Redemption, revenge and motivation propelled Clay-Chalkville throughout the season.

The Cougars used the same storyline on Friday to earn a 38-13 win over Parker.

A stellar defensive effort and strong ground game proved crucial for Clay-Chalkville.

“They are a heck of a team,” Clay-Chalkville defender Avion Pickett said. “But we are the best team in this area.”

Redemption was Class 6A second-ranked Clay-Chalkville’s slogan all year after falling to the Thundering Herd in the first round of state playoffs last season.

Cougars starting quarterback and Alabama commit Jaylan Mbakwe was knocked out of the game late in the second quarter, providing even more motivation.

“Jaylan is going to be fine,” Clay-Chalkville coach Drew Gilmer said. “Aaron (Frye) stepped in and did a heck of a job.”

The Clay-Chalkville defensive line was motivated after hearing praise for the Parker defensive line all season. The Cougars defensive line came up with several big red zone stops and held the Herd to 117 yards of total offense.

“We are not as big as them,” said Pickett, who had three sacks for 12 yards in losses and knocked down a pass. “But we wanted it more and that showed up tonight.”

It didn’t take the Cougars (13-0) long to take control of the game. After partially blocking a Parker punt, Mbakwe scored on a 1-yard run.

On the Cougars second possession of the game, Mbakwe hit Marion Compton on 53-yard pass setting up a 14-yard scoring run by Aaron Osley.

“We had a couple of mistakes in the kicking game to start the game,” Parker coach Frank Warren said. “You can’t make mistakes like that against a team like Clay-Chalkville.”

Na’eem Offord tried to breathe life into fifth-ranked Parker (12-2) as he intercepted an errant Mbakwe pass and returned it 66 yards for a score, cutting the lead to 14-7.

The Cougars marched down the field after the turnover and Osley hauled in a 14 yard scoring pass from Mbakwe, who was injured on the play.

“Anytime a good player goes down, you hate to see it,” Warren said. “He is a great player, but Clay has a lot of very talented players.”

Mbakwe was 7-of-8 for 116 yards in the air with one passing and one rushing touchdown before he left the game under concussion protocol.

Parker had multiple chances in the second half.

After driving to the Cougars 19, the Herd went backwards to the 44 aided by Pickett’s sack of quarterback Cam Jennings. On the next Parker series, the Herd had a first-and-goal at the 10 and gained three yards on four plays.

Three plays after the defensive stand, Fyre raced 80 yards on quarterback draw for a score to put the game away.

“That was a huge turning point,” Gilmer said. “Hats off to our defense. They played great and shut down a very good offensive team. “

Taurus Chambers added a 7-yard touchdown run to end the game.

“Congratulations to Clay,” Warren said. “This was a tough way for our kids to end the year.”

Clay-Chalkville will take on top-ranked Saraland in Class 6A title game next Friday night in Tuscaloosa.