Chelsea falls short of playoff bid

The Chelsea Hornets sailed through the first half of their schedule 5-0 but hit a murderer’s row down the stretch and needed a win over Oxford in their last region game to make the Class 6A playoffs.

It was win or go home for both the Hornets and Yellow Jackets, but it was the Hornets that felt the sting of defeat and missing the playoffs, losing 31-21 at home.

Matthew Marquet ran 71 yards for a touchdown, and A.J. Jones added an 11-yard TD run and caught a 7-yard pass from Marquet with 25 seconds left in the first half to tie the score at 21.

But it was all Oxford in the second half, and it was mostly all Tre Gamble for the Yellow Jackets all night. Gamble, who was an All-State wide receiver last year, moved to running back in the middle of the season, and he showed why, rushing for 295 yards and four touchdowns.

Marquet finished with 143 yards rushing on 12 carries, and Jones added 74 yards on 21 tries. Zalon Reynolds, who has been a key to the Hornets’ season at running back, picked up 29 yards on four carries before breaking his foot.

With about eight minutes left, Jones was stopped on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with Chelsea trailing 28-21.

Chelsea closed the regular season on an up note, beating Class 7A Thompson 33-20. Chelsea finished the season at 6-4 while Thompson completed a winless season at 0-10. 

The Hornets led just 13-6 at halftime, but Thompson tied it up a minute into the third quarter.

Chelsea’s Matthew Marquet and A.J. Jones added short touchdown runs in the third quarter, and Marquet passed to Adam Holliday to pull away for the win. Marquet and Jones had two touchdowns apiece.