Hornets welcome Wetumpka
The Chelsea High School football team is off to a hot start once again.
Each of the last two years, the Hornets have begun the season 5-0. They are 40% of the way there in 2016.
Last Friday, the Hornets had their way with Briarwood, defeating the Lions 43-15. It was the third year in a row Chelsea bested its rival.
“I said it last week. I’ll say it again. (Matthew) Marquet and Zalon (Reynolds) are special, and sometimes they can turn a broken play into a touchdown,” Chelsea head coach Chris Elmore said. “That’s not coaching. That’s not execution. That’s just good football players, and both of those guys are.”
Marquet rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns, while Reynolds rushed for 58 yards and one touchdown. Through the air, Marquet went 14 for 18, totaling 148 yards and one touchdown.
Collectively, Chelsea produced 456 yards of total offense to Briarwood’s 154.
The Hornet defense stymied its opponent for much of the night, holding it to only 11 first downs and forcing four turnovers.
Chelsea has scored over 40 points in each of the season’s first two games, wins over Oak Mountain and Briarwood, and will try to extend that streak Friday in the Class 6A, Region 3 opener against Wetumpka at home.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do this week,” Elmore said following last week’s game. “Wetumpka’s a really good team. They’re athletic, very big, very fast, so we’re going to have to play really well again.”
The two teams have been reunited in the same region, as they were foes in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Those are the only two years the Hornets and Indians have met on the gridiron, with Wetumpka winning both games.
Both games were high-scoring affairs, including a tight 48-45 Wetumpka victory in 2013.
Chelsea held a 28-7 lead after one quarter in that game, but Wetumpka rallied. The Indians scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns and would go on to win the game in three overtimes.
The first two games will serve as a great springboard for the Hornets, but will ultimately not mean much in the team’s pursuit of its goals. Region games are the only ones that count towards playoff standings, with the top four finishers out of the seven reaching the playoffs.
The Hornets reached that threshold in Elmore’s second season in 2015, and a win tonight against Wetumpka would benefit a team looking for a second straight playoff appearance.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Richard Conkle Stadium.