Grant Cumming sprints for a touchdown with the football in tow Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
RAF ALCONBURY, England — If a quarterback can’t consistently pass the ball, the Alconbury Dragons can pose a problem.
In need of a victory on homecoming to secure a potential home playoff game, the Dragons didn’t exactly start out the way they wanted to Saturday. But the end result was a 27-6 victory over Hohenfels thanks to a series of opportunistic plays on defense.
The Tigers had their sights set on their first victory of the season and the Dragons looked early on like they wanted to help make that happen. Two quick turnovers led to the Tigers’ Trevon Scott scoring the first touchdown of the game and momentum clearly favored the away team.
“That first touchdown was a fantastic sweep. We had to sweep right onto the outside. That was Trey’s sweep,” Hohenfels coach Robert Deverick said.
Alconbury (2-2 on the season) withstood the shock, though.
“We shouldn’t have touched the punt and the ball was turned over,” Alconbury coach Steve Casner said of the first Dragons’ mistake. “We got the ball back, and then on our first play on offense, we fumbled the snap and turned it over and gave it to them inside the red zone, setting up their first touchdown.”
Momentum changed quickly, though.
Alconbury’s Ietula Te’o intercepted the ball and scored to put the first six points on the board for the Dragons. An extra point gave Alconbury a slight advantage going into the next half.
That lead grew as the Alconbury defense, led by Keiran Daley, picked off a series of Hohenfels passes and shut down the Tigers’ attack.
“It could be the seniors’ last (home) game, so everyone’s playing hard,” Casner said of his team’s effort. “One thing I’ve noticed about our team is that we’re tight knit, like a very close group of guys, and they’re really fighting for each other. The seniors have really stepped up.”
Defensive coordinator Edison Vega and Ietula Te’o celebrate Alconbury’s first touchdown of the game Saturday, Oct, 5, 2024. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
Hohenfels' Trevon Scott runs up the field after catching a pass Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
During a timeout, Alconbury coach Steve Casner huddles with his team to reassess the playing field. After this huddle, the team proceeded to dominate the game. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
Logan Mitchell leads the Hohenfels to a timeout as the Tigers try to plan how to beat the Dragons. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
“I just found out from my team that I broke the school record for the most picks in the game,” Daley said. “So I’m happy about that.”
Although Hohenfels (0-4) faced defeat, the Tigers didn’t leave the field with their heads hung low.
“I think the game started off really strong,” Deverick said. “The kids went out and executed everything that we had been working on all season long.
“However, Alconbury did a great job capitalizing on the mistakes that we made from our inexperience. So as we continue to practice and look forward, I think it makes the outcome look very bright for us for next season.”
Alconbury team captain Steven Lacy hopes his team can extend its season by winning at least one playoff game.
“I just love playing for this team,” he said. “I trust all my teammates. I love all of them. They’re my family, and I would never want to play with anybody else.”
