During a timeout, Alconbury coach Steve Casner huddles his team to reassess the playing field in a game in September. The Dragons face unbeaten Sigonella on Saturday in the DODEA-Europe Division III championship game. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)

The Sigonella football team has shuttered and returned to life since it last won a European championship in 2010.

The 2012 season was its last campaign prior to the pandemic, after a drawdown at the Sicilian base gutted enrollment. The addition of six-man football allowed the Jaguars to resuscitate the program.

Even after three years, though, things didn’t look too great, with only eight returning from the 2023 roster.

Yet heading into Saturday’s Division III championship, the Jaguars have left those darks times behind and are one step away from ending their title drought when they host Alconbury.

“We have a special appreciation for just being able to play,” said assistant coach Matt McKown, who’s been at Sigonella since 2006. “To have a season as well as we have done, it’s very sweet.”

The two schools have a history that dates to the last time either team won a title.

In 2009, the Dragons upset the heavily favored Jaguars, who beat them 72-10 in the regular season, en route to claiming the Division III title after a 0-4 start.

The following campaign, Sigonella bounced back after forfeiting the first game of the season to the Dragons with a 19-12 victory in the championship game.

This year, the Jaguars (5-0) blew out the Dragons (3-2) just like they have everybody this season with a 62-12 win on Sept. 21 at Sigonella.

Alconbury captain Steven Lacy said the Dragons aren’t bummed out by that performance. Instead, they believe things only can go up.

“The worst possible thing to happen to us already happened,” said Lacy, whose team earned a championship berth with a 41-39 victory over Baumholder a semifinal. “So, we’re going out with a fresh mindset ready for it instead of being scared we were the last time.”

Alconbury coach Steve Casner said Sigonella’s speed on offense took his players by surprise during the regular-season matchup.

The Dragon mentor described Saturday’s opponent as a prototypical six-man football squad. They spread out teams with five threats in junior quarterback Ryan Miniard, senior running back/receiver Michael Torres, freshman running back Makari Spencer and junior running back Aiden Shaposka, among others.

The Dragons are the complete opposite, and avoiding a track meet is the top priority.

“Once they get momentum and they got rolling, they can be a juggernaut,” Casner said. “If we can get into what we like to do, just pound the ball and get some long drives, keep the ball out of their quarterback’s hands and their weapons’ hands, that’s our path to victory.”

Nobody’s been able to enforce their will on the Sigonella defense so far.

The Jaguars have allowed just 18 points in a version of football where shootouts are common. They have posted three shutouts, including a 47-0 victory over Brussels in a Division III semifinal on Oct. 18.

Torres, a transfer from Nile C. Kinnick in Yokosuka, Japan, credited the team’s chemistry as the reason for the stonewall defense.

“We trust each player to do their own job,” he said. “So, our defense is lockdown.”

Despite rolling over opponents, head coach Shannon Burcham said his players don’t take anyone lightly.

He praised his counterpart Casner and the Dragons, saying he expects them to give them a game.

“We don’t anticipate it being easy ever,” Burcham said. “We try to prepare for the worst and play as best we can.

“Do we expect it to be a good ballgame? Yes, we do. Do we expect them to come and play? Yes, we do. But we expect the same thing from our kids.”