Hohenfels Tigers quarterback Devin Elekes throws the ball during a game against the Brussels Raiders at Hohenfels, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. (Martin Egnash/Stars and Stripes)
Hohenfels Tigers quarterback Devin Elekes throws the ball during a game against the Brussels Raiders at Hohenfels, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. (Martin Egnash/Stars and Stripes)
Hohenfels Tiger Jean Morales runs the ball as several Brussels Raiders close in on him during a game at Hohenfels, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. (Martin Egnash/Stars and Stripes)
Raiders' Filip Havlena runs into the end to score a touchdown as three Hohenfels Tigers try to stop him during a game at Hohenfels, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. (Martin Egnash/Stars and Stripes)
The Hohenfels Tigers face off against the Brussels Raiders during a game at Hohenfels, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. (Martin Egnash/Stars and Stripes)
Hohenfels Tigers' running back Jean Morales crashes into the end zone on a two-point conversion during a game against the Brussels Raiders, at Hohenfels, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. (Martin Egnash/Stars and Stripes)
HOHENFELS, Germany – The International School of Brussels Raiders beat the Hohenfels Tigers, 40-22, to even their season record at 1-1 Saturday.
Raiders’ running back Filip Havlena led his team to victory, scoring three touchdowns and dominating play throughout the game. But he believes his team can do better.
“We came into this game knowing we had to win it,” Havlena said. “We got the win today, and that’s what matters, but we made some mistakes today that we shouldn’t have. We can do better.”
In the first quarter, the Raiders scored a touchdown early, but failed to get the two-point conversion.
Minutes later, the Tigers scored a touchdown of their own with Jean Morales crossing the goal. Hohenfels Dietrick McMahon faked the extra kick and Jaden Brown successfully ran the ball into the end zone, giving Hohenfels a two-point lead.
However, in the second quarter ISB quickly got into its groove, and scored touchdown after touchdown, with a combination of passing and running plays, bringing the score to 34-8 at halftime.
Raiders’ head coach Will Vreugdenhil credited the team’s success to the offensive line and running backs. “They ran hard when they had the ball,” Vreugdenhil said.
In the second half, the Tigers fought back, with an onslaught of short running plays, and three interceptions.
Hohenfels’ Morales played especially well on offense and defense, stopping several Raiders plays with tackles, and scoring all three of Hohenfels’ touchdowns.
“He picked up a lot of the slack and did what he needed to do,” Tigers’ head coach Phil Rigdon said of Morales. “He led the team by example.”
But even a stellar performance by Morales was not enough to close the gap. The Tigers scored two more touchdowns in the second half, and the Raiders’ scored one more.
Even though Brussels maintained momentum throughout the game, Vreugdenhil thinks his team didn’t play to its potential. Specifically, the Tigers had three touchdowns overturned due to holding penalties.
“I think we played poorly,” Vreugdenhil said. “We made mental mistakes. Physical mistakes. Tackle mistakes. We didn’t play the best we could. But as long as we keep getting better every game, I think good things are in our future.”
Twitter: @Marty_Stripes
