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Photo by Richard Force
Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Emerson Russell (1) runs the ball during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Photo by Richard Force
Chelsea Football
Chelsea huddles up before a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
alera's TJ Hernandez (22) punts the ball during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Carter Dotson (14) evades a sack during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Brady Clements (4) waits for the snap during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's band during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea’s Chris McNeill (7) causes a fumble during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Jack Seymour (10) kicks off during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Drew Cheslock (16) defends a pass during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Todd Cassity argues a call during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Graydon Carlee (3) runs the ball during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Calera’s Dekendrick Bennett (4) celebrates after a defensive stop during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Jack Seymour (10) is roughed during a punt during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Special Teams rushes a field goal attempt during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Calera’s defense looks for the ball carrier during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Emerson Russell (1) runs the ball during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's defense sacks Calera’s quarterbackduring a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Carter Dotson (14) drops back to pass during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Chris McNeill (7) breaks up a pass during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Jackson Laughlin (44) fights off a block during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Calera's Preston Stokes (9) hands off to Daniel Carmoma (5) during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Emerson Russell (1) passes the ball to EJ Hudnall (11) during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Calera's Amari Brundidge (33) runs the ball during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's Carter Dotson (14) looks for a receiver during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Calera's Braylyn Farrington (1) waits for the opening kickoff during a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
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Chelsea Football
Chelsea's CJ Durbin (30) leads the team onto the field before a game between Chelsea and Calera on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Cairns Memorial Stadium in Calera. Photo by Richard Force
CALERA -- The Chelsea High School football team fell 10-6 on the road at Calera on Friday night, dropping to 0-2 to start the season. The Hornets' defeat in the low-scoring affair came in heartbreaking fashion as the visitors, ready to grab the lead with less than a minute remaining in the game, lost a fumble at the Calera goal line.
“These guys played their [dang] hearts out,” said Chelsea head coach Todd Cassity. “You have a last-minute drive to get down to the 2-yard line and you fumble. You know a lot of character is going to have to be built from this.”
The Hornets started the game out positively on both sides of the ball.
After nearly scoring on their opening possession, driving into the Calera (1-1) redzone but failing to convert on fourth down, the Hornets put the first points of the game on the board late in the opening quarter with a 42-yard field goal by Jack Seymour.
Defensively, the Hornets forced two turnovers — an interception and a fumble – and three punts in five of Calera’s seven possessions in the first half. In the end, the Chelsea defense would hold the Eagles to just 252 yards of total offense.
“The defense fought their hearts out tonight,” said Cassity, who is in his first season at the helm at Chelsea.
In the second half, with the game tied 3-3 after a second-quarter field goal by Calera, Chelsea continued to play well defensively. The Hornets continued to frustrate the Calera offense and came up big early in the second half, blocking what would have been a go-ahead field goal attempt in the home team’s first possession of the third quarter.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, the offense could not string out long drives or find a big enough hole in the Calera defense in order to put any touchdowns on the board.
“We get a big-play opportunity and we don’t finish it or we get a stupid penalty,” said Cassity. “There’s just a lot of growing up we still need to do, but it’ll happen.”
The senior placekicker Seymour would add another field goal early in the fourth quarter to give Chelsea a 6-3 lead, but it would be the Hornets' final points of the game. The biggest two moments of the game would come after.
Calera responded to Chelsea’s field goal with more points of their own, but this time the Eagles found the endzone and the game’s only touchdown. A six-play, 58-yard drive by the Eagles was capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Amari Brundidge, giving the home side the 10-6 advantage with 7:13 left to go.
Chelsea still had more to give, though. The Hornets would eventually get the ball back one last time and led by two big completions by quarterback Carter Dotson, Chelsea found itself inside the 5 with less than a minute to go. On second down and goal from the 2, tragedy struck when the direct snap was fumbled, hit the ground, and found its way into the arms of a Calera defender, ending the Hornets hopes of a first victory this season.
“We’ve got to keep our heads up and keep fighting the fight. That’s all we can do,” Cassity said. “Find the positives, build on them and fix the negatives.”
