European Div. II H.S. football: SHAPE rolls to second straight title

SHAPE's Steve Small breaks the tackle of ISB's Andrew Vanderlind for a big gain during Saturday's game. (Raymond T. Conway / S&S)

SHAPE's Josh Gray is tackled by ISB's Adam Shpiro on a punt return in Saturday's game. (Raymond T. Conway / S&S)

BAUMHOLDER, Germany — The SHAPE Spartans left their second Super Six high school football championship savoring their second straight European Division II title.

It came in a 31-0 victory over previously unbeaten International School of Brussels in the opening game of Saturday’s tripleheader of European championship games, and experience was the key.

“We have a great group of seniors,” SHAPE coach Kregg Kappenman said after his Spartans avenged a 15-8 regular-season loss to the Raiders on Oct. 2.

“I made notes all over my play card to get the ball to our seniors today.”

Kappenman did just that, calling Richard Rendon’s number at tailback 12 times. Rendon responded with 172 yards and two touchdowns, one of them a 53-yarder.

Rendon’s run followed a 28-yard Marvin Coombs field goal and helped SHAPE erase — make that obliterate — the memory of two drive-stopping fumbles and a failed fourth-and-one at the ISB 27-yard line during the first 12 minutes of the game.

Rendon made another key breakaway run on SHAPE’s second possession after halftime, and restored the field-position dominance the Spartans enjoyed throughout the drizzly afternoon. The Spartans, finding themselves with first-and 10 on their own 1 after intercepting a Philip Lipman pass, handed the ball to Rendon, who burst over left tackle for 47 yards. The ensuing play, some four minutes into the third quarter, was the only time save one the Spartans would snap the ball in their own territory the rest of the game.

“I couldn’t have done it without the offensive line,” Rendon said of his big game. “It all starts with them.”

Saturday, the line was the beginning of everything for SHAPE and the end of everything for ISB.

The interior of seniors Ben Frank, Matt Anderson, Curtis Green, Ian Cummings and junior Keith Wagner sprang seven different SHAPE runners for 383 yards, just under nine yards per carry. On defense, they limited the Raiders to 42 yards on 26 rushing attempts.

“Today, we had our A-game,” Frank said of the line. His coach agreed.

“We dominated on both sides of the ball,” Kappenman said.

Kappenman said he wasn’t surprised by his team’s turnaround from last month’s loss to ISB.

“Last game, they hurt us in the secondary,” he said. “With our linebackers and D-line, we knew they couldn’t run on us, so we made some adjustments in the secondary — went to some zones.”

The coverages worked perfectly as SHAPE picked off four ISB passes and dropped two other rain-slick balls on what appeared to be sure picks.

And as expected, ISB runners found little daylight, especially with Rendon, who played lineback on defense and slashed through to blow up Raider attempts to go wide on five occasions for 22 yards in losses.

For Rendon, title No. 2 was a great experience. It may be one he will not have again.

“This might be my last football game,” he said, perhaps unconsciously speaking for his fellow seniors.

“I decided to give it my all.”

SHAPE 31, ISB 0

Division II championship

(Saturday at Baumholder)

SHAPE 0 17 14 0 31

ISB 0 0 0 0 0

Second quarter

SHA-Marvin Coombs 28 field goal, 7:24

SHA-Richard Rendon 53 run (Coombs kick), 6:04

SHA-Rendon 3 run (Coombs kick) 2:44