Hornets knock off Eagles for 1st win
BIRMINGHAM -- In the game of football, the results and the records on paper do not always reflect the play on the field or the outcome.
That was certainly the case on Thursday night, when Chelsea High School traveled to Class 7A, Region 3 rival Oak Mountain and picked up a convincing 21-7 win, the first of the season for the Hornets.
“To me, I just feel great for these kids and for this community,” said Chelsea head coach Todd Cassity, who is in his first season with the Hornets. “Look at the stands, it’s full. I’m just so proud of this community and Chelsea football.”
A balanced, clock-draining offense and a stifling, bend-but-don’t-break defense propelled Chelsea to the victory.
“We have four, five, six really good receivers, and Emerson (Russell) is just a huge difference-maker in the backfield for us,” said Cassity. “And our defense played great tonight. I’m so proud of our defense.”
It was all Chelsea in the first half of the game.
The Hornets got off to a perfect start, scoring on their opening possession. A 2-yard touchdown run by running back Emerson Russell capped the 14-play, 80-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock.
Russell, who would end the game with 170 rushing yards, added another touchdown on the next Chelsea possession, this time on a 5-yard run that came at the end of a 75-yard drive early in the second quarter.
Chelsea’s final points of the game were earned through the air. Another 70-yard drive for the Hornets ended on a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Carter Dotson to receiver EJ Hudnall. Dotson would finish the game with 183 passing yards.
Oak Mountain, for its part, could not get anything going offensively in the first half. Each of the Eagles’ first three possessions ended in punts, the Chelsea defense holding the hosts to just 50 yards of offense in the opening 24 minutes.
The visitors took their 21-0 lead in halftime.
In the second half, Oak Mountain got on the board on its first drive. The Eagles, led by quarterback Will O’Dell through the air and running back Trey Vassell on the ground, put together an 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass from O’Dell to Sawyer Smith.
A turnaround from the first half, the Oak Mountain offense looked dangerous and signaled a potential comeback was in the offing. And the hosts had their share of chances to make it very interesting. In the end, penalties and turnovers killed the Eagles in the second half and canceled out mistakes made by the Hornets. All three of Oak Mountain’s remaining possessions ended in turnovers, two occurring inside the Chelsea 10-yard line.
Meanwhile, the Chelsea offense, though not scoring, kept the ball on the ground and continued to churn clock, shortening the game and making any Oak Mountain comeback attempt that much harder.
“The offense played pretty well in the second half, but we just didn’t finish drives,” Cassity said. “We made some stupid mistakes and some turnovers, and we’re going to get there offensively. We just have to play two halves. And I’m really proud of our defense. They stood up in several goal-line situations and made some big plays.”
A gutsy fake punt from their own 8-yard line, a call that surprised both the Oak Mountain defense and everyone in the stands, was the play that gave the Hornets a final first down and put the game on ice for Chelsea.
“This team is a lot better than 0-3 coming into this game,” Cassity said. “We played our hearts out against three pretty good teams, and we’re about a foot short from being 2-1 coming into tonight. Record doesn’t really matter to me, heart is what matters to me. And the way these kids played tonight shows they have that.”
Oak Mountain is on the road at Tuscaloosa County for its next game, while Chelsea hosts Thompson.