It was about getting a chance. And a legitimate chance.

And Queen Creek's Chim Nga and Perry's Cedric Simmons have taken those opportunities in their respective offensive backfields and made the most of them. 

Last year Perry football coach Preston Jones mentioned in preseason he had a running back that was pretty good if and when he got on the field. That player was Simmons, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior, who couldn't shake a back injury and contribute what he was capable of in 2009.

Simmons totaled a 100-yard rushing season in 2009 -- 101 yards to be exact. He carried only 38 times and made appearances in six of Perry's 11 games. So far in 2010, he's rushed for 100 yards or more in a game six times.

"There was something wrong with his back," Jones said. "We'd get him back, think we had him back and something else related to the back came up. A hip. A hamstring. We couldn't get him on the field with any consistency."

Noone was more frustrated by the injury than Simmons. Some started to doubt his toughness. Even when he got on the field and played in games, he admitted he was preoccupied with the notion he might tweek his back again.

"I hurt it squatting (lifting)," Simmons said. "That was before practice even started. I ended up with a bulging disk in my spine. It didn't matter what I did. It got worse and worse."

Finally about midseason, Simmons went to a physical therapist. That seemed to do the trick. He got a season-high 13 rushes in the Pumas' playoff  loss lasst year to Chaparral.

This year has been a different story.

"This is the first year I've been able to play the full season," Simmons said. "I've felt great. I wanted to be able to show what I could do. It's been really cool."

With the back woes behind him, Simmons has supercharged Perry's offense to the tune of 1,033 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns. With the rest he's received in several blowouts, he's played a little better than five full games. Perry is 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the 5A East Valley Region. The Pumas are trying to nail down the region title, something they can do with wins over Mountain Pointe this week and Desert Ridge next week.

"I wanted to make sure I'd be ready this year and did more offseason training," Simmons said. "When we played Buena earlier I had like 30 carries. I don't think I had a negative run that game, but a few were  two- or three-yard runs. Four or five were 20 yards or more. I felt it the next couple days. I wasn't hurt, just sore."

Nga, a 5-11, 185-pound senior, is in his second season at Queen Creek. He was first and foremost a linebacker for the Bulldogs in 2009. He shared time in the backfield. Nga finished 2009 with more tackles (84) than carries (64). He rushed for 371 yards --  212 of those in a game against Seton Catholic. Take that game away and he had 51 rushes for 159 yards.

Fast forward to today. In the Bulldogs first eight games, Nga has cranked out 1,451 yards and 20 TDs on 167 carries. He, too, has come out of a couple blowouts early. His production has turned Queen Creek's offense into one very difficult to defend with capable quarterback Adam Brzeczek and receivers Todd Kirchner and Jeff Black. Queen Creek is 7-1 overall, 2-0 in the 4A Desert Sky and hoping to bring positive momentum to this postseason after stumbling down the stretch last year.

"When I came out last year the first place they put me was on defense," Nga said. "That's where I started. Offense is what I wanted to play. I really love playing running back."

Queen Creek coach Joe Germaine and his staff took some time to evaluate the players when they took over the program last spring. Nga got thier attention quickly.

"He was one of the first ones we noticed," Germaine said. "He outworked everyone. In the weightroom, conditioning. He competed for the position. Ended up the top guy. He's very detail oriented, and very committed."

Nga battled for carries in camp with teammates Trevor Forbis and Josh Fenison. Forbis was Queen Creek's leading rusher last season. Nga ended up earning the the first-team nod and hasn't let it slip away.

"It's a constant competition," Nga said. "We're all brothers. When I came out last week and Josh went in, I think I was more excited than he was. We pull for each other. I've gotten my chance this year, and want to keep it going."