CLAY, Alabama -- The #1 Clay-Chalkville Cougars used a stingy defense and won 38-13 against Parker in the Class 6A semifinal game at Cougar Stadium on Friday night. Clay-Chalkville will face Saraland in the Class 6A championship game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Friday night.
After throwing a touchdown pass in the second quarter, Cougars quarterback Jaylen Mbakwe was knocked out of the game, and backup quarterback Aaron Frye led Clay-Chalkville to a convincing win. "I'm proud of the kid," said Cougars head coach Drew Gilmore. "He stepped in like it was nothing. Talented kid; the skies the limit for him. He was prepared and took advantage of the opportunity that he had. I am super proud of him, and I think the world of him."
Clay-Chalkville (13-0) scored on their first possession on offense. With 5:50 left in the first quarter, Mbakwe scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, and the Cougars led 7-0. On the Clay-Chalkville next possession, a Mbakwe deep pass to Mario Caver setup the Cougars offense deep into Parker territory. A few plays later, Aaron Osley scored on a 14-yard touchdown run, and the Cougars led 14-0.
On the next Clay-Chalkville possession, Parker defensive back Na'eem Offord picked off a Cougars pass and raced 60 yards for a Parker touchdown. With the score, the Thundering Herd was right back into the game with 10:23 left in the second quarter. With the score, Parker only trailed 14-7. With 6:03 left in the second quarter, Mbakwe found Osley in the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown pass play. With the score, the Cougars led 21-7 late in the quarter. On the pass, Mbakwe was injured in the play and was knocked out of the rest of the game. "Every week, our goal is to get a shutout," said Cougars linebacker DJ Barber. "We wanted to finish the game out for Jaylen because he gave us his all. So we wanted to do the same for him. We wanted to make sure we got one more game with our teammates and make sure Jaylen got that chance. We push ourselves every day, and we watch films to get better, and we are getting better and better each week."
Parker scored again with 2:37 left in the first half when Martavius Purnell scored on a 21-yard touchdown run. With the score, the Herd only trailed 21-13 late in the second quarter. Cougars backup quarterback Frye was now inserted in the game.
In the second half, it was all Clay-Chalkville. With 8:44 left in the third quarter, Cougars kicker Antone Ellison kicked a 33-yard field goal, and the Cougars led 24-13. With 5:48 left in the third quarter, Frye ripped off a long touchdown run, and Clay-Chalkville led 31-13 late in the third quarter. “It was amazing,” said Cougars QB Frye. “Our starting quarterback got hurt and I just came in, I performed, I helped get the team the win.”
With only :40 seconds left in the game, Taurus Chambers scored on a 7-yard touchdown run, and Clay-Chalkville took a big 38-13 lead late in the game. With the win, the Cougars will play in their fifth state championship game in program history. The Cougars defense didn't give up a point and played very well in the second half. "We have the same mentality the whole season," said Cougars linebacker Rod Ivy. "We play hard and run to the ball. Coach just told us to play hard and keep playing in the second half. This win means a lot to us and have a team environment."
