It is very rare in any sport to go undefeated in a season, let alone two seasons in a row. This past Saturday in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome, that’s exactly what happened for 18-year old Chase Parrish. The youngest son of trainers Bret and Candy Parrish, won back-to-back Georgia State Championships as the star quarterback of the Colquitt County high school football team. The Packers defeated Roswell by the score of 30-13, to win the 6A State Championship. USA Today’s No. 2 ranked team in the nation extended their winning streak to an incredible 30 games in a row.
“Winning the final game and going undefeated the past two years is probably my favorite memory from the past two years,” Parrish told us shortly after playing in his last high school game. “We reached our final goal and did everything we set out to do. There is a great feeling of satisfaction and relief to end on such a positive note.”
In the final game of his high school career, the 6 foot, 185 pound, senior completed 28-of-39 passes for 306 yards and threw his 40th touchdown of the season and 70th of his career. During the game, Chase also broke the single season and career passing yards records, especially impressive given that he was in the hospital Wednesday night with a viral infection.
“I was in a really bad spot,” Chase reveals. “It was really challenging and tough. I couldn’t practice and prepare like I wanted to because I was so sick. But, I got better with fluids and was able to play. I definitely wasn’t one hundred percent, but I started feeling better after the game started. I feel like we executed really well and my teammates had my back. Our defense also held the other team to 13 points which was key.”
His proud mother, Candy, shares, “I was really nervous before this game. It was the first game the past two years that I felt a little uneasy, mainly because he was so sick right before he played. The doctors were in his room giving him IV fluids. The virus was attacking his gall bladder and it was really swollen and we thought for a while that he might need gallbladder surgery. Thankfully, he got better.”
Candy adds, “We are so mentally and emotionally exhausted from him being in the hospital and then watching the game. It feels like we just did the Congress twice,” Candy told us laughing. “It is amazing to do what they have done, and I’m so proud of him.”
Team doctor, Gary Swartzentruber, said of Chase, ” He’s a winner, in more ways than one. He brought back-to-back state championships to Colquitt County. He will succeed at anything he chooses to do in life because of his sheer grit and willpower.”
When we wrote a story in 2010 about past Congress Small Fry winners, we interviewed Chase and he told us about his passion for football. Both his father Bret, and Chase told us that riding ponies and horses as a young child helped him in the football arena.
“My parents raised me as a ha
rd worker,” Chase says. “I see them out at the barn everyday working hard training horses and that has inspired me to work just as hard on football. It is the Parrish way to never give up and have a strong mindset to accomplish your goals.”
His father adds, “Training ponies and working with horses when he was younger definitely taught him work ethic and about responsibility. It taught him how to fight through adversity and to be persistent. He took that drive and put it into his football. I’m really proud of how he has impacted everyone around him in a positive way, not so much on the football field but in his everyday life.” (Bret pictured above hugging Chase after the game)
As far as his future plans?
Chase says he would like to play college football while majoring in business. He is considering colleges such as Samford, Western Georgia, and Mercer. One day, Chase says he would like to own his own business.
One thing is for sure, no one can ever take away the impressive mark he has made during his high school football career. There is no doubt that the character and drive that he has learned showing horses and playing football will lead to success in whatever direction he decides to take in life.
Photo © Kyle Hess for MaxPreps.com, Georgia Web Development, Connie Southwood Photography and courtesy of the Parrish Family
