Mannheim junior Trevin Hampton breaks away from Bitburg's Cameron Jackson on a 42-yard run that was called back on a penalty. It was one of several tough plays for Mannheim, which lost 35-8 to Bitburg on Saturday. (Matt Milham / S&S)
MANNHEIM, Germany — Everything seemed to go against Mannheim during a 35-8 loss on Saturday to Bitburg.
Their season already over before the kickoff, the fire the Bison needed to compete wasn’t there in the first half. And in the second, a slew of controversial calls left them so frustrated that the coaches and players on the sidelines joined the crowd in hollering at the officials.
But even without the calls, Mannheim’s game might have been done before it started.
"My guys, I suspected they weren’t ready to play," Mannheim head coach Frank Macias said. "This game should have been to go to the playoffs, and it was a big letdown that we lost last week, and the kids, the whole week, were just like, ‘It’s over.’ "
Bitburg, which plays at Ansbach next Saturday in the first round of the Division II playoffs, came in with a completely different attitude.
"We always intend to stomp on people," Bitburg head coach Michael Laue said. "Sometimes it doesn’t happen."
It did during the first half on Saturday. Bitburg rushed for four touchdowns — three by junior Brock Hogan and one by senior Darius Wynn, who combined for 246 yards rushing in the game.
Meanwhile, the Bison hurt themselves. After stopping Bitburg on its opening possession, Mannheim fumbled the punt at its 39, and the Barons recovered and scored on the next play. Mannheim fumbled the ensuing kickoff, leading to Bitburg’s second TD in less than 30 seconds.
Probably the brightest moment of the first half for the Bison was a fumble recovery that kept Bitburg out of the end zone. Four plays later, however, Mannheim was forced to punt and Bitburg got its touchdown on the next play.
"Let’s not get embarrassed in our last game," Macias told his players at the end of the first half. "Right now we are."
In the second half, a Mannheim kick returner was tackled after calling for a fair catch — without a flag being thrown — and a disputed call on a fumble took the ball away from the Bison. The calls seemed to fire up the Bison defense, and it shut down the Barons during the second half, until Bitburg quarterback Matthew Less threw a 30-yard TD pass to senior Corey Armstrong with two minutes left. The extra point kick looked wide, but was called good.
The Bison finally scored on their next possession on a 44-yard run by senior Marcus Camps and a two-point conversion.
"I really wish we played the first half the way we played the second half. That was Bison football," Macias told his team after the game. "Way to go out as warriors."