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Chiefs Hitting Their Stride

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By SCOTT PURKS

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 13, 2008

TAMPA - The goal for Chamberlain was to be in midseason form when the season's first game kicked off.

By Game 2, Chamberlain coach Billy Turner said the Chiefs were almost there.

Friday night's final score - Chamberlain 35, Middleton 14 - explained a bit of the story, but Turner said there was plenty more to like between the lines.

There was Chiefs running back Kenny Allen, who rushed 13 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns; Chiefs quarterback Dontae Aycock, who rushed 11 times for 71 yards and a touchdown and threw for 56 yards; Chris Frierson, who intercepted a pass and returned a botched Middleton punt 22 yards for a touchdown; Rico Valdez, who returned a fumble 67 yards for another touchdown; and ...

"How about our defense," Turner said. "I mean our defense was tough against a very explosive Middleton offense."

In the end, Middleton rushed for 78 yards and threw for 119, but, especially after Chamberlain took a 21-0 lead, the Tigers never posed much of a threat.

"Getting down against a good team like that is never a good idea," Middleton coach Harry Hubbard said. "Making mistakes like that would kill anybody."

Perhaps the two most killing plays were the botched punt (a snap over the Middleton punter's head) that led to a touchdown, and the fumble returned 67 yards for another touchdown.

The first mishap led to a 14-0 Chamberlain first-quarter lead, and the second miscue just a few minutes later, as Middleton mounted a strong drive to Chamberlain's 29-yard line, pushed the gap to 21-0.

"I think those plays pretty much buried them," Turner said. "It's tough to come back after that."

The Chiefs (2-0) tried to throw it a bit more in the second half, Turner said, because Aycock's knee was a bit tender, and, quite frankly the Chiefs need to work on their passing game.

Chamberlain went away from the passing, though, because Middleton's defense was clamping down.

"Plus Aycock was running pretty hard anyway, wasn't he?" Turner said. "He's pretty tough. He was still running pretty hard there at the end."

Meantime, Hubbard said Middleton (1-1) will continue to work on keeping a positive attitude.

"What you call it is growing pains," Hubbard said. "The hope is that you learn from the growing pains. You learn from your mistakes. I'm definitely praying for that."

C - Frierson returned fumble 22 yards (Baxley kick)

C - Valdez returned fumble 67 yards (Baxley kick)

M - Hickman 2 run (Wehr kick)

C - Allen 15 run (Baxley kick)

C - Aycock 4 run (Baxley kick)

M - Mann 15 pass from Windham (Wehr kick)

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