SIGONELLA, Italy – Larry Stevenson ran for two touchdowns and passed to Michael Mink for a third score Saturday to lead the Sigonella Jaguars to a 50-6 victory over the Brussels Brigands in a nine-man, Division III football game.
Stephenson rushed for 58 yards and passed for 74 of his team’s 412 yards of total offense. Kahlil Bowen included two TD runs among his 89 rushing yards, and Jeff Lastrella ran for 74 yards and a TD as the Jaguars, the D-III regular-season champions, improved to 4-0. They’ll host 1-3 Menwith Hill this week in the European D-III semifinals. D-III runner-up Alconbury (3-1) entertains Rota (2-2) in Saturday’s other semifinal.
Jack Ulsh tossed a 10-yard TD pass to Vincent Alonso for the lone score for Brussels, which ended its season 0-4. Dakota Deverill picked off a Sigonella pass and made eight tackles for the Brigands, and Joe Kren, who made 11 tackles, led Brussels with 28 hard-earned rushing yards against a Sigonella defense which got 10 tackles and an interception from linebacker Brandon Albert and four tackles and three interceptions from defensive back Marco Montero.
According to coach Matt McKown, Sigonella changed its season-long pattern against Brussels, much to McKown’s delight.
“…unlike all of Sigonella’s previous games this season, the Jaguars did not have to claw back from a hole they dug for themselves,” McKown wrote in a Sunday E-mail. “From the opening kickoff, Sigonella was able to play a complete game. Between a combination of 412 total yards on offense, and a scrappy defense which intercepted Brussels four times, the Jaguars primed themselves for a tough run into the playoffs.
“Leading the way on offense was the Jaguars multi-threat quarterback Larry Stevenson. Stevenson displayed excellent judgment in running Sigonella’s triple-option offense, making correct reads in helping to wear down an already-depleted Brussels defense…”
“The coaching staff challenged our boys heading into these playoffs to have a mistake-free game today, “ McKown continued. “We wanted to see zero turnovers, minimal penalties and no injuries. We accomplished all these goals…”