Jordan Washington powers Helena past rival Pelham
Helena senior running back Jordan Washington made sure the Huskies’ winning streak over rival Pelham continues.
Washington ran 28 times for 300 yards and scored four touchdowns in Friday’s 35-14 victory at Ned Bearden Stadium in Pelham. He scored on runs of 48, 15, 21 and 41 yards.
“He did that by breaking tackles on a couple of long runs,” Helena coach Richie Busby said. “Our O-line did a great job.”
Helena (5-0 overall, 3-0 in Class 6A, Region 3) has now beaten Pelham four straight times on the field. The Huskies forfeited during the COVID-19 season of 2020.
This season, Helena has scored at least 35 points in every game. Pelham (2-2, 0-2) suffered its second straight loss after back-to-back victories over Jackson-Olin and Oak Mountain.
Key sequence: Washington ran for 57 yards on back-to-back carries, with the second being his 48-yard TD, late in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. On the next drive, he absorbed a hit in the backfield, spun out of the tackle and burst up the middle for a 15-yard TD and a 14-0 lead with 9:19 to go before halftime.
Stat sheet: Pelham quarterback Clayton Mains completed 10-of-23 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. C.J. Tolbert caught the 13-yard TD pass from Mains. Mains also scored on a 35-yard run. … For Helena, Joseph Roberto scored on a 5-yard run and added 11 tackles on defense.
By the numbers …: 2, Helena lost two of its three fumbles. … 340, rushing yards for Helena on 40 carries. … 7, pass attempts for Helena for 48 yards. … 225, total yards for Pelham – 104 on 24 carries and 121 through the air. … 21, first-half points for Helena, as the Huskies led 21-0 at the break.
Coachspeak: “Helena is a physical football team on both sides of the ball, with no weaknesses. We didn’t match their physicality early in the game. I’m proud of our guys for not giving up. We just have to do better, and that starts with me.” – Pelham coach Mike Vickery
“This senior class never lost to Pelham and I’m proud of that.” – Busby
Looking ahead: Helena has gotten off to promising starts in each of the last two years, only to struggle later in the season. The Huskies lost three straight to end 2022, which kept them out of the playoffs, after ending the 2021 season with two straight losses.
“We have to stay focused because we haven’t finished like we wanted to (in) the last few years,” Busby said. “Hopefully they learned from that and we can finish this season strong.”
What’s next?: Pelham plays Chelsea at home next week, while Helena is at Jackson-Olin.