Royals' wide receiver Jon Paul Lewis runs back a punt against Vilseck during the DODDS-Europe Division I season opener held in Vilseck, Germany, Sept. 19, 2015. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
Royals' wide receiver Jon Paul Lewis runs back a punt against Vilseck during the DODDS-Europe Division I season opener held in Vilseck, Germany, Sept. 19, 2015. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
The Vilseck Falcons played the Ramstein Royals to a 7-7 tie in the opening game of DODDS-Europe Division I football, Sept. 19, 2015. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
The DODDS-Europe Division I season opener on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, between the Vilseck Falcons and visiting Ramstein Royals was a defensive battle, leading to a 7-7 tie. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
The Falcons' Jacolby Town put on an impressive show against Ramstein during the DODDS-Europe Division I season opener Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. Town rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown as the Falcons tied the Royals, 7-7. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
Both the Falcons and the Royals' defensive squads were the highlights of the DODDS-Europe Division I season opener held in Vilseck, Germany, Sept. 19, 2015. (Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes)
VILSECK, Germany – Sometimes a tie football game can feel like a loss to one side and a victory to the other.
The Vilseck Falcons played the Ramstein Royals to a 7-7 tie in their 2015 DODDS-Europe Division I season opener. At the conclusion, neither team was particularly happy, but the Falcons felt they had acquitted themselves quite nicely against the defending champs.
“The kids worked hard just for a tie,” said Falcons head coach Jim Hall. “But at the same time it’s kind of a victory for us against Ramstein.”
Vilseck did show flashes of offensive brilliance.
Jacolby Town rushed for 144 yards, including a 79-yard scamper up the left side for the Falcons’ only touchdown.
In the preseason, quarterback Austin Archangel said he was looking forward to throwing more this year, and the coaches let him exercise his throwing arm a bit more this game.
Archangel had four completions for 63 yards. He did throw an ill-advised pass into double coverage that was picked off, but overall looked solid.
“The first couple of passes, I know I messed up really bad, but as soon as I started going, it picked up,” Archangel said.
The Royals left the field in a decidedly less chipper mood.
Ramstein’s defense kept it in the game, but a number of costly mistakes by the offensive unit ultimately killed chances for victory. The Royals had two turnovers, one on a lost fumble in the first quarter and the second coming from a Kyle Glenn pass that was picked off by Bryce McGregor.
That interception seemed to unsettle the Royals a bit. On their next possession, they had back-to-back penalties, one of which erased a first down run by wideout Jon Paul Lewis.
“We made too many mistakes,” Glenn said. “If you make that many mistakes in the game, you put yourself in a position that’s hard to come back from.”
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the defending champs, though. Their defense was stingy, even by early season standards. Outside of giving up a single big play, they kept the Falcons from even getting within field goal range.
Royals’ linebacker Cade Martinez was a bright spot. The junior racked up a handful of backfield tackles and nabbed an interception that killed a threatening drive by the Falcons late in the fourth.
Still, the team is very much a work in progress, according to head coach Carlos Amponin.
“We only have two defensive players returning from last year’s team,” he said. “We’re really fresh and new on both sides of the ball and I think it showed.”
