Miller, Chichester leave last week behind them

UPPER CHICHESTER >> With each shifty run, broken tackle and open-field dash Friday night, Kevin Miller distanced himself from the game he wanted to forget.

Amid racking up three touchdowns — two on the ground and one off a screen pass — Miller led Chichester to a 51-0 nonleague rout of Kutztown High School at Tony Apichella Field. In the process, Miller shed a demon of sorts.

After totaling just three yards on eight carries in Chichester’s 11-point home defeat to Pottstown last weekend, Miller and his team had a chance to right the ship against a Kutztown program that entered Friday night without a win since a 2-0 season-opening forfeit victory against Calvary Christian Academy in 2012.

“It gave me a little extra motivation,” Miller said of his performance in last week’s defeat. “I came out a little flat last week and I knew I couldn’t let my team down again this week. I prepared myself to come out and have a great game, and give my team the win.”

As far as Miller’s opponents this time around, you’d have to venture all the way back to Sept. 17, 2010 to find the Cougars’ last victory after a 48-minute regulation game — a 35-6 thumping of Freedom Village, an international youth ministry nestled in scenic Lakemont, N.Y.

As for Kutztown’s most recent Berks Inter-County League Section 2 victory, it was a 21-20 win over Fleetwood in Nov. 2009. Chichester (2-1) wound up dominating from the second quarter onward, totaling 400 yards of offense and limiting the Cougars (0-3) to 33 yards on 25 carries.

After a 35-yard field goal from Chichester’s Austin Wilson highlighted a cagey first 12 minutes, the Eagles awoke during the second 12-minute block.

Senior quarterback Clarence Bowens plunged for a 1-yard rushing score just eight seconds in after the Eagles had been driving, while Miller’s first touchdown scamper, a 44-yarder, came less than two minutes later. Three minutes after that, Bowens hit senior Martin Frempong deep down the right side for a 50-yard touchdown reception, while Miller scored for a second time off a 55-yard screen pass to cap a 28-point quarter.

After Chichester’s Greg Allman opened the first second-half offensive series with a 41-yard dash along his left sideline, Miller (8 carries, 119 yards; 3 catches, 82 yards, 3 total TDs) ran untouched for most of a 35-yard scoring run that put the contest out of reach.

“I knew (Miller) would be like this because he had an astounding week of practice,” Frempong said. “Last game, he didn’t have as many yards as he wanted to, so I know he was fired up about this game.”

“It’s a great feeling,” Miller said. “I prepared myself well this week … I came back (Friday) all fired up and I feel good.”