Tecumseh football earns 1st playoff win since 1991

The Tecumseh High School football team and its fans can party like it's 1991.

The Tribe is rolling on.

Tecumseh overcame an early 17-0 deficit and rallied to defeat Chelsea 27-20 in Friday's Division 3 pre-district game before packed stands at Indian Stadium. The Indians captured their first postseason victory in 21 years.

Tecumseh (8-2) will face Milan in next week's district final.

"At the beginning of this year we said we wanted to change the culture and the way people think of football in this town," Tecumseh linebacker Preston Pelham said. "I think we've definitely done that."

Spencer Hite's third rushing touchdown of the night gave Tecumseh its first lead, 27-20, with 8:50 left in the game.

Chelsea (6-4) committed two turnovers in the fourth quarter. Tecumseh's Charlie Haesler recovered a fumble at midfield with 26.5 seconds remaining to seal the win.

"Our student body and our community has rallied around our team," Tecumseh coach Al Romano said. "They supported us last year when we were 2-7, so it makes it especially sweet to give them a home playoff win."

Chelsea edged Tecumseh 31-28 in the regular season meeting between the teams.

The Bulldogs managed only 174 total yards of offense and nine first downs in Friday's rematch. Star running back Berkley Edwards finished with 88 rushing yards and no touchdowns.

"I thought they outplayed us," Chelsea coach Brad Bush said. "Our inability from the second quarter on to run the football was a problem. They got us out of what we like to do. I thought they did a great job in preparation with some things that we certainly weren't prepared for. We tried to make adjustments. We just weren't successful."

The game couldn't have started much worse for Tecumseh.

Chelsea defensive lineman Michael Steinhauer intercepted Tecumseh quarterback Ben Dreslinski on the game's first drive, and the 6-foot-3, 270-pounder returned it 21 yards for a touchdown.

A short Tecumseh punt on its next possession gave the Bulldogs great field position. Seven plays later, Colton Platt scored on a 6-yard run for a 14-0 lead.

The Indians fumbled on their third possession, and Chelsea cashed in with a 27-yard field goal from Zach Rabbitt. The Bulldogs led 17-0 with 2:35 left in the first quarter.

Tecumseh answered with Dreslinski's 23-yard touchdown pass to Casey Hunt later in the quarter. Hite rushed for his first touchdown in the second quarter to bring the Indians within 17-13 at halftime.

Tecumseh outgained Chelsea 268-98 in the first half.

"We knew the offense was eventually going to get some points on the board," said Pelham, who finished with 15 tackles. "They always do. We had to keep them out of the end zone, and we were going to eventually score and win the game, and we did."

Hite had a lot to do with that.

The senior set season highs for rushing yards (112), carries (31) and rushing touchdowns (three). He scored both of Tecumseh's touchdowns in the second half.

"There were holes for me all night," Hite said. "I couldn't have asked for better blocking."

Hite's 4-yard rushing score helped Tecumseh tie the game at 20 with 6:32 left in the third quarter. His 2-yard plunge to give the Indians the lead for good early in the fourth capped a 15-play, 70-yard drive.

"He's a great kid with a tremendous work ethic," Romano said of Hite. "He made some nice cuts and got tough yards. Nothing was easy."

The Tecumseh passing game started clicking. After a slow start, Dreslinski completed 13 of his final 19 passes. He finished 15 of 26 for 214 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

"Once Ben gets in a rhythm, he's pretty good," Romano said.

Tecumseh's defense closed out the win as the Indians forced a punt and two turnovers on Chelsea's last three possessions.

Dreslinski's kneel down kick-started the celebration.

"We're changing the culture around this place," Dreslinski said. "Hopefully we can do it even more in the district final."

NOTES-- Tecumseh and Chelsea met in the playoffs for the fourth time. Chelsea won the three previous meetings.

-- Tecumseh improved to 3-5 all-time in playoff games.

-- Edwards has received scholarship offers from NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Iowa, Minnesota, California and several schools in the Mid-American Conference.