Chelsea pulls out win on the road, stays perfect
Published 11:38 pm Friday, September 18, 2015
![AJ Jones breaks free for one of his three touchdowns in Chelsea's 44-21 win over Chilton County on Sept. 18. (Stephen Dawkins / The Clanton Advertiser)](https://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/09/9-23-chelsea-football1.jpg)
AJ Jones breaks free for one of his three touchdowns in Chelsea’s 44-21 win over Chilton County on Sept. 18. (Stephen Dawkins / The Clanton Advertiser)
FROM STAFF REPORTS
By STEPHEN DAWKINS / The Clanton Advertiser
CLANTON – Five consecutive scoring drives in the second half turned a 14-10 deficit into a 44-21 win for unbeaten Chelsea on Friday.
The Hornets, visiting Chilton County High School’s Tiger Stadium for a Class 6A, Region 3 contest, took advantage of a recovered CCHS fumble to score first in the game, on a five-yard run by quarterback Matt Marquet on third-and-goal from the Chilton County 1-yard line with 5:07 remaining in the first quarter.
Host Chilton County (2-3 overall, 0-3 region) answered with a 49-yard drive set up by a weaving kickoff return by Cade Hatch and capped off by a 14-yard touchdown run by Kidevon McDaniel with 1:57 to go in the first quarter.
The Tigers took a 14-7 lead when Shaun Davis scooped up a fumble and ran about 30 yards for a touchdown, then Colby Barren added his second extra point of the game.
Chelsea’s second-half momentum may have started at the end of the first half, as the Hornets (4-0, 2-0) drove 45 yards in less than 2 minutes to set up Jeffrey Thomas for a 40-yard field goal as the buzzer sounded that cut the lead to 14-0.
The Chilton County defense couldn’t stop Chelsea, especially running back Anthony Jones, in the second half.
Jones scored on a six-yard run, a 22-yard pass from Marquet and a 59-yard run, all in the third quarter, to give the Hornets a 31-14 lead.
“We lost contain on defense,” CCHS coach Brian Bradford said of Chelsea’s long gains. We had a couple of misalignments. On offense, every single drive we had a penalty on first or second down. We just couldn’t get going.
“We just ran out of gas. I thought the guys played great the first half, and the second half, it went sour fast.”
Chelsea added fourth-quarter scores from Zalon Reynolds and Austin Stallworth.
Chilton County added seven points with less than a minute left to play on a 10-yard option keeper by quarterback Kendall Davis.