(Chelsea Update would like to thank Amy Whitesall for this game story.)
Rivalry game? Maybe next year.
Chelsea’s football team clinched the Southeastern Conference White division title Friday, Oct. 12, with a lopsided 34-14 win over Dexter (0-8, 0-6 SEC) at Jerry Niehaus Field.
The Bulldogs (5-3, 5-1 SEC) dominated the first half and played reserves in the second, extending their winning streak to five games with one week left in the regular season.
“We’re excited to be the league champs again,” said Chelsea coach Brad Bush. “And I feel good for our guys, from where we came from, to get back up and to compete the way we have.”
Though seven Chelsea players would end up sharing rushing duties, tailback Berkley Edwards set the tone in the first half with 118 yards, three rushing touchdowns and one touchdown catch from quarterback Logan Brown.
Halfway through the first quarter Edwards took the handoff at the Chelsea 39-yard line, juked through the line and raced 61 yards up the left sideline for the Bulldogs’ first touchdown.
Two plays into the ensuing drive, Chelsea linebacker Gibson Stoffer picked off a pass by Dexter quarterback Andy McWilliams, setting up another short drive that ended in a three-yard touchdown run by Edwards.
Edwards averaged 9.1 yards a carry – almost a first down every time he touched the ball — behind a much improved offensive line that consistently cleared running room up the middle.
“We weren’t very good early on up front but they’ve definitely gotten better,” Bush said. “And I think we played 15 different guys up front, so it was good for us to get some of those younger guys experience.”
Sophomore tailback Ty Nelson and junior quarterback Scott Crews saw significant playing time in the second half – Nelson rushed for 51 yards and Crews completed 3-of-5 passes for 23 yards.
Chelsea receiver Nate Bossory played a series at quarterback late in the first half and went 2-for-2 in a two-play touchdown drive, connecting with Luke Hollandsworth on a 13-yard pass that gave Chelsea a 34-0 lead.
The Bulldogs would rack up 360 yards of offense, 272 of it on the ground. Dexter managed 196 offensive yards and gained another 174 yards on Chelsea penalties. But the Dreadnaughts didn’t score until late in the third quarter, after a roughing penalty on a punt preserved a Dexter drive that chewed up almost the entire quarter.
They would score again in the final minute, but by then the Chelsea student section had emptied onto the track and a crowd of Bulldogs stood near the corner of the end zone chanting “SEC, SEC.”
The Bulldogs host Haslett next week in their regular-season finale, with a trip to the playoffs hanging in the balance. Although it’s possible for a 5-4 team to earn a spot in the Michigan High School Athletic Association playoffs, six wins would guarantee a playoff berth.
“Haslett will be 5-3, we’re 5-3; I really don’t know if we can get (into the playoffs) at 5-4, I have no idea,” Bush said. “I know whoever wins is in, so it should be a great game.”
