Chris Parson was aware of the storylines heading into Austin Peay football’s Week 9 game against North Alabama.
Parson faced off against UNA quarterback Destin Wade twice when the two were blue-chip recruits in Williamson County. Parson, who was a 4-star coming out of Ravenwood High School, lost both games against Wade and Summit High in 2021, when he was a junior and Wade was a 4-star senior committed to Kentucky.
Advertisement
But going into his third meeting with Wade, revenge wasn’t really on Parson’s mind.
“I knew that this week I was preparing for North Alabama’s defense and just trusting my guys on defense to do their jobs,” he said. “I never look at it as me vs. the other quarterback. I always looked at it as Austin Peay vs. North Alabama.”
So while Parson might have outplayed Wade, he cared far more that the rest of his team did the same. The FCS No. 25 Governors (5-3, 3-2 United Athletic Conference) beat North Alabama (2-6, 1-3) 56-28 on Oct. 25 at Fortera Stadium, bouncing back from a loss to Eastern Kentucky in their most recent game.
Parson, who played at Mississippi State from 2023-24 before transferring to APSU, went 17-for-24 passing for 311 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another three touchdowns, carrying the ball 12 times for 53 yards. Wade, who played at Kentucky from 2022-23 and Colorado in 2024, was 26-for-49 for 330 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in addition to 14 rushes for 60 yards and another TD.
Advertisement
“Nobody wants to win or play at a high level more than Chris Parson,” said Austin Peay coach Jeff Faris. “He’s as competitive as any kid I’ve been around.”
Ravenwood went 10-3 during Parson’s junior season. Two of those losses came against Summit, including a 48-28 defeat in the TSSAA Class 6A quarterfinals. Wade went on to win Mr. Football and lead the Spartans to the state championship game.
MORE: Why win over Morehead State shows Austin Peay football can be FCS force in 2025
Faris knew Wade’s dual-threat ability at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds would be a challenge, especially after Austin Peay struggled to defend another mobile quarterback in Eastern Kentucky’s Myles Burkett. Linebacker Montreze Smith, who had 12 tackles and two interceptions, said his only responsibility was to play contain on Wade.
Advertisement
“We recruited him, we know just how talented he is,” Faris said of Wade. “I think our defense just (flew) to the ball. We had a plan, but they’re good offensively, very creative. We were able to play with such great effort that we were able to bring him down and limit the explosive plays.”
Quarterback Chris Parson throws a pass in Austin Peay football’s 56-7 win over Morehead State in its 2025 home opener at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee.
While Parson had maybe his most efficient game as a Gov, he wasn’t particularly happy with himself afterward. He fumbled twice, losing one, and blamed himself for missing several throws on a drive late in the first half.
“Offensively, we didn’t do enough. I feel like I have to play better,” he said. “I can’t have a fumble that puts the team in a bad position. There’s other things schematically that I gotta be better at with my reads and stuff. I know there’s a lot of room for improvement.”
Advertisement
Parson wasn’t the only former Nashville area high school football star on the field. Shemar Kirk, who caught all three of Parson’s touchdown passes, played at McGavock. When Kirk transferred from Miami to Austin Peay in May, he asked his dad about his new quarterback and was immediately sold.
“He said, ‘Oh, that’s Mr. Parson,’ ” Kirk said. “When my Pops puts a Mr. in front of their last name, that’s when I know they’re legit. I know he’s for real. It’s very special to play beside him.”
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Austin Peay football, Chris Parson beat North Alabama and Destin Wade
