Silverado defeats Chaparral in season opener

By Anthony Fenech (contact)

Friday, Aug. 28, 2009 | 1:53 a.m.

Silverado’s Teran Madu-Jules found himself congested in a pack of Chaparral defenders when he realized the only way to escape his nightmare was to outrun it.

He sidestepped one defender, stiff-armed another and scampered 56 yards down the football field before being taken down, placing an exclamation point on his monster opener under the Thursday night lights.

The senior amassed 241 yards on 20 carries, scored three touchdowns and had five rushes of more than 20 yards in Silverado’s 42-6 win over Chapparal.

“I wanted to show everyone that we are a team to be reckoned with this year and for years to come,” Madu-Jules said.

Silverado welcomed senior Trenton Tipton back with a breeze, allowing the dynamic quarterback to play second fiddle to the rushing game, which ended up with 475 yards on the ground.

“The more work we do, the easier my job is,” said Tipton.

The win wasn’t as breezy early on, when Chaparrel first-year head coach Donnie Davis had his team running the no-huddle offense down the field with ease before an untimely fumble at the goal line.

Just a play after Silverado was flagged for pass interference on fourth down, senior running back Greg Tucker lost the handle on the ball just before crossing the goal line. It ultimately squirted through the back of the end zone for a touchback.

“We knew they were a little bit bigger and stronger, so we wanted to try and catch them off guard,” Davis said. “But after the fumble, momentum-wise, it hurt us.”

Tucker finished the game with 57 yards rushing and 80 receiving.

With the momentum in hand, a collection of Skyhawks running backs enjoyed big holes from the seven-man rotating unit Silverado coach Andy Ostolaza uses.

“We like to run behind those guys,” he said. “They’re all big, strong, physical guys that are getting over the hump, and they’re going to be special for us.”

In addition to Madu-Jules’ yardage, seniors Tyler Anderson and Dariouse Gravely rushed for 88 yards and 53 yards, respectively, each scoring a touchdown.

“They weren’t opening up holes, they were opening up gaps,” Madu-Jules said of his team’s offensive linemen. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have had the yards.”