1 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
2 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
3 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
4 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Adam Wheeler #2 FB and Chelsea's Porter Schott #33 DE Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
5 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Aiden Hughes #8 WR runs for a fiirst down Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
6 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Miller Bauman #10 QB looks for an open receiver. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
7 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Miller Bauman #10 QB looks for an open receiver. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
8 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Aiden Hughes #8 WR takes off on a first down run, Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
9 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Chase Stracener #3 RB looks for a running lane in the first half.Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
10 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Chase Stracener #3 RB looks for a running lane in the first half.Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
11 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Jackson Kalnoske #25 LS moved the line after the punt. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
12 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's CJ Durbin #7 WR makes a catch for a touchdown in the first half. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
13 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's CJ Durbin #7 WR makes a catch for a touchdown in the first half. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
14 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's CJ Durbin #7 WR makes a catch for a touchdown in the first half. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
15 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
16 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea’s Sam Trout #31 DE celebrates after a 3rd down stop. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
17 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
18 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
19 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
20 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Jackson Kalnoske #25 LS brings down Wetumpka punt returner.Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
21 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Gabe Pendley #2 S Brings down a Wetumpka running back in the end zone for a touchback. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
22 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Gabe Pendley #2 S Brings down a Wetumpka running back in the end zone for a touchback. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
23 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Gabe Pendley #2 S Brings down a Wetumpka running back in the end zone for a touchback. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
24 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Aiden Hughes #8 WR breaks for a first down. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
25 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Aiden Hughes #8 WR breaks for a first down. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
26 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Romello Cooper #9 DE tracks down wetumpka QB. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
27 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Todd Cassity, Head Coach talks with an official in the first half. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
28 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Gabe Pendley #2 S Brings down a Wetumpka running back in the end zone for a touchback. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
29 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's Gabe Pendley #2 S Brings down a Wetumpka running back in the end zone for a touchback. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
30 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
31 of 31
Photo by Frank Couch
Chelsea's CJ Durbin #7 WR makes a catch for a touchdown in the first half. Wetumpka traveled to Chelsea for football season opener Friday August 30, 2024 at Chelsea. (Frank Couch)
CHELSEA – The buzz is growing at the Hornets’ nest, and it was palpable on Friday night.
The defensive performance and resilience of the Chelsea High School football team was on full display as the Hornets improved to 2-0 to start the season in a 15-14 victory over Wetumpka (1-1).
The Chelsea defense limited Wetumpka to 30 total yards in the second half and tallied seven sacks. That was enough to keep the home side in the game, as the offense came through when it mattered, taking its only lead of the game with 1:27 remaining.
“These kids won’t give up,” said Chelsea head coach Todd Cassity. “(Wetumpka) was more athletic and stronger than us, but these kids kept working their rear ends off. They were fighting for every inch.”
The Hornets’ found themselves in a quick hole to open the game as the opening kickoff was misplayed and allowed the Indians to jump on the ball at the home 3-yard line. Tudrius Hetherington found paydirt the next play to open the scoring.
Chelsea compounded that opening mistake with a minus-7 yard run and interception the following two plays.
The Hornets continued to struggle to open the second quarter, as Micah Bigelow jumped a pass underneath and returned the interception 30 yards to extend the Wetumpka lead to 14-0.
Chelsea faked a punt the next drive that led to a fourth-and-4 conversion. Bauman connected with C.J. Durbin two plays later, and the senior wideout ripped off a run down the right sideline for a 52-yard score to cut the deficit to 14-7.
The Hornets’ defense added a safety later in the second quarter that would prove to be key to the final score. Romello Cooper busted through to stall Hetherington’s run, and Briston Hardy cleaned up the play in the end zone to bring it to the halftime score of 14-9.
Neither team eclipsed 100 total yards in the first half, with Chelsea plagued by four turnovers.
The third quarter came and went without a score, and it took until halfway through the final frame for the Chelsea offense to come to life.
Chase Stracener corralled a short pass from Bauman, then ran and carried defenders for 48 yards down to the 2-yard line. The Hornets failed to score from there though, as Stracener lined up as a Wildcat quarterback on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line and saw his late pass attempt falter to the ground with 6:29 left.
Another superb effort by the Hornets’ defense quickly got the ball back. Junior safety elevated to make a difficult sideline interception at the Indians’ 31-yard line with 5:41 showing on the clock.
Chelsea grinded and chipped away with a third-down conversion by Durbin and fourth-down conversion by Bauman to set up another effort at the end zone. This time, Stracener kept the ball himself and bullied his way into the end zone from 1-yard out with only 1:27 remaining.
The Hornets’ two-point try failed, but it did not matter as their defense once again stood strong, with a sack and three forced incompletions on Wetumpka’s next drive to deliver the 15-14 win.
“Defense played absolutely amazing,” added Cassity. “Defensive coordinator Scott Lowery has done such an excellent job, and I am so proud of the defensive staff.”
Cooper finished with a monster game on the defensive side. The senior edge rusher notched 4 tackles, 2 sacks, and 6 pressures in the first half alone, and added another sack and two pressures in the second half.
“‘Melo got his three-star rating this week but played like a four- or five-star player tonight,” Cassity said. “He was unblockable tonight. There is no one who has improved more than that kid.
“I checked my phone right before the game, saw the rating, and said ‘I got to act like,’” said Cooper on his recent bump in the recruiting rankings. “I got to smackin’ real quick, our whole defense did.”
Stracener finished the game with 25 touches for 93 total yards to go along with the game-winning score.
Durbin had four catches for 71 yards.
This was Chelsea’s second win ever over Wetumpka over a five-game series. Fittingly, that last win came in 2016, also the last time the Hornets started the season 2-0.
Chelsea travels to Pelham to begin region play while Wetumpka is back at home to play Russell County in its region opener.
Click here to sign up for our Under the Lights newsletter and follow us on social media.
Click here to view and purchase photos from this week's games.
