Photo by Todd Lester.
Chase Malone (3)
CHELSEA — Chelsea didn’t take long to show what kind of team it plans to be this fall. Behind a dominant ground attack featuring five different Hornets scoring touchdowns, Chelsea rolled past Charles Henderson 51-27 on Friday night in the schools’ first-ever meeting.
The Hornets entered the season with questions at quarterback after graduating last year’s starter, but head coach Todd Cassity made it clear the running game would carry the load. That plan worked to perfection.
“When you have multiple guys who can run the ball effectively, it takes the pressure off everyone else,” Cassity said. “It just shows that hopefully we have some depth there, so Chase and Morgan don’t have to take every rep.”
Chelsea’s backfield duo of Chase Malone and Morgan Barnes combined for the majority of carries, but they weren’t alone. By night’s end, Malone, Barnes, Hudson Picklesimer, Ethan Reed and Wyatt Wright had all scored rushing touchdowns.
The Hornets wasted no time taking control. On their opening drive, it took just three plays to cover 51 yards, capped by a 33-yard scoring run from Barnes. After a defensive stop, Malone added a 6-yard touchdown to give Chelsea a 14-0 advantage midway through the first quarter.
Quarterback Hudson Picklesimer added to the lead with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:01 left in the first. That made it 23-0 and set the tone for the rest of the game.
Charles Henderson broke through late in the second quarter on a 1-yard run by Terrence Thomas, but Chelsea answered just before halftime when Malone punched in his second score from 4 yards out. The Hornets carried a 30-7 lead into the locker room.
The Trojans briefly made things interesting in the third quarter. Jaylen Wingard took an 88-yard reverse to the end zone for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, leaving Chelsea ahead 30-13.
Any momentum was short-lived for the Trojans. Early in the fourth, Reed became the fourth Hornet to score with a 12-yard touchdown run. That extended the lead to 37-13, but Charles Henderson responded immediately with its biggest play of the night — an 88-yard touchdown run by Peyton Bean. The extra point was blocked, keeping the score at 37-19.
The Trojans weren’t done yet. After forcing a punt, they struck again on a 51-yard touchdown and converted the two-point try to trim the lead to 37-27 with 8:59 remaining.
But from there, Chelsea slammed the door. Barnes scored his second touchdown, and Wyatt Wright added one more late, putting the finishing touches on a dominant 51-27 victory.
The Hornets’ offensive line paved the way for more than 300 rushing yards, and Cassity credited that group for the team’s early-season success.
Chelsea (1-0) begins the 2025 season with a statement victory, while Charles Henderson (0-1) will look to regroup.
Next week, the Trojans travel to face Highland Home, while Chelsea travels down I-65 to face Wetumpka — a rematch of last year’s thriller.
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