Early turnovers cost Hornets in loss
IRONDALE – The scoreboard showed what happened. That’s the best way Chelsea High School football coach Dustin Goodwin could sum up the first 12 minutes of Friday night’s game.
Chelsea turned the ball over four times and surrendered four touchdowns to Shades Valley in the opening frame. The Hornets never recovered and fell 35-12 at Frank Nix Stadium in a Class 6A, Region 5 matchup.
“We made a lot of mistakes against a really good football team,” Goodwin said following the game.
A fumble on the Hornets’ first play of scrimmage led to the first of Earl Woods’ two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter. Another fumble on the ensuing Hornets possession led to his’ second. Davon Bostock and Kailen Alexander also scored rushing touchdowns to make it 28-0.
Shades Valley (2-6, 2-3 in region) piled up 260 rushing yards, using a bevy of backs in its ground-oriented attack.
“It’s really hard to believe their record is what it is,” Goodwin said. “They’re a really good football team, they’re coached well and they took advantage of opportunities when they had them.”
Chelsea (3-5, 2-3) was limited to 224 total yards on the evening, most of them coming on a few big plays. Early in the second quarter, Adam Reaves broke a 92-yard run down the left sideline to put the Hornets on the board.
Four-year starting running back Collier Blair suffered a season-ending injury last week, forcing Reaves into the role of primary back. He rushed nine times on the evening and caught three passes for 26 yards.
“Collier’s a big loss,” Goodwin said. “I thought Adam did some really nice things. He broke the long one and broke four or five tackles on the long run.”
Thomas Simpson caught a 61-yard pass and Austin Freer had a 38-yard reception in the game for Chelsea. Quarterback Hayden Garrison went 5-for-12 for 125 yards.
Goodwin said his team kept competing in the second half. Garyson Maddox and Chandler Pruitt combined for a third-quarter sack and Chad Carbonie scooped up a fumble and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown in the final minute of the game.
“Our guys are never going to quit. That’s something that we preach and something they’ve bought into. They’ve got good character and kept fighting until the end," Goodwin said.
For Shades Valley, Woods was 4-of-9 passing for 65 yards and rushed for 47 yards on eight carries. Alexander finished with 13 carries for 86 yards, Bralen Hart — who scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter — had 48 yards on 11 rushes and Bostock went for 38 yards on seven carries. Alfonso Weathers had two catches for 33 yards.
Next week, both teams finish up region play on the road. Shades Valley heads to Woodlawn while Chelsea plays at Mountain Brook.