Hornets look to notch first win against Opelika

The Chelsea High School football team had an open week to prepare for Opelika, the toughest team in its region the last two years.

Each of the last two seasons, Opelika has knocked off Chelsea en route to breezing through Class 6A, Region 3 unbeaten. The Bulldogs have started off hot once again, and sit at 3-0 in the region, with victories over Chilton County, Benjamin Russell and Helena. In the three wins, Opelika has allowed just seven points total, a touchdown in the game against Helena after the game was decided.

But Chelsea is in better position to pull the upset than it has been the last two seasons. The Hornets are 5-1 overall, 2-1 in Region 3, and are coming off a bye week after defeating non-region opponent Gardendale, 38-21.

In the game, the Hornet defense gave up over 400 yards of total offense on the night, but that fails to account for the big plays that were made when they needed to be made, including four turnovers on down, including three in the fourth quarter.

“I can’t say enough about our defense,” head coach Chris Elmore said. “They don’t get enough credit. Everybody talks about how many points we score, but our defense battles every single play.

“They are outsized and usually don’t have as much speed as the opponent, but they just keep playing and keep playing and keep playing. They’ve done it all year and it’s kind of gone unnoticed, but it showed up tonight in a big game.”

That defense will be critical in slowing down an Opelika offense that has scored nearly 37 points per game. Opelika's defense has also already pitched three shutouts this season and is holding opponents to just 11 points per contest, meaning the game may not be the high-scoring affair Chelsea has won its share of this season.

After the win over Gardendale win, Elmore said, “I enjoy games like this when you’ve got two great teams." He will likely say the same about this one.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Opelika.