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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea running back/wide receiver Emerson Russell (1) carries the ball as he heads for the end zone as the Hornets face Helena in the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea wide receiver JyDarian McKinney (8) returns the ball as the Hornets face Helena in the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea wide receiver JyDarian McKinney (8) returns the ball as the Hornets face Helena in the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea head coach Todd Cassity talks with the offense as the Hornets face Helena in the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea running back/wide receiver Emerson Russell (1) pushes for more yards as the Hornets face Helena in the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea wide receiver JyDarian McKinney (8) returns the ball as the Hornets face Helena in the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea quarterback Carter Dotson (14) makes the handoff to Chelsea running back/wide receiver Emerson Russell (1) as the Hornets face Helena in the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea running back/wide receiver Emerson Russell (1) carries the ball as the Hornets face Helena in the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea nose guard Jaeden Bennett (50) brings down Helena quarterback Dalton Lewellyn (5) during the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea linebacker Cody Fortenberry (3) tackles Helena running back Jordan Washington (34) during the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea punter/kicker Jack Seymour (10) punts the ball as the Hornets face Helena in the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea wide receiver MJ Conrad (6) catches the return as the Hornets face Helena in the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea punter/kicker Jack Seymour (10) attempts the extra point during the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea quarterback Carter Dotson (14) passes the ball as the Hornets face Helena during the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea running back/wide receiver Emerson Russell (1) carries the ball as the Hornets face Helena in the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
The Chelsea student section celebrates after Emerson Russell (1) scored during the Kickoff Classic against Helena at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea nose guard Jaeden Bennett (50) moves in to block a pass by Helena quarterback Dalton Lewellyn (5) during the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
The Chelsea marching band performs during halftime of the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Chelsea quarterback Carter Dotson (14) looks for a receiver as he’s pressured by Helena Derrick Wilson Jr. (73) during the Kickoff Classic at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Helena defeated the Hornets 28-6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
MONTGOMERY -- Jordan Washington and the Helena High School rushing attack were simply too much to handle on Thursday night for the Chelsea High School football team, as the Huskies racked up 219 yards on the ground.
Washington, Helena’s junior running back, racked up more than 160 total yards in the first half, and made his presence felt early, taking the opening kickoff more than 80 yards down inside the Hornets’ 5-yard line. Washington punched it in on the first offensive play of the game.
Washington and the Huskies rolled to a victory in the first game of Chelsea coach Todd Cassity’s Hornets career, defeating Chelsea 28-6 at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery as part of the AHSAA Kickoff Classic.
“We’ve just got to get better physically, [get] stronger and handle our composure a little better,” Cassity said. “I think the speed of the game maybe was a little bit more than what we’re used to from a practice standpoint, and a lot of these kids are young kids that haven’t played varsity snaps before. … It’s going to take some time, but we’re going to get there.”
In the first half, Washington scored another time and racked up 108 rushing yards on 17 carries. The back finished with 25 carries and 120 yards on the night, with AJ Horstead adding 71 yards on 11 carries, most of which came in the second half.
Washington’s second touchdown came from 15 yards out and included a broken tackle, with Helena quarterback Dalton Llewellyn scoring the other Huskies’ first-half touchdown on a quarterback keeper with three minutes before the first half.
Chelsea mustered just 59 yards of offense in the first half.
Things got a little bit better for Chelsea in the second half, starting with its first drive. Quarterback Carter Dotson completed three of his first four passes for 37 yards, and, helped by a pass interference penalty called on Helena, the Hornets moved the ball into the red zone. However, the Hornets were unable to finish the drive with any points. Dotson was forced off the field for a key third down after his helmet fell off on a second-down run, and the third- and fourth-down plays failed to gain a first down.
After Llewellyn found Nathan Wade for a 9-yard touchdown to give Helena its final score of the night, Chelsea would find its way to the scoreboard.
With running back Emerson Russell in the Wildcat formation, Chelsea picked up a first down, followed by a 39-yard run on the handoff by Russell on the next play. Following a defensive pass interference call on Helena, Russell again lined up in the Wildcat and made a few men miss on his way to the end zone from 9 yards out.
Russell finished with 87 yards on the ground.
“I like the fight of our team throughout the entire game,” Cassity said. “They didn’t quit. … The kids kept fighting and I hope that’s something we’ll be able to build off of.”
Chelsea visits Calera next week in another county rivalry game. Helena visits Buckhorn.