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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

CHELSEA – Chelsea High School had a fantastic turnout for their annual football pep rally on Friday, Aug. 18, as over 2,500 Hornets fans came out to get ready for the season.

“I thought it went great,” Chelsea varsity football coach Todd Cassity said. “We had over 2500 people there. It seemed like everybody enjoyed themselves and had a great time.

As part of the pep rally, kids could play on inflatables and in other games in front of the high school building. Local vendors ran booths where Chelsea fans could buy food, drinks, desserts and merchandise while supporting their community.

In addition, multiple Chelsea High School sports teams including the volleyball, softball, girls soccer and cross-country teams sold food and other items to raise money for their upcoming seasons.

The Chelsea marching band as well as the varsity and JV cheerleaders each got to perform for the crowd and give them a taste of what to expect from their shows at the Hornets’ home opener on Friday, Sept. 1 against Calera.

The highlight of the night was when each of Chelsea’s youth flag and tackle football teams got to run through a Chelsea tunnel with and be recognized on stage alongside their cheerleaders.

Afterwards, Chelsea’s middle school, freshman, JV and varsity teams were each honored, and members of the senior class were each presented with a gift bag.

Overall, the night brought together all corners of the Chelsea community ahead of the start of the season, and Cassity said that was the ultimate goal.

“It’s just great for the community to celebrate together and not just football, but also for volleyball and all the other sports,” Cassity said. “I think they enjoyed it as well. For our middle school and our youth, it just continues to build a pipeline for the high school.”

Cassity felt honored that the city came out in such strong numbers to support the Hornets in just his second year as head coach while he seeks to create a positive culture and unify the school.

“You have your entire community out, parents, students, administration, teachers, it’s just good to see everybody involved and buying in to the program at-large, and I think it makes a big difference,” Cassity said.