Football scores season-opening win over Oak Mountain

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Matthew Marquet helped Chelsea defeat Oak Mountain in Friday’s season-opening game. (Photo by Cari Dean).

Hamad Haider, Reporter

Led by seniors Matt Marquet and Zalon Reynolds, the Chelsea Hornets football team was able to shake off the Oak Mountain demons, beating the host Eagles 49-33 Friday night for the first time in school history.

The game could give the Hornets a ton of momentum going forward. However, right out of the gates, Chelsea got punched in the face, as Oak Mountain jumped out to an early 14-0 lead.

But, behind the arm of Marquet and legs of Reynolds, Chelsea came roaring back to get within 7. The score at halftime was 21-14 Oak Mountain. The second half was a flip of the script as Chelsea took the life out of Oak Mountain outscoring the team 35-12.

Miller, Reynolds seal win over Oak Mountain

The momentum completely swung when Chelsea forced the first turnover of the game (via fumble) of the game late in the third quarter. After the fumble, Chelsea never looked back dominating the fourth quarter. It seemed as if they were scoring on every possession.

Any hope of a comeback was diminished when Jalyn Miller made a game sealing interception. Marquet, Chelsea’s senior signal caller, accounted for 242 yards of total offense, completing 15-17 passes with two touchdowns. Reynolds finished with 186 yards rushing with an astounding four touchdowns.

Chelsea will continue it’s season Friday with it’s first home game of the year against rival Briarwood.