Chelsea High School jumped out to a 14-0 lead at John Carroll in its Class 5A, Region 4 opener after two touchdown runs by freshman running back Julius McCall, but the Hornets couldn’t hold on as the Cavs rallied for a 28-21 victory Friday night.

The Hornets outgained the Cavs, but coach Wade Waldrop said mistakes cost his team a chance at a win. A fumble at the Cavs’ 4-yard line on a game-tying drive ended Chelsea’s hope for a victory.

“A mistake here and a mistake there stopped us,” Waldrop said. “I thought our effort was great, but we just made too many mistakes to win a football game.”

McCall left the game with an injury in the second half. Waldrop had to turn to his third-string tailback, Jake Ganus, who also played the entire game at linebacker. The injury bug has hit the Hornets hard, but Waldrop hopes to get a few players back in time for next week’s game at home against Moody.

“Hopefully we’ve got everybody healthy,” Waldrop said.