Junior Issac Kittle, No. 32, of Lakenheath High School, is heading to paydirt on this run late in Saturday's game Saturday with Heidelberg at RAF Lakenheath, England. Kittle scored on this play to give the Lancers the deciding points in a 21-12 victory. (Ron Jensen / S&S)
RAF LAKENHEATH, England — The only thing capable of stopping Lakenheath’s Issac Kittle on Saturday was the score clock. Without it, Kittle might still be rumbling downfield, a football tucked beneath his arm.
The 170-pound junior running back carried nearly 30 times for almost 200 yards as the Lancers defeated Heidelberg 21-12 to even their record at 1-1, 1-0 in Division I.
Heidelberg is 0-2, 0-1 in Division I.
The Lancers controlled the game on the ground, holding onto the ball for minutes at a time while the clock ran down.
“I think that’s our strength right now,” coach Tom Wingert said. “You’ve got to go with your strength until they stop you.”
The few times the Lancers did pass proved Wingert’s point. The Lions picked off three of quarterback Justin King’s passes.
Heidelberg scored first when a Lakenheath punt attempt was botched by a bad snap from center. The Lions pounced on the ball on the Lakenheath 27-yard line.
On second down, quarterback T.J. Trice arched a pass to his brother Nick, who stepped out at the 2. T.J. Trice shoved the ball across the goal line on the next play, and the Lions took a 6-0 lead.
Kittle took over from there, carrying the ball on about half of his team’s plays. He scored from two yards out to give the Lancers a 7-6 lead just before halftime.
Kittle’s biggest run was a 20-yard touchdown scamper with about 7 minutes left in the game to extend the lead to 14-6. Three minutes later, senior cornerback Jamal Banks recovered a Heidelberg fumble and scooted almost 60 yards to the end zone.
Heidelberg made it close with a late score by D.J. Johnson, the senior workhorse for coach Brad Shahon.
The junior varsity game ended in a scoreless tie. Heidelberg is visited by Wiesbaden this week. Lakenheath hosts Kaiserslautern.
In other Division I games Saturday:
Wiesbaden 31, Ramstein 7
WIESBADEN, Germany — Edmund Woods ran 26 times for 269 yards and threw a 12-yard TD pass to Paul Fry as the Warriors improved to 2-0 overall, 1-0 in D-I play.
Woods scored on 50- and 30-yard sweeps as Wiesbaden amassed 459 yards of offense, 371 on the ground and another 88 passing. Quarterback Steve Jewell went four-for-five, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to Ivan James. Fullback Daniel Villareal scored Wiesbaden’s other two TDs on short runs.
Steve Barber (11 tackles) and Robbie Baden (12 tackles) led a Wiesbaden defense that allowed Ramstein (1-1, 0-1) just 165 total yards. Ramstein quarterback Matt Irwin completed a 25-yard pass to Brendon Relaford in the fourth quarter, but he was intercepted once each by Jerry Kelly and Robert Edwards. He finished 4-for-20.
Würzburg 16, Kaiserslautern 12
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Tailback James Jordan III ran for 188 yards on 35 carries to lead the Wolves.
The Red Raiders (1-1, 0-1 in D-I) took the opening drive 68 yards in seven plays, capped with Corey Payton’s 21-yard run down the sideline.
Würzburg didn’t answer until just 55 seconds remained in the first half. Wayne Grigsby’s two-yard capped an 11-play, 42-yard drive. Jordan scored the 2-point converstion to give Würzburg (1-1, 1-0) an 8-6 lead.
Jordan and Grigsby, who had 46 yards in 13 carries, spearheaded the second Wolves’ score to open the second half.
Quarterback Chris Rideout sneaked in from the one to conclude the nine-play, 69-yard drive at the 7:32 mark. Jordan finished the Würzburg scoring with a two-point conversion run.
Kaiserslautern closed the gap midway through the fourth after Jamaal Harris recovered a fumbled Würzburg hand-off. John Warren scored on a 10-yard pass from Danny Morris to cap a six-play, 62-yard drive.
