Chelsea knocks off Helena to stay undefeated
Published 12:09 am Saturday, September 27, 2014
![Chelsea's Zalon Reynolds breaks free on a run in a win over Helena on Sept. 26. (Contributed/Cari Dean)](https://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2014/09/10-1-Chelsea-Helena—WEB.jpg)
Chelsea’s Zalon Reynolds breaks free on a run in a win over Helena on Sept. 26. (Contributed/Cari Dean)
By NEAL EMBRY/For the Reporter
HELENA — Fresh off their thumping of Chilton County, the Chelsea Hornets hit the road to take on the 3-1 Helena Huskies Friday night at Husky Stadium.
In a game that almost hit 100 combined points, the Hornets utilized a powerful ground game to defeat Helena 64-35.
Chelsea running back Zalon Reynolds had a big night, running for 195 yards and three touchdowns. The sophomore got the scoring started five minutes into the game with a 57-yard touchdown run. He added his second touchdown after Chelsea recovered a Helena fumble on the next drive.
Chelsea led 27-0 at the end of the first, but Helena would not go quietly.
The Huskies began their comeback trail on their first drive of the second quarter, with quarterback Diondre Sackreiter scoring on a one-yard run.
Perhaps the game’s most important play came on the next Helena drive. After quarterback Riley Davis moved the Huskies into the red zone, Sackreiter came in and tried to find his man to finish off the drive. Instead, he found Chelsea’s Mason Moore, who snagged his third takeaway in two weeks. The Hornets would score on the next drive, taking a 34-7 lead into halftime.
While the second half didn’t see a comeback, the Huskies fought hard and challenged Chelsea through the air, forcing the Hornets starters to play well into the fourth quarter.
Reynolds, Tyler Blackburn and Matt Marquet all saw the end zone for Chelsea in the second half, while Wesley Featherstone scored twice for Helena, including a six-yard catch that capped off a 99-yard drive for the Huskies to end the game.
Helena falls to 3-2, while Chelsea begins the second half of the season undefeated at 5-0.
“We thought we could be 5-0 at this point, but we also saw that the back end of our schedule is tougher. We’re going to have to raise our level of play and continue to get better,” Chelsea coach Chris Elmore said.
Helena coach Watt Parker said his team is going to take these “lumps” in their first season, but that they have a “great attitude.”
“We’ve just got to work hard and we have to execute in practice and be disciplined. We’ll work toward playing our very best ball. We just try to play the best that we can every week,” Parker said.
Chelsea travels to Opelika Sept. 26, while Helena celebrates homecoming against Jemison.