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The Chelsea Hornets took care of business on Friday, April 25 at Helena High School, taking down the Helena Huskies 4-0 in the first round of the Class 6A state playoffs behind Max Wever’s hat trick. (Reporter photos/Tyler Raley)

By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

HELENA – As the clouds parted and brought clearer weather than the afternoon indicated, the Chelsea Hornets took the field wanting to make a statement and earn a win in the Class 6A state playoffs.

They completed that mission, and did so with energy behind a stellar offensive night from Max Wever, who seemed to find the ball with every blink.

Chelsea defeated the Helena Huskies 4-0 on Friday, April 25 at Helena High School, putting on a powerful performance to keep their season alive in the late stages of April.

The match began with the ball flying all over the pitch, as the pace quickened from the opening kick. The scoring, though, did not kick off until the teams settled into what was in front of them.

However, in the 11th minute, that all changed. Soon after Cooper Baumbaugh hit the crossbar, he played the ball in towards Wever, who finished towards the right side of the goal to break the lock and put the Hornets in front 1-0.

The goal foreshadowed the night to come for Wever, but the next goal that Chelsea scored came off the foot of another leader.

With the adrenaline still high after the Hornets scored, Parker Dean found an opportunity to add to it. In the 13th minute, Dean took a shot from the right side, but the shot was saved. Suddenly though, Jacob Cano came in off the deflection and got the putback to extend the advantage to 2-0, sending the entire Chelsea squad into a frenzy.

As the momentum continued to roll towards the Hornets, they felt as if the job was not done yet, continuing to attack the ball throughout the entire half and play aggressively.

Then, in the 23rd minute, Wever got free and took the ball all by himself after an assist from Cano into his team’s offensive third, scoring his second goal of the night and his 20th on the season to put Chelsea up 3-0, already getting a good grip on the contest.

However, this was not enough as the Hornets wanted to put the nail in the coffin before halftime in the battle between county foes.

In the 40th minute with just over 30 seconds left before the half as Cano found Wever once again near the left side of the goal. Wever struck the ball in from close range and earned a hat trick in the first half alone, sending Chelsea into the half with a four-goal advantage.

Following the scoring frenzy in the first half though, the two teams came out into the second half with different objectives in mind. For the Hornets, it was defending for the remaining 40 minutes, while for the Huskies, it was giving themselves a chance.

Chelsea won that battle handily, playing with smarts and putting the game away in the blink of an eye with a 4-0 win.

For Helena, the loss ends their season after getting back to the playoffs in Kelly Koch’s second year at the helm. The Huskies finish with a 10-10-2 record and a perfect area slate, looking to carry some positivity into next year.

As for the Hornets, the dominant victory sends them to round two to face the Class 6A, Area 8 winner in the Briarwood Christian Lions, who have beaten them twice already in the regular season.

Kick-off for the second round between Chelsea and Briarwood is set for Tuesday, April 29 at 7 p.m. at Briarwood Christian School.

More Chelsea High

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Chelsea’s late-game heroics lead to win over Briarwood Christian in 6A playoffs

Local athletes win outdoor sectional titles, advance to state

Beyond his years: Eighth-grader Wisdom’s RBI double helps Chelsea sweep Saraland, reach quarterfinals