Hornets move to 5-0
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Chelsea’s Walker Kent spent plenty of time on both sides of the ball Friday night in the Hornets’ 33-25 victory over Chilton County.
With over 100 yards receiving and an interception, he’s quickly becoming one of head coach Watt Parker’s biggest weapon.
&uot;Walker Kent had a great game both ways for us,&uot; Parker said. &uot;He had to do a lot of double duty tonight because of receiver Billy Barnhill being out.&uot;
Kent finished the evening with 113 yards on three receptions and a score. He added three tackles to his interception on defense in an effort that helped move his team to 5-0 on the season.
Kent was joined by Chelsea quarterback Coty McLaughlin and sophomore standout running back Davin Palmer in raking up the offensive yards for the Hornets. McLaughlin completed 8-of-11 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Palmer rushed for 112 yards on 14 attempts and reached the end zone twice.
&uot;I felt really good tonight,&uot; Palmer said. &uot;I knew (Chilton Co.) was going to come out here and give us a big game and that’s exactly what they did.&uot;
Palmer leads the Hornets in rushing this season with 299 yards on 50 attempts and four touchdowns
The Hornets entered the locker room with only a one point lead, 20-19. But Parker said his team was able to make key adjustments in the second half and eventually pull away from Chilton.
&uot;We were executing at moments and not at others,&uot; he said. &uot;They were doing a couple of things defensively to hurt us and we were able to make the necessary changes for the second half.&uot;
The Chelsea defense stood tall for Parker in the game, forcing Chilton Co. to put the ball on the ground four times and recovering all four of the fumbles.
&uot;Defensively I told our guys that we have to get after it and we have to play harder than what we’re playing,&uot; Parker said. &uot;We needed to take advantage of opportunities.&uot;
Chilton County came out in the second half and took the lead on a 15-play drive early in the third quarter, but the Hornets bounced back and finished the game with 13 unanswered points for the win.
Chelsea takes their unblemished record on the road this week as they travel to face Oak Grove in a key Region 5 match up. Parker said he feels like his team will be well prepared for the contest.
&uot;The winning takes care of itself if you do all of the little things right and that’s what we’ve been emphasizing,&uot; he said. &uot;Monday through Thursday is when you win ball games, not on Friday nights.&uot;