Chelsea High’s football team displayed no rust following their bye week on Friday, defeating Minuteman Tech 35-14 and improving to 6-0. The Red Devils’ offense proved dominant, with Daniel Martinez accounting for two touchdowns and rushing for 165 yards on twelve carries. Martinez’s first score came in the opening quarter on a 54-yard touchdown run, with Nelson Molina converting the extra point. Chelsea quickly expanded their advantage in the second quarter. Martinez scored again on a nine-yard rushing touchdown, though the extra point was missed. After forcing Minuteman to punt, the Red Devils struck swiftly when Nelson Molina connected with J.J. Rivera on a 66-yard touchdown pass on the second play from scrimmage, followed by Martinez’s two-point conversion run. Minuteman Tech finally reached the scoreboard in the third quarter with a bootleg pass that caught Chelsea’s defense off guard on a third-and-long situation. An attempted trick play on the conversion—a fake kick with a two-point run—was stuffed by the Red Devils, leaving Minuteman down 21-6. Later in the third quarter, David Cortes broke free for a 51-yard touchdown run to extend Chelsea’s lead further. The fourth quarter saw the Red Devils put the game out of reach with a lengthy drive capped by a two-yard Molina touchdown run and successful extra point. With most starters removed, Minuteman Tech scored an academic touchdown and two-point conversion in the final two minutes. Coach Stellato noted that his team maintained the same dominant form they had shown in their previous five games. “We stressed to the players all week long that a lot of teams are going to look at how we respond after the bye week and the big victory against Shawsheen Tech [on October 9],” he said. “We did some good things, no question. We got the victory, but we have to cut down on the penalties. We have a tough stretch coming up here in the next three games. We’re going to have to play good, disciplined football if we want to come out on top.” While Martinez’s statistics stood out, Cortes also delivered an impressive rushing performance with 108 yards on seven carries. Chelsea’s defense was equally strong, featuring defensive tackle Andy Rath with eight tackles and a Division 4A player of the week mention in the Boston Globe, defensive back Paco Silva with five tackles, defensive end Chris Acosta with six tackles, and defensive tackle Brayan Blanco with four tackles and an assist. The Red Devils face their greatest test yet on Saturday morning when they travel to Haverhill to face Whittier Tech, an undefeated squad at 7-0 that has scored at least 30 points in every game this season.
Still perfect: Red Devils roll past Minuteman
