Lakenheath receiver Jeremiah Kreider breaks out of a tackle by Kaiserslautern's Josh Kim during an Oct. 4, 2024, game at Babers Stadium in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Kaiserslautern’s Jakob Bell knows the drill whenever Rueben Todman leaves the pocket.

So when his quarterback scrambled to his right with seconds remaining in the Raiders’ regular-season finale at Babers Stadium on Friday evening, the sophomore receiver did what he always does – create an opening.

Todman tossed him the ball near the sideline, and Bell took over. He broke a tackle, turned back inside and barreled into the end zone on a 16-yard touchdown with 26 seconds remaining for the winning score in the Raiders’ 32-27 victory at Kaiserslautern High School.

“I was just trying to get open, make an easy target, look for a hole to score,” Bell said. “It was the happiest I’ve been in a while.”

The last-minute score allowed Kaiserslautern (4-1) to escape an upset bid from Lakenheath (1-4) that saw the Lancers take a 13-0 lead in the second quarter and a seven-point advantage with 5 minutes, 28 seconds left in the fourth.

Penalties plagued the Raiders throughout but especially in the first half. The hosts were flagged 14 times for 95 yards, with seven infractions for 40 yards coming in the first two quarters.

A pair of fumbles also gave the Lancers great field position. The visitors took advantage of the second, starting with the ball at the Kaiserslautern 14-yard line and punching the ball into the end zone on a 1-yard run by Ethan Jenkins (44 yards on 12 carries) at the 6:56 mark in the second quarter.

“We started slow and gave up a lot of opportunities in the first half,” Kaiserslautern coach Duke Allen said. “But we turned it around and were able to come back.”

The Lancers won the field position battle in the first half, with an average start at their own 48-yard line. The Raiders, meanwhile, posted an averaging beginning at their own 37.

It flipped in the second half, though. Kaiserslautern recorded an average starting spot of its own 47, while Lakenheath was at its own 38.

That 180 was helped by four straight interceptions in the second half of Lancer quarterback Parker Grimm. Kaiserslautern’s Sevastian Quiles started the pick party, August Crisp followed and then senior Aaron Potter, who had 95 yards on six receptions offensively, intercepted two passes at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter.

Yet the turnovers only led to 13 points. Noah Worthington scored his second touchdown of the game with a 1-yard run at the 9:53 mark in the third quarter, and then Todman connected with Potter over the middle on a 32-yard pass.

“We just wanted to clean up our mistakes, and we had a heart to heart with the offensive line,” Allen said. “They picked up their game in the second half.

“We knew we could move the ball; we just needed to complete our drives.”

Kaiserslautern quarterback Rueben Todman tosses the ball to receiver Aaron Potter on a two-point conversion play while Lakenheath's Alex Davis chases him and Khase Williams defends Potter during an Oct. 4, 2024, game at Babers Stadium in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Lakenheath linebacker Jaden DuBois celebrates after recovering a fumble during an Oct. 4, 2024, game against Kaiserslautern at Babers Stadium in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Kaiserslautern defensive back August Crisp tries to juke Lakenheath offensive lineman Caiden Graves after picking off a pass during an Oct. 4, 2024, game at Babers Stadium in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Kaiserslautern senior Sevastian Quiles tackles Lakenheath receiver Jayden Maroney during an Oct. 4, 2024, game at Babers Stadium in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Lakenheath running back Ethan Jenkins waltzes into the end zone ahead of Kaiserslautern’s Garrett Vitter during an Oct. 4, 2024, game at Babers Stadium in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Lakenheath freshman Connor Martin returns a punt during an Oct. 4, 2024, game against Kaiserslautern at Babers Stadium in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Lakenheath quarterback Parker Grimm looks downfield after leaving the pocket during an Oct. 4, 2024, game against Kaiserslautern at Babers Stadium in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Kaiserslautern quarterback Rueben Todman points to a receiver while he scrambles during an Oct. 4, 2024, game against Lakenheath at Babers Stadium in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Just as the Raiders bounced back, so did Grimm.

The sophomore signal caller led two touchdown drives in the final period, sparked by a safety at the 11:19 mark.

Both times Grimm found Cade Blackwell for scores. The first was on a curl route for a 6-yard score. The second saw Grimm roll to his right before finding Blackwell wide open 10 yards down the field, and the senior scampered the rest of the 75-yard touchdown without a Raider anywhere near him with 5:28 left.

“He knows when he makes mistakes; he’s probably the hardest on himself, more than anybody else can be,” said Lakenheath coach Gabe Feletar of Grimm, who went 14-of-29 passing for 203 yards and three scores. “That’s just him sticking with it. He showed a lot, too, as a leader, even as a sophomore.”

The game swung in the opposite direction one last time, though, with Todman creating via his legs and a couple of timely throws to jumpstart the offense again.

Todman finished the game 11 of 29 through the air for 124 yards, two scores and an interception. He added 82 yards on 19 attempts on the ground, including a 7-yard score with 4:04 remaining in the game that cut the deficit to 27-26.

After a defensive stop, the Raiders got the ball with 1:47 left and 68 yards to go before Todman and Bell worked their magic.

“It would have been nice to come out with a win to have some momentum going into the playoffs,” Feletar said. “Even with a loss, we showed that we can hang with these teams, even though our record doesn’t show it.”

Every team gets next week off, and then the playoffs kick into gear. The Lancers travel to Wiesbaden, while Kaiserslautern gets a first-round bye before hosting a semifinal.

The one thing the Raiders will try to avoid is a letdown early like they experienced early Friday evening.

“We’re going to do much better than tonight,” Bell said of the semifinal. “We’re not going to give them any hope. We’re going to destroy them.”