Hornets defense steps up to beat Eagles
CHELSEA – The game opened with the makings of an offensive slugfest, but it was the Chelsea High School football team’s defense and special teams that made the last statement.
The Hornets (2-2, 1-1 in Class 7A, Region 3) closed the first half with a blocked field goal that they returned for a 65-yard touchdown and ended their 21-13 victory over Oak Mountain with an interception to close out the game.
“We spent a lot of time on special teams this week,” said Chelsea head coach Todd Cassity. “On defense, we went a little softer in coverage after the start to not let them run by us. I am proud of our kids for not quitting and working hard all the time.”
Each team opened with quick scores on their opening drives. Chelsea marched down the field with Carter Dotson passing for 60 yards, while Emerson Russell finished the two-minute drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.
Oak Mountain followed with an eight-play drive and scored in under four minutes. Jacob Porco punched it in from the 2-yard line to even up the score at 7-7.
The scoring stymied from that point. Both teams would cross midfield on a pair of drives, but neither could advance into the red zone.
The last scoring opportunity came at the close of the half as Oak Mountain (1-3, 0-2 in region) lined up for a 40-yard field goal. Anderson Brooks broke through the line for Chelsea to block the attempt, and Kenny Wesley caught the ball off the bounce and then raced to the end zone. The momentous play gave the Hornets a 14-7 lead at halftime.
The Eagles scored on their opening possession of the second half to close the gap to 14-13. A long drive was nearly derailed by a personal foul that forced a third-and-19. But Will O’Dell floated a pass downfield for freshman Jayden Aparicio for a 41-yard score. The extra point was missed with 5:10 left in the third quarter.
The two sides struggled on offense over the next 10 minutes of game time. Chelsea saw a 50-yard fake punt touchdown pass called back due to an ineligible receiver downfield, while Oak Mountain could only muster 10 yards on two more drives.
The Hornets took over to start the final frame and were immediately aided by a facemask. Russell would carry the ball four straight times to close out the drive, the last running off tackle to the left with such effective blocking in front of him, that he jogged the last 10 yards of his 15-yard score to extend the Chelsea lead to 21-13.
Oak Mountain had a pair of opportunities that were quickly thwarted. The Eagles were 2-for-11 passing following the touchdown pass, with the final pass intercepted by senior Brandon Sims to ice the game.
Russell finished with 152 total yards on 28 touches and the pair of scores.
Dotson completed his first seven passes of the game en route to a 12-of-21 day for 113 passing yards.
O’Dell finished 12-of-28 with a game-high 157 yards passing while adding a team-high 54 rushing yards.
“Offensively, we started off great but I need to watch the film to see what went wrong,” said Oak Mountain head coach Shane McComb. “Getting penalties on first down did not help.”
This was the 12th meeting between the two programs, with Oak Mountain holding a 9-3 advantage now that Chelsea has won the last two contests.
Each team faces stern tests next week. Chelsea travels to four-time defending state champion Thompson, while Oak Mountain welcomes Tuscaloosa County to town.
Check out all of our high school football photos from this week.