Chelsea dominates, Oak Mountain falls short in season openers
Chelsea dominates John Carroll 62-14
Chelsea jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead and never looked back, opening the 2013 season with a devastating 62-14 win over the John Carroll Cavaliers.
The first scoring was a methodical 7-play, 62 yard effort, that gave Chelsea a 7-0 lead halfway through the first quarter.
One of the game’s most important plays came shortly afterward, when Darrell Foster recorded a Cavalier fumble in John Carroll territory and set up the Chelsea attack for another score.
Things got worse for John Carroll. Trailing 21-0 in the second quarter, the Cavaliers mishandled a punt on their own 22 yard line. Chelsea quickly scored again in one-play on an Austin Washington touchdown run.
After that, the Chelsea offense struck quickly and often for the rest of the half. Big plays by Chelsea and miscues by the Cavaliers combined to give Chelsea a 42-0 lead at halftime.
The Hornets defense also turned in a dominating performance. In addition to forcing multiple turnovers, the defense shut out John Carroll until a score with five minutes remaining in the third quarter to make the score 49-7.
The Chelsea offense piled up an impressive 541 yards of offense, led by quarterback Trent Hagin’s two passing touchdowns and 61 yards rushing. The potent Chelsea ground attack was led by A.J. Jones, with 101 yards rushing.
The Hornets look to continue their outstanding 2013 start with a home game against Thompson on Sept. 6.
Oak Mountain falls short in bid for repeat wins over Shades Valley
A close game at halftime became a disappointing loss for Oak Mountain, as the Eagles came up short in their quest for back-to-back wins over Shades Valley.
The match at Frank Nix Field remained within a one score margin, 17-8, at halftime. However, the Mounties scored three touchdowns in a span of less than four minutes to put the game out of reach and avoid consecutive losses to Oak Mountain.
Despite the opening week setback, the Eagles showed an exceptionally strong ground game with 164 yards rushing and almost four yards-per-carry.
Galen Lloyd piled up 51 yards on 14 carries, and the Eagles’ quarterback Warren Shader led all Oak Mountain rushers with 58 yards on 10 carries. Josh Gaines scored a touchdown and added 21 yards on the ground.
The Eagles stood strong, remaining within one score at halftime despite falling to a quick 17-0 deficit to Shades Valley after touchdown passes from Rashad Louie to Keith Mixon, and a 26-yard field goal by Gibson Bosworth.