Subscribe
AFNORTH's Trent Weldon dives for a pass Saturday while surrounded by Aviano's defense during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy. The Saints won 38-22.

AFNORTH's Trent Weldon dives for a pass Saturday while surrounded by Aviano's defense during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy. The Saints won 38-22. (Jason Duhr/Stars and Stripes)

AFNORTH's Trent Weldon dives for a pass Saturday while surrounded by Aviano's defense during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy. The Saints won 38-22.

AFNORTH's Trent Weldon dives for a pass Saturday while surrounded by Aviano's defense during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy. The Saints won 38-22. (Jason Duhr/Stars and Stripes)

AFNORTH's Isaiah Higgs gets a pass off before being tackled by Aviano's Te'Kevin Boston on Saturday, during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

AFNORTH's Isaiah Higgs gets a pass off before being tackled by Aviano's Te'Kevin Boston on Saturday, during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy. (Jason Duhr/Stars and Stripes)

Aviano's Manuel Gamboa intercepts the ball as AFNORTH's Trent Weldon dives for the ball Saturday during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

Aviano's Manuel Gamboa intercepts the ball as AFNORTH's Trent Weldon dives for the ball Saturday during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy. (Jason Duhr/Stars and Stripes)

Aviano's Jamal Thomas clears the backfield and heads towards the goal line Saturday during a game against AFNORTH at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

Aviano's Jamal Thomas clears the backfield and heads towards the goal line Saturday during a game against AFNORTH at Aviano Air Base, Italy. (Jason Duhr/Stars and Stripes)

Aviano's Te'Kevin Boston attempts to maneuver through AFNORTH's defense Saturday during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

Aviano's Te'Kevin Boston attempts to maneuver through AFNORTH's defense Saturday during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy. (Jason Duhr/Stars and Stripes)

AFNORTH's Spencer Brobst attempts to outrun Aviano's Jackson Brennan Saturday during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

AFNORTH's Spencer Brobst attempts to outrun Aviano's Jackson Brennan Saturday during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy. (Jason Duhr/Stars and Stripes)

Aviano's Aaron Island breaks away from AFNORTH's defense Saturday during a football game at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

Aviano's Aaron Island breaks away from AFNORTH's defense Saturday during a football game at Aviano Air Base, Italy. (Jason Duhr/Stars and Stripes)

AFNORTH's Isaiah Higgs runs in an open backfield against Aviano on Saturday during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

AFNORTH's Isaiah Higgs runs in an open backfield against Aviano on Saturday during a game at Aviano Air Base, Italy. (Jason Duhr/Stars and Stripes)

AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy – The Aviano Saints and AFNORTH Lions entered Saturday’s interconference game equally matched within their regions at 0-2.

It was the Saints who emerged the victor after beating the Lions 38-22.

“Our conference is the toughest conference and I sincerely believe that,” Aviano football coach Rick Dahlstrom said of his regional opponents: currently unbeaten Hohenfels and Vicenza and annual contender Naples.

Those opponents might have primed the Saints (2-2 overall) for their victory over the Lions.

After taking two straight losses - Hohenfels last week and Vicenza a week prior - the Saints pulled together, earning a homecoming game win.

“The offensive line blocked, the backs blocked for each other and the passing just clicked,” Dahlstrom said.

Aviano’s passing game initiated the first of many points on the scoreboard.

The Saints’ Jamal Thomas threw two short passes to Te’Kevin Boston, totaling 12 yards and the first touchdown. Thomas would later send two more down the field, each to Brennan Jackson, for a combined 37 yards.

With a 100-percent completion rate, Dahlstrom might have to rethink his passing options, but the passing wasn’t what won the game for the Saints.

“It was just a great team effort,” Dahlstrom said. “I’m just proud of our team and how they played as a whole.”

Thomas ran for 145 yards on 19 attempts, accounting for two touchdowns and three two-point conversions. Boston scored one touchdown from one of his nine runs totaling 68 yards, while Aaron Island earned six points on an 8-yard run. Hayden Roers closed out the Saints’ scoring with the final two-point conversion. Derrick Jackson pushed the Saints ahead with 54 yards gained off of seven runs.

Germaine Seisa and Manny Gamboa anchored the defense and Gamboa nabbed one interception at the Lions 5-yard line.

It’s not too often a team in Europe can go through a game without raising a flag or avoiding an error or two and the Saints weren’t immune.

Aviano recovered four of its own fumbles resulting in the loss of more than a dozen yards, while the offense was penalized 30 yards and the defense 70 for infractions.

Plagued by penalties early on and a handful of injuries, AFNORTH hung tough. The Lions had their share of penalties, totaling 120 yards.

AFNORTH closed the gap a bit in the final quarter. Spencer Brobst ran for 54 yards on 13 rushes, with his final 6-yard run becoming the team’s first touchdown.

Running back Oliver Pehrson scored the two-point conversion and followed up with 20- and 28-yard runs to the goal post marking the final touchdowns for AFNORTH. Pehrson had 59 yards on six carries.

AFNORTH tight end Logan Harless closed out the game’s scoring with a two-point conversion pass from Isaiah Higgs.

But it wasn’t enough.

“We didn’t lose because of the flags, we didn’t lose because of the officiating,” AFNORTH coach Greg Blankenship said. “We lost because the kids didn’t execute.”

After traveling 18 hours to Aviano this week, the Lions will make a 22-hour trip to Rota, Spain next week, while the Saints take a week off before heading to Naples on Oct. 11.

Duhr.jason@stripes.com

Sign Up for Daily Headlines

Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world.

Sign Up Now