Freshmen: d. by Tecumseh 6-42
JV: d. by Tecumseh 27-30

Varsity 2008 record: 6-2 (5-2 SEC)

The 2007 football season was a wild ride for Tecumseh; as they adjusted to a new coach, the Indians started the season with three consecutive losses — the last of which was a 26-41 loss to Chelsea — but followed those losses with six consecutive wins to qualify for the playoffs.  But the first round of the playoffs brought Tecumseh back to Chelsea for a rematch, and the Indians’ season ended with a 14-46 loss.  Still, the surprising six-game winning streak prompted hope for another successful season in 2008.

That hope for 2008 wavered when the Indians opened the season by losing to Lincoln, reappeared when they defeated Huron in week 2, and disappeared completely when they lost four straight games to drop to 1-5.  They ended the losing streak by beating Dexter in week 7, but that brought them to Chelsea’s Jerry Niehaus Field at 2-5 and firmly out of playoff contention.  Between that and Tecumseh’s 6-game losing streak to Chelsea dating back to 2003, things just weren’t looking good.

Brian Bazydlo spends his free time with Paul Bunyan.

No, Grant Fanning doesn’t wish to share his footballs.  Get your own.

Jason Lindauer keeps a close eye on his players.

Chelsea, on the other hand, came into the game at 6-1 with plenty of confidence after two big wins over Adrian and Pioneer, two of the SEC’s strongest teams; those wins put the Bulldogs not just in the playoffs for the tenth straight year, but also in prime position to lock up another SEC championship with a win over the lowly Indians.  Of course, to secure that championship, Chelsea first had to contend with Tecumseh’s infamous Group Hug offense, which almost always starts with a formation that looks something like this:

As you can imagine, the offense is a nightmare for photographers, spotters and anyone else who has any interest in seeing something other than a roiling mass of 22 bodies.  So … really, anyone who has the blessing of sight.  But they still let Tecumseh use the offense anyway, so I had to try to get some pictures anyway.  Oh, and Chelsea had to try to stop Tecumseh, too.

Given the markedly different records of the teams, the common assumption was that Chelsea would win, and the beginning of the game seemed to confirm that assumption.  The Bulldogs received the opening kickoff and staged a quick three-play scoring drive capped by a 19-yard touchdown run by Nick Hill; the extra point failed, but Chelsea still had a lead, and clinical studies have shown that leads are good.  On the resulting kickoff, the Tecumseh return man let the ball hit the ground; as strange oblong objects are wont to do, it took an unexpected bounce, and Chelsea recovered the ball inside the 20.  The Bulldogs had to work a little harder this time, but Michael Roberts finally took the ball in from the one, and a successful extra point gave Chelsea a 13-point lead.

Michael Roberts doesn’t mind crowds.

This is how most Tecumseh plays end up.

Jake Mantel: the new jungle gym.

Tecumseh actually fielded the next kickoff, and the Group Hug showed signs of awakening; however, the affection ended on an incomplete fourth down pass just inside the Chelsea 40.  The Bulldogs started the drive well enough with a 16-yard run by Hill, but there was a fumble two plays later, and Tecumseh took the ball and ran with it because … well, that’s pretty much all the Tecumseh offense does, you know.  On fourth and five, the Indians decided to forgo the first down in favor of a 36-yard touchdown run; since there seems to be some sort of shortage of kickers in the Tecumseh area, they went for two, and Chelsea’s lead was down to 5.

The Bulldogs really truly wanted to offset Tecumseh’s touchdown with one of their own, but a three and out put a stop to those plans, and the Indians had the nerve to drive for another touchdown.  Another two-point conversion gave Tecumseh a 16-13 lead — its first of the game — and the Bulldogs were wondering why this game wasn’t going as planned.  It got better when Chelsea responded with a touchdown drive of its own — punctuated by a 16-yard pass to Michael Lenneman — and the Bulldogs regained the lead with two minutes to play in the first half.  The Indians, despite their Three Yards And A Cloud Of Ennui offense whose touchdown drives typically take two years, managed to move briskly down the field and inside the 10, but they couldn’t put the ball in the end zone; furthermore, their complete lack of a kicking game came back to haunt them as they settled for no points as the half ended.  The Bulldogs took a 20-16 lead into the locker room and hoped the second half would be more what they expected and less Tecumseh-y.

If you’re not careful, Joe Tripodi will go all Big Ten on you.
I’ve heard of a standing ovation, but what does a standing arm-cross mean?

Those hopes began to come true when Chelsea recovered a Tecumseh fumble and quickly moved the ball inside the five.  But the Bulldog offense couldn’t finish the drive, and after a sack on fourth down, Tecumseh took over at its own twelve.  Failing to score after having a first and goal always hurts, but it hurts even more when the other team gets all excited and takes the touchdown you thought you were going to get.  And it hurts even more when that touchdown comes on a huge 92-yard pass that comes on third and 14, which is exactly how Tecumseh scored after stopping Chelsea.  The two-point conversion failed, but Tecumseh still took a 22-20 lead, and the Bulldogs wondered if maybe a clerical error had given a 2-5 record to the wrong team.

George Clark doesn’t like playing from behind.

Why yes, Chris Ballow would love to dance.  How about the Touchdown Tango?

Okay, that’s just not fair.

Chelsea’s next drive went nowhere special, but that was okay: shortly after the punt, Tecumseh generously proceeded to throw a pass to Scott Rhodes, who definitely doesn’t play for the Indians.  The Bulldogs made that miscue count for plenty, too, as they drove down the field and scored on a 26-yard touchdown pass to Chris Ballow.  Chelsea’s two-point conversion — which was entirely for strategical and mathematical reasons, and not due to any weakness in the kicking game — failed, but with ten minutes to play, the lead was finally back in the right paws.

A touchback on the kickoff put Tecumseh at its own 20, and the Indians embarked on a quest to counter Chelsea’s touchdown.  A long quest.  Really, really long.  Seriously, it was crazy long.  The Bulldogs forced three fourth downs on that quest, but the Indians converted every last one of them, and after an eternal possession — well, it was eight minutes, but it seemed eternal — they scored to take a 28-26 lead with 1:45 to play.  Chelsea desperately needed a spark to have a chance to win the game, and Hill provided such a spark by returning the ball nearly to midfield; however, a few plays later, Tecumseh grabbed an interception of its own, and all Chelsea could do was watch the clock run down on a 26-28 loss.

Leftovers:

• When Chelsea has a bad week, it really has a bad week: all three levels lost to Tecumseh.  And the varsity and JV teams suffered similar lengthy-fourth-quarter-game-winning-touchdown-drive fates.
• After two consecutive school record-setting games, Nick Hill settled down a bit, rushing for 158 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries.

Next week:
Chelsea faces the Kicking Mules of Bedford; the game is in Chelsea on Friday at 7:00.