Subscribe

NAPLES, Italy -- This Spartans football season is shaping up quite nicely.

With a long journey to southern Italy and the wait for a late Saturday evening kickoff finally in their rear view, the SHAPE Spartans wasted no time once the whistle blew on their Division II showdown with the host Naples Wildcats. SHAPE star Noah Parker returned the game's opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, sparking a 23-0 Spartan shutout of the home team.

More special-teams heroics followed later in the first quarter as Trey Kirklen returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown and a double-digit halftime lead for the Spartans. Pablo Pereira found the end zone in the third quarter, scoring on a 31-yard touchdown run, and a bad Naples snap on a punt attempt later in the quarter saddled Naples with a safety and the final 23-point margin.

The win continues a promising start for SHAPE, which also blanked AFNORTH/Brussels to open its season Sept. 19. The Spartans will enter regional play Saturday against fellow undefeated squad Bitburg.

Naples falls to 0-2 heading into its regional opener against Vicenza on Saturday.

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