circumstances are clear.

His penalty was devastating, especially for someone with as much stake in football as King had. Gladiators coach Steve Brooks made his tailback sit out he first four games of 1997 -- nearly half the regular season, an eternity for a kid.

It hurt on several levels. King is undersized (5-foot-9, 180 pounds), but he's good. He probably could play Division I-A ball for somebody -- maybe not an SEC school, but somebody. But those lost games hurt his stats, and more important the way King was perceived.

When word gets around that a kid has been suspended, red flags go up with college coaches. Danger: attitude problem.

Almost a year later, though, it turns out the suspension might have saved King. All of that time on the bench led to plenty of reality checks. It made him realize that the way he conducted himself as a person far outweighed the way he took the corners and ran over defenders on the field.

"I've matured a lot since then," he said Friday. "It was a stepping stone. As far as my attitude, yeah, that helped a great deal."

He'll play college ball this fall, for Division I-AA Northern Arizona -- a respectable program in the Big Sky Conference. But Flagstaff, Ariz., a city nestled in pine trees not too far from the Grand Canyon, is not exactly close to home.

That's why King had to do what he did Friday night at Sanford Stadium in the GACA All-Star Game. It was his last chance to show off for his family and friends, and he left nothing unsaid.

A late replacement on the North roster, he bashed his way to the team's MVP award with 144 yards rushing on 17 carries. He was the only offense the North had in its 10-0 loss to the South, but he couldn't do it all.

So his team came out on the wrong end of the scoreboard, which King said he wasn't very happy about, but the final score was far from the most important part of the evening.

What really mattered was the look in the eyes of everyone who shouted their congratulations to King across the hedges as time wore down, and everyone who endured a sweaty hug with No. 30 after the game.

It was pride, pride in the eyes of his friends and family, who came to see him off and see him prove to all the doubters that they had made a mistake.

"Good things come to people who wait," he said, when asked about his journey over the course of his final year in high school. "I prayed for it, and it happened."

True to his new persona, King also refused to make boastful proclamations about his performance and issue I-told-you-sos to all the schools that missed out on his considerable talent. He simply looked the ground and said he'll be happy at Northern Arizona, where he hopes to study engineering.

"It happened for a reason, that's all I can say," said King. "It happened for a reason."

There is no bitterness -- that would be a childish emotion at this point, after all of the progress King has made. There is merely acceptance of the direction his life has taken.

Men learn from their mistakes, and become better people.

By all indications, Marcus King has earned the right to be called a man.