Hornets take on Opelika Friday
The record doesn’t look great. But there is a difference between a team scrapping and clawing for incremental improvement and a team that has thrown in the towel.
There are six losses against zero wins for the Chelsea High School football team this season, but the Hornets are far from a team void of talent that loses its composure and quits. Just ask Gardendale head coach Matt Plunkett, whose Rockets defeated Chelsea 41-28 on Sept. 29.
“That team was mentally ready to play tonight,” Plunkett said. “They played like they didn’t want to be 0-6. They were trying to get that first win, and that’s hats off to (Chelsea head coach) Chris Elmore and that coaching staff. That was probably the most heart of any team I’ve seen this year. That’s a bunch of heart, and I wish I could figure out how to get some of that over here. We’ve got talent, but we’ve got to have more heart, more fight and more mental toughness about us.”
That’s high praise for a team that has lost each of those six games by double digits, but once the dust settles each Friday night, it’s apparent that the Hornets have steadily improved. Replacing 11 offensive starters and a host of defensive players would be a nearly impossible task for just about anybody.
“That’s what we always talk about, not giving up,” Elmore said following the Gardendale game. “You don’t become a failure until you quit, and I was glad we didn’t quit and kept fighting. We just didn’t make enough plays to win the game.”
Chelsea’s Kendrick Simpson scored a pair of touchdowns in the first half of that Gardendale contest, his second tying the game at 14-14 in the second quarter. Gardendale tacked on a pair of scores before the halftime break and pulled away over the final two quarters.
For Chelsea, Turner Griffin finished 4-of-11 for 64 yards and two interceptions. Simpson rushed 12 times for 82 yards and two touchdowns, while Collier Blair accounted for 74 yards on the ground on 14 carries. He also threw a touchdown pass.
“We don’t practice like an 0-6 team either,” he said. “The reality is we’ve played six really good football teams.”
The Hornets will play another really good football team Friday, as they host Class 6A, Region 3 foe Opelika at 7 p.m. Chelsea took its bye last week.
Opelika comes into the contest fresh off a 42-14 win over Helena to snap a two-game skid. The Bulldogs are 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the region.
“All we can do is all we can do,” Elmore said. “That’s what we’re going to keep doing. They’re doing the right thing. Whether it rewards them this season or some time later in life, it’s going to reward them for continuing to show up and do the right thing, and I’m proud of them for that.”
Next week, Chelsea travels to face Chilton County, in a game that the Hornets should have every chance of winning.
- Gary Lloyd contributed to this report.