The two-time Division III European champion Ansbach Cougars placed seven players on the 2003 All-Europe high school football team, including two — senior quarterback Shawn Bachtel and senior kicker Garrett Eichhorn — who made the team last year.
“It was very important to be picked again,” Bachtel said. “Winning two years back-to-back isn’t something many people do.”
The 5-foot-8, 166-pound quarterback completed nearly 60 percent of his passes and averaged six yards per carry as the Cougars ran their winning streak to 16 games over the past two seasons. Ansbach beat its opponents this season by an average of 37.5 points, including a 43-6 victory over Baumholder in the Division III final.
“I wasn’t surprised at the championship,” said Ansbach junior Russell Bailey, a 6-1, 222-pound tight end picked as a receiver for the 48-man All-Europe team, “but I was surprised that all of us were picked.”
Ansbach defensive back Jon Austin was one of three sophomores to make the team. The others were defensive linemen — Josh Teeples of Naples and Brandon Simmons of Heidelberg.
Austin, who had six interceptions, didn’t expect the honor.
“I was surprised because I was up against so many good players,” he said.
In addition to being good, many of them played on championship teams.
Division II champion SHAPE, which like Ansbach was 8-0 this season, placed eight players on the team, led by returning offensive lineman Grant Essad, a 5-11, 245-pound senior.
The other Spartans picked included senior quarterback Ryan Rice; junior running back Brandon Glenn, a converted wide receiver who rushed for 1,260 yards behind Essad and fellow-All-European Matt Anderson.
Division I champion Ramstein placed three players on the team. All three helped hold Lakenheath to 13 points in the semifinal game and Wiesbaden to six points in a 7-6 title-game victory.
Leading the Royals trio is the only player on this year’s team chosen for two positions. Austin Izzo, a 6-1, 205-pound junior made it as a punter and a defensive lineman.
Izzo was joined by linebacker Brian Greeley and defensive back Brian Stewart.
The other returnees from 2002 are Baumholder junior tackle Gerald Dickerson, AFNORTH running back Ryan Butler and Naples running back Jeremy Joseph.
Butler, a 5-8, 180-pound senior rushed for 902 yards in the Lions’ five games. Joseph, who was All-Europe as a defensive back in 2002, ran for 1,036 yards on 130 attempts. He joined the 1,000-yard club with Glenn, Edmond Woods of Wiesbaden (1,495 yards), Pascal Grundman of Bitburg (1,072) and Isaac Kittle of Lakenheath (1,013).
Glenn, Grundman and Kittle are juniors, as are All-Europe running backs Dan Villarreal of Wiesbaden, James Esters of Ansbach and David Kennedy of Patch.
“It feels really good to make the team,” Kennedy said. “Last year, I was a backup to [Kasierslautern All-European] Aaron Scott. When we moved here from K-town, I got my chance.”
The selection committee was composed of DODDS athletic director Karen Seadore and coaches Rik Carr of Bitburg, Marcus George of Ansbach, Billy Henry of Patch, Glenn Porter of Ramstein, Pete Resnick of Menwith Hill and Darryl Schwartz of Wiesbaden.
2003 All-Europe football team
Offense
Position
Name
School
Height
Weight
Year
Quarterback
Ryan Rice
SHAPE
6-4
195
Sr.
Quarterback
Shawn Bachtel
Ansbach
5-8
166
Sr.
Running back
Brandon Glenn
SHAPE
5-11
155
Jr.
Running back
Edmond Woods
Wiesbaden
5-11
176
Sr.
Running back
Isaac Kittle
Lakenheath
5-10
175
Jr.
Running back
Ryan Butler
AFNORTH
5-8
180
Sr.
Running back
Jeremy Joseph
Naples
5-10
170
Sr.
Running back
James Esters
Ansbach
5-8
165
Jr.
Running back
Pascal Grundman
Bitburg
6-0
170
Jr.
Running back
David Kennedy
Patch
5-10
170
Jr.
Running back
Daniel Villarreal
Wiesbaden
5-9
215
Jr.
Receiver
Joe Puttman
SHAPE
6-2
175
Jr.
Receiver
Russell Bailey
Ansbach
6-1
222
Jr.
Offensive line
Grant Essad
SHAPE
5-11
245
Sr.
Offensive line
Derek Almen
Wiesbaden
5-9
265
Jr.
Offensive line
Mike Ewing
Ansbach
6-1
218
Jr.
Offensive line
Matt Anderson
SHAPE
5-10
180
Jr.
Offensive line
Joseph Bouknight
Hohenfels
5-11
185
Sr.
Offensive line
Ian Beamon
ISB
5-11
220
Sr.
Offensive line
Chris Eubanks
Bitburg
5-9
190
Sr.
Offensive line
Gerald Dickinson
Baumholder
6-4
295
Jr.
Offensive line
Brian Knotts
Bamberg
6-1
215
Sr.
Punter
Austin Izzo
Ramstein
6-1
205
Jr.
Punter
Jeremy Tibbetts
London Cent.
6-1
175
Sr.
Defense
Position
Name
School
Height
Weight
Year
Defensive back
Anthony LeVasseur
Vilseck
6-1
185
Sr.
Defensive back
Jonathan Austin
Ansbach
6-0
162
Soph.
Defensive back
Brandon Morales
Bitburg
6-1
170
Jr.
Defensive back
Brian Stewart
Ramstein
6-3
185
Sr.
Linebacker
Richard Rendon
SHAPE
5-10
195
Jr.
Linebacker
Matt Briegel
Naples
5-10
175
Jr.
Linebacker
Mike Hall
ROTA
5-10
175
Sr.
Linebacker
Bryan Farthing
SHAPE
6-2
175
Sr.
Linebacker
Nick Dybdahl
Lakenheath
6-1
190
Sr.
Linebacker
Brian Greeley
Ramstein
6-1
185
Jr.
Linebacker
James Dixon
Heidelberg
6-0
205
Jr.
Linebacker
Emmett Wilson
Baumholder
5-10
210
Sr.
Linebacker
Dameon Outley
Ansbach
5-11
178
Jr.
Linebacker
Mike Floyd
Wiesbaden
5-11
189
Sr.
Defensive line
Josh Teeples
Naples
6-0
240
Soph.
Defensive line
Demetri Jones
SHAPE
6-5
225
Jr.
Defensive line
Brandon Simmons
Heidelberg
6-0
240
Soph.
Defensive line
Steve Barber
Wiesbaden
5-9
205
Sr.
Defensive line
Matt Rabon
Lakenheath
6-3
260
Sr.
Defensive line
Austin Izzo
Ramstein
6-1
205
Jr.
Defensive line
Kevin Pollock
Vilseck
6-3
205
Jr.
Defensive line
Mike Hunter
Bitburg
6-2
200
Sr.
Kicker
Eugene Bringman
Heidelberg
5-10
230
Sr.
Kicker
Garrett Eichhorn
Ansbach
6-0
178
Sr.
