By Jackson Ragland, For the Tribune
CLAY — In a shocking upset, the Clay-Chalkville Cougars were defeated in the first round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) playoffs, dropping a nail-biter to Parker, 7-6.
The A.H. Parker Bison was unintimidated and came to Clay to showcase and, in a low-scoring slugfest, took down the 2021 6A State Champions.
Parker arrived in Clay with a record of 6-4, 3-3 in 6A Region 5 play while Clay-Chalkville sported an overall record of 8-1, 6-0 in Region 6, the lone loss coming to 7A titans Thompson.
The shocking loss in the first round left the Cougar crowd stunned.
The game was slow to start, with the first score coming from the Cougars in the waning seconds of the first half. The second half was not kind to the Clay-Chalkvill as the Bison held the Cougars’ offense to only 63 yards in total and no touchdowns. Additionally, in the second half, the Cougars made one promising red zone trip in two quarters, but it was squandered by a fourth down stop.
The Bison kept Cougar quarterback Kamari McClellan under pressure and trying to guess where the next rush was coming from, tallying one sack and two total tackles for a loss on the Cougars.
Clay-Chalkville got on the scoreboard first with just four seconds to play in the second quarter on a 16-yard pass from McClellan to Mario Byrd. The extra point attempt was no good, and the Cougars took a slim 6-0 lead into the locker room.
After back-and-forth drives to start the third quarter, Parker hit paydirt on a 50-yard pass from quarterback Malik Muhammad pass complete to Carl Pitts with 7:47 on the clock. The extra point was successful as Parker took a one-point lead, 7-6.
Clay-Chalkville’s defense kept the Cougars in the game, tallying one sack and a total of five tackles for a loss on the Bison. Even with the defensive play, however, the Cougars were not able to surmount any kind of comeback.
Despite losing the turnover battle on two lost fumbles, Parker was able to hold their own after scoring their lone touchdown of the game, they were able to hold off the Cougars’ offense for two quarters to ensure their victory.
The final score was 7-6, a one-point deficit that was too steep to overcome.
“Parker played their guts out,” said Clay-Chalkville Head Coach Drew Gilmer.”Our defense played good, but we couldn’t get anything going offensively.”
Parker Head Coach Frank Warren said he and his Bison squad felt they had a chance to beat Clay-Chalkville and turn the world of high school football in the process. “Ain’t nobody believed in us,” Warren said. “We faced adversity all year, the only people that believed in us are the people at this school.”
When asked about the 50-yard touchdown Warren said he thought it affected the game, giving Parker the momentum. “It really did, but we let up a cheap one in the first half.”
Overall, the two teams combined for a total of 353. Both defenses were stout and would not give up until the last whistle was blown.
Cougar quarterback Kamari McClellan, who averaged 158.7 yards per game during the regular season, only managed to throw for 25 yards total in Friday’s game. Cougar running back, Aaron Osley ran for 18 attempts for a total of 102 yards, averaging just around 5.7 yards a carry.
The Parker offense did not play much better, gaining 181 of total offense. Mohammed threw for 58 yards total while also rushing for 54 more. The Bison backfield ran for a total of 129 yards.
Clay-Chalkville ends the 2022 campaign with a record of 8-2. Parker will face Muscle Shoals in the second round.