(Chelsea Update would like to once again thank Todd Ortbring for the photos and this game story.)
The Chelsea JV football team extended its winning streak to four in a row last Thursday with a convincing, 32-13, road victory over previously unbeaten Tecumseh.
And, they did it in convincing fashion — with a ball control offense and hard hitting defense.
After a scoreless first quarter, Chelsea got on the board first, just 30 seconds into the second quarter when halfback Kenny McDowell raced 61 yards untouched down the sideline to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead, which lasted all of 30 seconds.
The first play from scrimmage after the kick-off, Tecumseh’s QB broke free and scampered 78 yards and nailed the point after, giving the home team took a 7-6 lead.
But, it was their last lead of the night.
The teams traded punts the next few series until Grant Ortbring fell on a Tecumseh fumble. The Dawgs moved the ball down field and scored when running back Ty Nelson racked up the first of his 3 TD’s on a 10-yard run. The successful two-point conversion gave Chelsea a 14-7 lead that stood until halftime.
The young Bulldogs took the second half kick and drove down the field into scoring position again. This time, QB Cam Starkey covered the last two yards for his first score, putting Chelsea up 20-13 with just over 9 minutes left in the third quarter.
The remainder of the quarter belonged to the defenses.
Chelsea continuously forced their rivals into third-and-long situations and multiple punts. Meanwhile, Nelson behind his offensive line, was handling the work load on offense finishing with 23 carries against the physical Tecumseh opponents.
In the final quarter, Chelsea had all of the momentum on its side. Nelson scored on a short, 4-yard run to put the Dawgs in total control, 26-13. Midway through the stanza and after a stalled Bulldog drive, Tecumseh fumbled a Bulldog punt inside the 5-yard line which was recovered by Ben Whitesall. One play later, Nelson capped the scoring for the night as he carried several Tecumseh players into the end zone for the final score.
Tecumseh mounted one last drive, but was thwarted when Jacob Dobberstein intercepted a pass at the goal line.
The Bulldogs were able to convert a third-and-long to keep the ball, thanks in part to center Tony Nichol nabbing a Bulldog fumble and advancing a few extra yards for a first down.
Chelsea ran out the clock to end the game.
Aside from the one long TD run, the defense did an excellent job stopping a team, which had been scoring some 30-40 points per game. The tacklers were led by Jacob Rhodes and Mason Bailey who also had a fumble recovery, followed by Colin Steinhauer, Kolten Savery and Ortbring.
Also contributing with multiple tackles were Dobberstein, Bryan Evans, Quinn Kelly, Whitesall, Zach Trester, and Dustin Beckett, who also broke up several pass plays.
The offense churned out over 200 yards rushing with 91 coming from Nelson and 76 from McDowell. Jeremy Policht had 31 yards on 6 carries while Beckett, Starkey and Daniel Klink also carried the ball for the Bulldogs.
Starkey completed 7 of 15 passes for 91 yards. His favorite targets were McDowell, Policht, Evans and Daniel Lindauer.
The Chelsea team is to be commended for their sportsmanship and self-control in what ended up being a very “chippy” game.
The Bulldogs hit the road Thursday night to take on their cross-town rivals, Dexter.
