Blair scores 3 touchdowns in Hornets' shutout win
CHELSEA — Collier Blair is a blur.
The Chelsea High School junior running back rushed for two touchdowns and caught another in the Hornets’ 28-0 win over Calera on Thursday night. Blair was often the fastest player on the field.
“I can get faster,” he quipped. “I’m working on it.”
The shutout victory was Chelsea’s first since a 33-0 win over Shelby County on Sept. 10, 2010. On Thursday night against Calera, the Hornets forced nine punts on the Eagles’ 10 drives. The one outlier was a turnover on downs.
“They have a good attitude,” said Chelsea head coach Dustin Goodwin. “They’ve done everything we ask them to do to the best of their ability, and ultimately that’s all we can ask.”
After Calera (1-8) muffed a punt early in the first quarter, Chelsea wasted no time. Caleb Moore threw a dart to Michael Gibbs for a 27-yard touchdown to go up 7-0. Blair took it from there.
He scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter, and on a reception of 38 yards and a run of 27 yards in the third quarter.
“My main mindset is get in the end zone,” Blair said. “I try to follow my blockers and hit my assignments and just see the field.”
Blair finished with 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. He caught two passes for 44 yards and a score.
“You're going to get the same thing out of Collier week in and week out,” Goodwin said. “He’s going to give you everything he’s got. He’s extremely tough. He’s extremely coachable. He does a great job. And I thought the guys up front that make a way for him did a good job.”
The win gets Chelsea to 4-5 overall and snaps a three-game losing skid.
“The resilience of these kids is crazy,” Goodwin said. “They’re extremely tough and they fight extremely hard. We knew they would show up and play. Obviously it’s good to get a win.”
For Calera, Tyler Nelson finished 9-of-23 for 55 yards. Aston Shoddie had a nice game, rushing for 93 yards on 20 carries.
For Chelsea, Moore completed 6-of-12 passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Gibbs caught two passes for 28 yards and a score. Adam Reaves amassed 60 total yards, 46 of which came on the ground.
Chelsea wraps up the regular season next week in a non-region matchup at Pell City, a game Chelsea lost 10-7 last year. The Hornets are still awaiting who their first-round opponent will be in the Class 6A playoffs.
“Mindset is still next game,” Blair said. “We want to try to carry our momentum into the playoffs. We want to play to win. We’re not trying to look ahead yet.”
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