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BAUMHOLDER, Germany — If you’re going to go with a rank beginner at quarterback, the 4-1 record of the Baumholder Bucs suggests you’d be wise to pick a thoroughly experienced one.

Someone, for example, who has triumphed against high-level pressure. Someone with the self-assurance to take the reins of the defending European Division III champions during his initial season. Someone such as two-time European wrestling champion Edgar Acosta.

"This is my first year of football," said Acosta, the best in Europe on the mats at 119 and 125 pounds the last two seasons. "I’d been putting off going out for football because I thought I was too small."

It was a rare case of wrong thinking by Acosta, now a 5-9, 150-pound senior. So far this season, the 4.1 GPA student has handled Baumholder’s newly installed and infinitely flexible A-11 offense to the tune of 25-for-58 passing for 561 yards and seven touchdowns and 31 rushes for 147 yards and four TDs.

"In the A-11, we have three down linemen," Acosta explained, "which gives us a chance to build on a lot of the weapons we have, like (All-Europe receiver) Fred Styles and (running back) Prince Owusu. It makes it easy for me to do my job with guys like that who can make plays."

Personnel changes dictated the switch to the A-11, according to Baumholder coach Carter Hollenbeck.

"We had only three linemen coming back," Hollenbeck said. "With the A-11, you don’t need linemen."

You do, however, need a heady, athletic quarterback to make it work. Acosta, although inexperienced, filled the "heady" and "athletic" requirements to perfection.

"He’s definitely getting it," Hollenbeck said about Acosta’s grasp of the A-11’s intricacies, adding that Acosta’s inexperience with conventional offenses helped him quickly grasp the new one.

Acosta said a 32-26 home loss last season to AFNORTH prompted him to go out for football.

"That was my decision point," he said. "Watching them walk off the field, I thought maybe I could get in there and do something."

And not just anything. Acosta said he had in mind to play quarterback.

With four-year starter Lacross Gray graduated, the Bucs needed a new signal-caller. To improve his chances, Acosta spent his summer arranging throw-and-catch sessions with Styles and other receivers, Hollenbeck said. The work paid off when Acosta beat out four other candidates for the starting QB job.

Acosta said his experience at the top of the DODDS-Europe wrestling world helped him deal with the responsibility involved in stepping in as the field general for the defending champs.

"I can relate it a lot to wrestling," he said. "In wrestling, you have to know what you’re going to do to counter your opponent’s moves. It’s kind of equal at quarterback. You’ve got to pick the right option."

As a champion wrestler, Acosta also learned to deal with the pressure of performing at the highest level.

"I turn the pressure to help me focus more on what I need to do," he said. "It helps me concentrate."

Baumholder’s coaches and fans, for their part, like the way their no-longer-neophyte quarterback concentrates. After a 58-20 opening loss to D-II power Bitburg that got the A-11’s and Acosta’s feet wet, the Bucs have reeled off four straight victories by an average victory margin of 43.5 points.

Despite his success, however, Acosta’s disappointed by one aspect of his football debut.

"My regret," he said, "is that I didn’t come out sooner."

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