Defenses stingy as Predators nip Barbarians in CFL

By Chris Belanger

For the Saipan Tribune

Having good defense usually leads to a productive offense. That usually is true in most team sports. However, what if both teams’ defensive units are good, will the offensive squads have a chance to score?

In what could be considered the best defensive struggle in the Commonwealth Football League’s two-year existence, the Budweiser Predators edged archrival Miller Barbarians 2-0 last Saturday at the Hopwood Jr. High School Field.

Both squads battled on the field for 60 minutes and in the end, one offensive mistake would cost the game for the Barbarians and enable the Predators to win their fourth consecutive game of the season.

Miller received the opening kick-off and marched down the field to the Budweiser 26-yard line. On a 2nd and 15 play, runningback Chong Won would fumble only to be recovered by Bud’s Mark Zachares. The Predators would then get the ball and their offense, with great field position was able to advance the ball to the Miller 6-yard line before the Barbarian defense would hold. That meant Miller’s offensive would start deep in their territory, at the 6, on their second possession of the game.

Won would gain 4 yards on the first down. He’d lose 9 yards on the second down. With a 3rd down and 14 yards to go from the 1-yard line, runningback Roy Kaipat would bust outside and gain 11 yards. On 4th and 5, Miller’s Jack Barcinas would line up to punt. The snap would sail over Barcinas’ head and out of the end zone. The result, a 2-point safety for the Budweiser Predators. That 2 points would be the only score of the game as the defensive units for Miller and Budweiser would play tough and thwart all potential scoring attempts by each teams’ offensive units.

There were a couple of long plays in the game, which continued with gallant but unproductive offensive drives. Bud quarterback Jeff Callahan had a 20-yard run from scrimmage, while Miller’s Roy Kaipat would bust thru with a 26-yard gain of his own. However on both occasions, the opposing team’s defense would buckle down and force the offense to give up the ball on downs.

Other examples of how tough the defensive units played were by how much production on offense were recorded. Won, Miller’s workhorse at runningback usually gains 80-plus yards a game. Against Bud however, Won carried 14 times for only a total of 19 yards.

Kaipat gained 95 yards on 8 carries, all on outside option runs and sweeps. Miller’s quarterback Plas Tagabuel was shutdown with no complete passes in five attempts while Eric Lizama’s 3 completions netted only 27 yards. For Budweiser, Callahan was 10 for 111 yards but no passes could be hauled in for a score. Runningback Jeff Boyer was the leading ground gainer with 42 yards on 14 carries while Bud’s running total was only 110 yards on 34 carries, a 3.2 yard average per run.

In all, the Predator-Barbarian contest was the closest game thus far in the CFL’s two-year existence. Too bad for Miller as their defense did their job but the offense wasn’t able to score, that in part to the stingy defense of the Predators. No matter what, in the end, the team with the most points, no matter how they score will be the victor. And with a 2-point safety, the Budweiser Predators indeed took home the win.

Up next for Miller this coming Saturday is the game against the Verizon Blaze. Miller looks to even their record with a victory and the Blaze look to not only win their first game of the season, but also score their first points of the 2002. Game time is set for 10 am at Hopwood Jr. High Field on Saturday.