Chelsea High School Football record through week 10: 21-7 (1-0 week 10; 15-6 SEC; 1-0 playoffs).

It was a wet week in Chelsea, capped by a relentlessly rainy Friday night.  The heaviest rain fell in the first half, but the rain never stopped, making for a wet, cold, muddy night for everyone.

The field was so wet and fragile that Carleton’s white away jerseys were muddy before the game started; by the end of the game, most Carleton players matched the field.

The deteriorating playing surface slowed both offenses and caused a number of ball-handling problems, but by the second quarter, Chelsea managed to build a 14-0 lead.  It looked as though the Bulldogs would be able to handle the Jets — until Carleton capitalized on a turnover late in the first half to trim the lead to 14-7.

The home fans became even more concerned when the Jets scored a quick third-quarter touchdown; a botched extra point left Chelsea with a slim 14-13 lead.  However, the Bulldog defense stiffened, holding the Jets scoreless after that touchdown.  And in the fourth quarter, on a fourth down inside the Carleton ten yard line, Adams threw with a touchdown pass to McClendon; the Rhodes extra point provided the final score, 21-13.  (After struggles in previous games, Rhodes was at home in the inclement weather: he was 3 for 3 on extra points.)

This season, Chelsea has been raising funds to pay for the installation of artificial turf at Jerry Niehaus Field; Friday night’s mudbath might have helped that fundrasing effort.  The grass at Niehaus was a bit battered prior to the Carleton game, and it could not take the abuse of a rainy game after a wet week.  By the fourth quarter, there were large patches of mud, along with some puddles of water; the soupy field ended up contributing to countless bobbled or fumbled snaps.

To make matters interesting, Chelsea’s victory meant the downtrodden Niehaus grass will host a second playoff game when Gibraltar Carlson comes to town.  The grounds crew has one week to tend to the wounded field — and one week to hope the weather cooperates enough to let the field dry.

On a lighter note, it was fun to watch the quarterbacks throw the ball.  The poor conditions did not afford much grip, so for most passes longer than a few yards, the quarterbacks had to catapult the ball forward.  It resulted in a number of passes that gained no style points, but some of the passes did find a receiver — in Chelsea’s case, just enough for the win.