Shell Chiefs and Miller Barbarians to rematch

This weekend, two of the heavyweights of the Commonwealth Football League will return to the airport gridiron to determine whether the result of the season opener was a fluke or a prelude of things to come.

On Saturday, Sept. 18, the Shell Chiefs managed to knock off the mighty Miller Barbarians in the first week of the fourth season of CFL action, but Barbarians coach Clyde Lemons attributed the loss to a lack of proper practice time due to the typhoons, and a lack of some of their key players due to family obligations.

After rebounding against the Verizon Nitro 26-0 in the following week, the Barbarians have had two weeks to rest up and prepare for the rematch with player/coach Danny Punimata and the Chiefs.

Following the game with the Nitro, Lemons said that his squad would try to fine tune some things and add a couple of wrinkles in some of their plays in preparation for the rematch.

On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs are coming off a win against the Nitro in which they piled on 40 points worth of offense. Two weeks ago they only managed to score 14 points on the Barbarians defense, but that was just the first game.

According to Chiefs player/coach Danny Punimata, his team also had a few obstacles to overcome before the opener as well, but they were able to come out on top. Punimata said that the win served as a motivator for the Chiefs, and that as a result more players came out for practice

The Chiefs would certainly like to forget the first half of that battle, especially after losing four fumbles, surrendering a touchdown, and allowing a two-point conversion in the first quarter alone. That’s exactly the kind of defensive game the Barbarians would like to return to.

The last time out, the Shell ‘D’ allowed Miller quarterback Plasido Tagabuel two completions in 13 attempts for just 14 yards in the air. Tagabuel scrambled 11 times for two yards, and a combination of Roy Kaipat, Chong Won, and John Wabol accounted for just 53 yards.

While the running game was about even for both teams, quarterback Clasley Ngeskebei was the difference maker, scoring two touchdowns on the ground. Ngeskebei went 8-for-22 for 141 yards through the air with a pair of picks, and accounted for 49 yards on the ground as well.

The keys to this week’s contest revolve around the offensive and defensive lines of the Barbarians. If the defense is able to contain Ngeskebei and the offense can keep the Chiefs attackers off of Tagabuel, then the black and gold should have an easy day.

Though that may make the game sound easy, it certainly won’t be for either of the competitors.

This Sunday will feature an NFL-style schedule combined with a CFL-style setting, as the two juggernauts meet on the CPA Airport football field beginning at 1pm in front of their friends and family beneath the Saipan sun.