Sports
Daegu begins DODDS Korea grid title defense, blanks Falcons 12-0
Stars and Stripes
August 28, 2010
Daegu American Warriors running back Jacobi Myles is tackled along the sideline by Seoul American Falcons defender Tanner McQueen (22) during Saturday's DODDS Korea football season-opening game at Yongsan Garrison. Defending champion Daegu blanked Seoul 12-0. (Gary Cashman/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Daegu American Warriors running back Jacobi Myles is tackled along the sideline by Seoul American Falcons defender Tanner McQueen (22) during Saturday's DODDS Korea football season-opening game at Yongsan Garrison. Defending champion Daegu blanked Seoul 12-0. (Gary Cashman/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Daegu American quarterback Tre Griffin crosses the goal line for a touchdown against Seoul American. (Gary Cashman/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Daegu American quarterback Tre Griffin celebrates his touchdown against Seoul American. (Gary Cashman/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Daegu American running back Jacobi Myles eludes the tackle of Seoul American defenders Tanner McQueen (22) and James Grimball (15). (Gary Cashman/Special to Stars and Stripes)
YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — Prior to Ken Walter’s arrival as Daegu American football coach in 2007, the Warriors had gone winless against Seoul American since DODDS Korea assumed control of senior football on the peninsula.
After Saturday’s 12-0 season-opening shutout of the Falcons, Walter can claim something that no other Daegu coach, whether youth activities or DODDS, can claim – a winning record against the league’s other teams. Daegu is 5-4 vs. Seoul and 6-3 vs. Osan American on Walter’s watch.
“Considering we’d never won a game” against Seoul American before Walter took over, “that’s a complete turnaround.”
Tre Griffin ran 7 yards for a first-quarter touchdown, then Jarel “Tank” Connie sealed the verdict with a 5-yard blast halfway through the final period in a rain-marred contest at Seoul American’s Sims Field.
“We’re pretty excited up here, as you can tell,” Walter said. “Good start.”
Despite the successful opening and a defense that looked “amazing,” Walter said the Warriors still have much to work on.
Among them are getting an offensive line that lost three starters after last season to gel and to avoid costly penalties. Daegu had a touchdown called back on a penalty and failed to convert a late first-half drive.
“That would have given us a good cushion,” Walter said.
Connie and Ayrton Hilton each had two sacks and a fumble recovery and combined for seven tackles for losses. Christian Dawes picked off a Seoul pass. Griffin was 5-for-12 for 96 yards, with Hilton catching three passes for 44 yards. Jacobi Myles ran for 75 yards on eight carries.
Seoul came nowhere close to scoring, and Daegu forced six Falcon fumbles. Coach Billy Ratcliff said the game was won in the trenches.
“Our line was overwhelmed by their line,” leading to backfield tackles, sacks and fumbles, Ratcliff said. “We didn’t do anything to help ourselves and left the defense on the field for too long.”
Ratcliff said the Falcons “know what we have to work on, and we need to fix it, or it will be another long weekend” when Seoul American visits Kadena on Saturday in a rematch of last Nov. 14’s Division I title game won by Kadena 44-0.