Baumholder's Terence Wilson gets a squirt of water to cool off on the warm Saturday afternoon game at Bitburg. Bitburg went on the win the game with a score of 32-8. (Joshua L. DeMotts/Stars and Stripes)
Baumholder's Terence Wilson gets a squirt of water to cool off on the warm Saturday afternoon game at Bitburg. Bitburg went on the win the game with a score of 32-8. (Joshua L. DeMotts/Stars and Stripes)
Bitburg's Curtiss Wilson picks up some tough yardage as he drags three Baumholder defenders Saturday afternoon in Bitburg, Sept. 6, 2014. Bitburg won 32-8. (Joshua L. DeMotts/Stars and Stripes)
Baumholder's Demonte Fisher breaks a tackle as his team goes for it on fourth down Saturday afternoon in the first game of the season at Bitburg. Bitburg went on the win the game with a score of 32-8. (Joshua L. DeMotts/Stars and Stripes)
Bitburg's Colton Thomas loses his footing while adjusting to make an athletic reception to convert a two-point conversion against Baumholder Saturday afternoon, Sept. 6, 2014 in Bitburg. Bitburg defeated Baumholder 32-8. (Joshua L. DeMotts/Stars and Stripes)
Baumholder's Demonte Fisher goes airborne in an athletic attempt to get around a Bitburg defender Saturday afternoon in the first game of the season at Bitburg. Bitburg went on the win the game with a score of 32-8. (Joshua L. DeMotts/Stars and Stripes)
Bitburg's Dominick Ferneding throws a pass Saturday afternoon in the first home game of the season against Baumholder. Bitburg won the game with a score of 32-8. (Joshua L. DeMotts/Stars and Stripes)
Bitburg's Alex Santiago Jr. disrupts a pass from Baumholder's Kameron Moore on a warm Saturday afternoon to kick off the football season at Bitburg Sept. 6, 2014. Bitburg defeated Baumholder 32-8. (Joshua L. DeMotts/Stars and Stripes)
BITBURG, Germany - Bitburg knew its path back to a DODDS-Europe Division II championship would be difficult. The team's season opener Saturday only confirmed it.
The host Barons needed close to 30 minutes of football to put away the determined but undermanned Baumholder Bucs, finally gritting out a 32-8 victory that was far from assured until after halftime.
"They stayed right with us. Kudos to them," Bitburg coach Mike Laue said. "They really did a great job of just hanging right in there."
As for his own team, Laue was disappointed in the turnovers and slew of penalties that helped derail the Barons' otherwise promising drives, promising to "clean it up" quickly. The team is angling to re-launch its lost DODDS-Europe dynasty; the Barons won four straight Division II European titles before losing to eventual champ Hohenfels in last year's semifinals.
"We did make a lot of mistakes for ourselves," Laue said. "It's the first game, I knew we were going to have a little bit of that. But it was a little more than I was looking for."
The game was a high-scoring affair early before both offenses bogged down. All 20 of the teams' combined first-half points came in the game's opening six minutes.
Bitburg scored on runs by Oscar Castaneda and Curtiss Wilson but failed on both two-point conversion attempts; Baumholder's Demonte Fisher wedged an 80-yard kickoff return and a successful two-point conversion between the two Baron scores.
Bitburg embarked on several first-half drives with the potential to extend its small lead, but the Bucs rebuffed each, most notably when the visitors forced a red-zone fumble.
Bitburg prodded its dormant run game to life after halftime, finally earning its long-deferred insurance score on a 9-yard run by Matt Holmes. Quarterback Dom Ferneding tossed a two-point pass to Colton Thomas for a 20-8 Baron lead.
Another Holmes run on a nearly-identical play 4 minutes later put the game well out of Baumholder reach as the fourth quarter started, and sophomore Noah Anastassopoulos delivered one more Bitburg touchdown on a 7-yard, fourth-quarter run.
Holmes was a key part of rescuing the faltering run game, but he dutifully credited his yeoman blockers.
"We turned it around, all thanks to our line," Holmes said. "We picked it up."
Baumholder more than held its own in the first half before fatigue finally had its way. The Bucs dressed just 20 players for the game.
"We just got worn down," Bucs coach BJ Walker said.
Still, Walker was beaming with pride in his young team, which fielded just two returning starters, no seniors and an abundance of freshmen and sophomores.
"They played way over their heads," Walker said of his inexperienced charges. "They should be congratulated."
Wilson finished with 186 yards and 13 carries, while Castaneda rushed 13 times for 89 yards. Holmes scored twice and piled up 60 yards on nine carries.
Baumholder’s Demonte Fisher totaled 135 combined yards on kickoff returns and carries, while Bucs sophomore Cade Martinez made a game-high 12 tackles.
Twitter: @broomestripes
