Hornets fall short in shootout
CHELSEA – Chelsea High School defensive back William Sullivan snatched a Pelham pass right out of the air and returned it 60 yards with just over five minutes left in a tied game.
That play by Sullivan, one of four captains for the Hornets on Friday, set up kicker Cooper Neal’s third field goal attempt of the night.
The 37-yard kick was his longest of the game, but the extra distance didn’t stop him from remaining perfect as the Hornets took the lead with only 3:53 left to play.
That kick would not prove to be enough, as Pelham quickly drove the length of the field to secure a 46-42 victory over Chelsea (0-5) on Friday night in a Class 6A, Region 4 contest.
“You can chase it back to three or four big ones and unfortunately we were on the wrong side of those tonight,” Chelsea head coach Dustin Goodwin said.
One big play the Hornets were on the right side of, was Sullivan’s late interception.
“Senior player, he’s been in the system for a while. He does a good job and was able to come up with a big play there,” Goodwin said.
Chelsea quarterback Turner Griffin finished the night 18-of-32 for 246 passing yards, a pair of touchdowns and one interception that was thrown in the final 30 seconds of the game. He also found the end zone as a runner from 1 yard out in third quarter.
Perhaps his biggest play of the night came as time expired in the first half when he found receiver Michael Gibbs for a 27-yard strike which gave the Hornets a five-point lead at the break.
“The way we designed that one, we kind of expected that guy (Gibbs) to be the guy, but he (Griffin) does have other options if he’s not there,” Goodwin said.
Like Sullivan, wide receiver Lando Nichols also made the most of his night as a captain. He hauled in a team-high six receptions, five of which came in the first half, for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Fellow Chelsea receiver Reggie Fisher only caught two passes on Friday, but he made the most of them. He finished the night with 69 receiving yards.
Sophomore running back Collier Blair paced the Hornets’ ground game with 18 carries for 49 yards and one touchdown. He also caught five passes for 46 yards.
Defensive back LaDarius Gary also found the end zone for Chelsea when he returned a kickoff 95 yards.
The Hornets have next week off and will return to action on Oct. 4 when they host Helena.
To purchase photos from the game, click here.