When he was in elementary school, Clayton Parker idolized Chase Parrish.

“I went to all of his games,” the Montgomery County senior said.

Parker watched Parrish turn in an outstanding career at MCHS, helping the Wildcats win a district title in his senior year and becoming the team’s all-time leading scorer with 2,054 points before graduating in 2017.

Now, Parker is the Wildcats’ all-time leading scorer. At 8:14 p.m. on Feb. 4 against Van-Far on the road, the 6-foot-8 center surpassed Parrish’s mark with a 3-point shot on the left side of the wing. The game was delayed for two minutes in order for Parker to be honored for his accomplishment.

“It’s awesome,” Parker said. “There were a lot of good players who came before me.”

With 7:14 left in the third quarter, Parker received a pass from senior Isaiah Thomas and hit the 3-point shot to break Parrish’s record. Just a week before, he hit the 2,000-point mark in a first-round game against Wright City at the Hermann Tournament.

“It’s really cool that he got this honor because he deserves that honor every bit of it,” MCHS coach Scott Kroeger said. “I never got to coach Chase before him, but I’m sure it’s the same thing. You don’t just walk into 2,000 points. You don’t wake up one day and say, ‘Oh, I’m a basketball player who can score 2,000 points.’ You have to work at it. I’m sure he puts in a ton of hours.”

Parker came into the contest against Van-Far needing just 16 points to break the all-time scoring record. He said he wasn’t aware that he was inching closer to the record before he got on the court against the Indians.

“I knew I was close, but I didn’t know how many points I had,” Parker said. “You don’t count the points during the game. I said, ‘Good pass, Isaiah.’ Then, I realized that I broke it.”

Parker also helped the Wildcats reach the 20-win mark for the second year in a row. MCHS improved to 20-1 overall and 6-0 in Eastern Missouri Conference play with a 70-44 win over Van-Far.

Plenty of Montgomery County fans made the trip to Vandalia. Parker said he was pleased with the large support.

“We had a good crowd all year,” the senior said. “I credit the fans for being the sixth man on the court at all times. Every game we go to, it seems like they travel to it. It was a big win.”

Parker finished with 25 points, 13 in the first half and 12 in the second. He played in foul trouble for most of the game. He sat out after picking up his third foul with 3:02 left in the second quarter. Less than two minutes after breaking the all-time scoring record, Parker went to the bench again after picking up his fourth foul.

Despite Parker’s foul trouble, the Wildcats still found a way to knock off Van-Far. They led 31-18 at halftime and 48-32 after the third quarter.

“I credit my teammates,” Parker said. “They had my back when I sat down. As soon as I sat down, I knew they would have my back and pull the win out.”
Parrish played all four years at MCHS (2013-2017). He played off the bench for most of his freshman year before becoming a starter the following year. He earned all-state honors in his senior year.

“He’s a great player,” Parker said.

Parker is enjoying an outstanding career that included three all-Eastern Missouri Conference awards, two all-state honors and a trip to the Class 3 Show-Me Showdown. He has been in the starting lineup since he was a freshman.

“I couldn’t have done it without my whole family and my teammates,” Parker said.

Parker, who plans to continue his basketball career at Morehead State University next year, has 491 points this season. He scored in double digits in every game, including a 43-point effort against Battle, which was one point shy of the team mark that was set by Parrish. In each of the last two years, he scored over 600 points.

Kroeger said Parker’s strong work ethic has been the key to his successful career.

“Every basket that he scored has come from the effort he has put in,” the MCHS coach said. “He dedicated his life to the game. He plays it the right way. He always approaches practice and all of the extra hours it takes to be good. He’s way beyond his physical gifts that he was born with. He’s just dynamite so far beyond that stuff, not only on the basketball court, but also in the weight room. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, he’s just big. He’s not only big, but he has worked harder than all of you. That’s why it looks the way that it does when he’s out there playing.”’

Kroeger said Parker had potential to break the all-time scoring record when the season began in November.

“I knew it was possible,” he said. “We were just hoping for health. Obviously, he’s been healthy less far and hopefully, it stays that way. It’s incredible to watch that kid play everyday at practice and games. It’s a true blessing of my life to have gotten to witness that. On top of that, you talk about a fantastic human being. It couldn’t have happened to a better person.”