Avoiding turnovers this time, Würzburg
coasts to European Division I title, 41-0
By Rusty Bryan, Stars
and Stripes
Michael Abrams / Stars and Stripes
Ramstein's Terence Young, center, fumbles the ball after a good gain in Würzburg
territory. Würzburg defenders are Rodrick Haynes, left, and Jeff Wasson. |
RAMSTEIN AB, Germany — When it came to straight-up football, it all came down to
the Würzburg Wolves on Saturday.
Muscular Würzburg claimed its second straight European Division I high school football
championship, unleashing dominating offensive and defensive lines in a 41-0 mercy-rule
victory over a Ramstein Royals team it had reduced to rubble with 7 minutes, 55 seconds
left in the fourth quarter when officials called the game.
The outcome was a far cry from Ramstein’s 35-27 regular-season victory at
Würzburg last month, but it was no surprise to the Wolves, who entered this game
confident that they wouldn’t turn the ball over to the Royals the first four times
they had the ball as they did in the first meeting.
"We had to get that changed up," said Würzburg’s Mike Woolford, who,
along with teammate Jeff Wasson, the game’s defensive MVP, spent most of his day in
the Ramstein backfield. "We told the running backs to hold the ball in, to tuck it
in."
Led by offensive MVP Roderick Haynes, who carried the ball 25 times for 214 yards and
three of his four touchdowns, the Wolves cut the turnover total to zero as they powered
through the Ramstein defense.
Most of the numerical damage was done by Haynes, an All-Europe first-team pick last
season who scored on runs of 19, 3 and 71 yards. But he was sent on his way by the
skillful ball-handling of quarterback Andrew Wempe and the devastating lead blocking of
fullback Korey Gunther.
Michael Abrams / Stars and Stripes
Ramstein's Tyrell Hibbler, right, can't stop Würzburg's Rodrick Haynes, who is on his way
to a touchdown. |
"It was great fun," said Wempe of his return to the field where, as a
Ramstein Royal last season, he had watched Würzburg earn a 7-6 title-winning victory.
"Last year we couldn’t stop the Würzburg run, so this year we decided to
pound it down their throats."
They did, but not until the Wolves had unleashed some defensive heroics of their own.
Haynes got the defensive charge started, picking off a Matt Welsh pass on his own
10-yard line on Ramstein’s opening series and returning it 90 yards for the first
score of the game with 9:08 left in the first quarter.
The defense helped make it 14-0 just over three minutes later, separating
Ramstein’s Kenneth Williams from the ball and cashing the bobble in with a 19-yard TD
run by Haynes.
"We changed up the defense," Gunther said. "We stopped the run, stopped
the pass and put pressure on the quarterback."
The Wolves took care of stopping the run early, with Woolford and Wasson throwing
Ramstein ball carriers for a pair of 6-yard losses on the first two plays from scrimmage.
With the exception of runs of 38, 14 and 16 yards by sprint record-holder Isaiah
Fluellen, the Royals’ only run longer than 10 yards was John Robinson’s
22-yarder that carried the ball to the Würzburg 16 on Ramstein’s final possession.
Three plays later, Woolford delivered a crunching hit on Welsh, whose fumble was recovered
by the Wolves at their own 20.
Luckily for Welsh, it was the last time he had to stand in against the ferocity of the
Wolves’ pass rush. All told, the Wolves sacked Welsh and back-up Eric Thacker six
times, with Woolford and Watson getting two each, and tackle Darryl Diltz and freshman
Jose Costa the others.
Michael Abrams / Stars and Stripes
Würzburg's Jerod Fox, center, and his teammates celebrate their Division I victory over
the Ramstein Royals on Saturday. |
In addition to his sacks, Woolford had two tackles for losses among his 11. Wasson was
close behind with 10 tackles.
Even when Welsh got the ball off, the results weren’t always what the Royals had
in mind. With the Royals driving in the second period and trailing just 14-0, Welsh hit
Tyrell Hibbler with a pass that carried to the Würzburg 7-yard line, where cornerback
James Seegar decked him, stole the ball and raced 92 yards for the score. Auturo
Perez’s PAT made 21-0. Perez was a perfect 5-for-5 on point-after kicks.
Dropped balls by the usually automatic Fluellen and Hibbler added to the woes of Welsh,
who finished 8-for-21 for 108 yards.
Fluellen, who torched the Wolves for 224 yards last time he faced them, managed just
three grabs for 39 yards.
"We were rushing three and sending a linebacker," Gunther said, "and we
always had two bodies on Fluellen."
Meanwhile, the Wolves were rolling on offense, rushing for 319 yards in just over 40
minutes of work. Moreover, they plan to keep it going.
"We just started," Woolford, a senior, shouted at his mates as they knelt on
the field after the game awaiting their postgame message of coach Dave Eidem, who has now
won European titles in two of his first three years in the league.
"You juniors — start at it right now."
They’d better, because they’ve got a lot to live up to, if their coach is any
judge.
"This is the greatest victory I've ever had," Eidem said, "with the
greatest group of athletes I've ever had."
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