The Chelsea High School football team didn’t back down in a spring scrimmage May 13 on the road at Class 6A Mountain Brook.

The Hornets went head-to-head with the Spartans and came up just short in a 21-20 setback after four quarters.

Chelsea racked up 307 total yards on offense and 21 first downs in the scrimmage. The Hornets rushed for 167 yards and passed for 140 yards.

Chelsea coach Wade Waldrop saw room for improvement in a few areas, but was pleased for the most part following the scrimmage.

“We’ve still got a long way to go, but obviously we saw some good things,” Waldrop said. “Effort from the whole team was great. We competed and that’s a positive.”

D.J. Washington led the Hornets’ rushing attack with 63 yards on 10 carries. Starting quarterback Jake Ganus completed 7-of-13 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Jake Campbell led Chelsea with three receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown. Joey Mock added three catches for 38 yards.

Backup quarterback Jake Adams rushed for 27 yards and a touchdown on six carries. Adams also completed 4-of-7 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Blake McLaughlin led the Chelsea defense with six tackles, including two tackles for a loss.

Waldrop was pleased with both Ganus and Adams in the scrimmage.

“Both played really well,” Waldrop said. “They have both had an awesome spring competing against each other. They’re two of the best athletes on our team.”

Mountain Brook got on the scoreboard first with a touchdown in the first quarter.

The Hornets had a chance to cut into the lead midway though the second quarter, but Austin Rikard missed a 29-yard field goal attempt with 7:13 remaining in the half.

Mountain Brook pushed the lead to 14-0 with a rushing touchdown with 49 seconds left in the opening half. Chelsea responded with a five-play, 65-yard drive in the final minute, capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Ganus to Campbell with two seconds remaining, to cut the lead to 14-7 at halftime. Ashley Page added the extra point.

The Spartans pushed the lead to 21-7 with another rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Adams cut the lead to 21-14 with a 3-yard rushing touchdown, which capped a 10-play, 65-yard drive, with 7:30 remaining in the game. Travis Mitchell added the extra point.

Chelsea had a chance to tie the game following Adams’ 17-yard touchdown pass to Antwon Williams with 1:44 remaining in the game, but Rikard’s point-after-attempt was unsuccessful as the Spartans escaped with a 21-20 edge in the scrimmage.

“This was a tough spring game for us,” Waldrop said.