By MARK WINDHAM/For the Reporter

COLUMBIANA — With both Shelby County and Chelsea out of the playoff race, the Nov. 1 rivalry game was one final chance for both teams to finish the season on a high note.  Chelsea exploded out of the gate, scoring the first 39 points of the game on its way to a 64-28 victory.

Shelby County got the opening kickoff and looked to have some momentum going with an 11-yard pass from Ty Proctor to Cedric Youngblood.  However, the Wildcats fumbled two plays later and Jonathan Wilson returned it 25 yards for a Chelsea touchdown. Taylor Martindale’s PAT made it 7-0 Chelsea.

After forcing a three-and-out to the Wildcats, Chelsea scored on the third play of their next drive.  Quarterback Trent Hagin scrambled 41 yards for a touchdown.  The PAT was no good and the Hornets had a 13-0 lead with just over two minutes off the clock.

Shelby County got some life when Auston Tolleson recovered a Chelsea fumble, but the Wildcats turned it over to the Hornets on a fumble deep in Chelsea territory.

The Hornets went on a nine-play drive that covered 85 yards.  The key play of the drive was a 39-yard run by A.J. Jones on a fake punt.  Jones scored five plays later on a 4-yard touchdown run and Martindale’s PAT gave Chelsea a 20-0 lead.

Justin Painter recovered a Wildcat fumble to give the Hornets a short field for their next score.  Adam Holliday hauled in a Hagin pass from 13 yards out to give Chelsea a 26-0 lead after one quarter.

Chelsea would continue their first-half dominance throughout the second quarter as Hagin found Josh Pugh twice for touchdowns.  The first touchdown covered 14 yards and the second one for 28 yards to put Chelsea up 39-0 at the half.

Shelby County’s Daniel Evans helped set up the first Wildcat touchdown when he returned a blocked field goal 57 yards to the Chelsea 38-yard line.  Ty Proctor got the Wildcats on the board two plays later on a 34-yard touchdown run.  Aldo Jones added the PAT to cut the lead to 39-7.

Chelsea added right back to the lead as Martindale returned the kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown and Ryan Traylor’s PAT gave the Hornets a 46-7 lead.

Shelby County came fighting back as Mack Slaughter capped off a 10-play, 58-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.  Jones PAT made it 46-14.

Chelsea closed out the third-quarter scoring when Hagin scored on a 59-yard touchdown run on the last play of the third quarter to make it 52-14.

Freshman quarterback Matthew Marquet helped Chelsea extend their lead to 58-14 in the fourth quarter on a 51-yard touchdown run. Shelby County answered right back as Proctor scored on a 68-yard quarterback keeper to make it 58-21.

Both teams would add one final touchdown each for a final score of 64-28.

Chelsea closed the season with a 4-6 record while Shelby County finished at 1-9.

Chelsea coach Chris Elmore commented on the way the season ended for his Hornets. “Our seniors have fought hard since I have been here and I am proud of the effort they have given us,” Elmore said. “They kept battling everyday no matter what the record was and laid the foundation for this program to move forward.”

Chelsea totaled 567 yards of offense on the night. The Hornets were led by Trent Hagin who passed for 143 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 86 yards and two touchdowns.  A.J. Jones added 84 rushing yards and a touchdown. Josh Pugh led the way receiving with 50 yards and two touchdowns receiving.

Shelby County coach Brent Smith’s comments reflected the outcome of the game.  “We had a lot of games where the breaks didn’t go our way and tonight was one of them,” Smith said.  “Early in the game we turned the ball over three times and when you do that against good teams it’s tough.”

Shelby County finished the night 218 yards of offense.  Ty Proctor led the way with 65 yards passing and 110 yards rushing with two touchdowns. 

-Mark McLaughlin contributed to this story.