By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Pelham Panthers overcame a slow start on Oct. 19 to take region foe Chelsea down 56-28 on the road.

The Panthers recorded 526 total yards of offense, and held Chelsea to 287 yards.

“That’s a good football team, they’re good offensively,” said Pelham head coach Brett Burnett. “The kids didn’t panic, they just stayed focused. We’re one step closer to making the playoffs.”

Eli Beall finished the game with 174 yards on 13 carries, Moregan Sharp racked up 69 yards on 10 carries and Robert Hayes gathered 60 yards on six carries.

“They’ve got a really good football team, they’re well-coached,” Chelsea head coach Wade Waldrop said of Pelham. “Our kids played hard tonight. I’m proud of their effort.”

The Hornets jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead early in the first quarter on a 28-yard touchdown run by Aki Coles and a 10-yard touchdown run by Julius McCall. The second touchdown came after the Hornets recovered a Pelham fumble at the Panthers’ 18-yard line.

Chelsea placekicker Josh Carpenter added successful PATs on all of Chelsea’s touchdowns of the night.

The Panthers battled back to tie the game at 14-all on an 8-yard run by Tanner Adams and an 8-yard touchdown run by Beall. Austin Bowen’s PATs were both good.

After Chelsea scored on a 1-yard McCall touchdown run, Pelham again answered on a 3-yard touchdown run by Sharp and a Bowen PAT to tie the game at 21-all.

Pelham took its first lead of the game with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. The first came on a 2-yard Beall run and the second came on a 35-yard pass from Adams to Kenny Meadows. Bowen’s extra points gave Pelham a 35-21 halftime lead.

The Panthers extended their lead on the first drive of the second half when Beall broke free for a 25-yard touchdown run. Bowen’s PAT brought the game to 42-21.

After Chelsea quarterback Trent Hagin Austin Washington in the end zone to end the third quarter, Pelham answered with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.

The first came when Adams found R.J. McCall on a 25-yard touchdown pass, and the second came when a fumble by Pelham’s Devon Mines landed into Hayes’ hands, who then ran the ball 23 yards to score.

John Perko added the PATs on the two fourth-quarter touchdowns to bring the game to 56-28.