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Three-time defending European champion Ansbach stretched its winning streak to 25 games on Saturday with a 44-17 season-opening conquest of the visiting Bitburg Barons in high school football.

Bitburg took a 6-0 lead early in the Division II game on a 40-yard pass from Matt Less to Cameron Jackson.

Ansbach took the lead shortly thereafter on a 13-yard touchdown scamper and 2-point conversion run by All-Europe selection Carter Gunn, and then broke open the game with a 22-point second quarter.

All-Europe defensive lineman Tim Abel got the onslaught started when he returned a Bitburg fumble 55 yards for a touchdown.

All-Europe quarterback Dominic Barrale followed with a 53-yard touchdown pass to Gunn and another of 10 yards to Xavier Jones as the Cougars built a 31-9 halftime edge.

Ansbach put the game away with a scoring drive capped by Gunn’s 1-yard plunge on its first possession after intermission.

Bitburg, which rushed for 206 yards, responded with an 80-yard drive that ended when Kirk Miller went over from six yards. Ansbach’s Alex Moya, who had 229 yards on 21 carries, answered that touchdown with a 13-yard scoring run.

Gunn, moved to the backfield from tight end, at which he earned an All-Europe honors last year, rushed 13 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 56 yards and a score.

In other D-II games Saturday:

AFNORTH 22, Mannheim 21: At Mannheim, AFNORTH, last year’s Division III champion, ran its winning streak to nine in its D-II debut.

AFNORTH, trailing 21-20, turned the ball over on downs in the game’s waning moments at the Mannheim 2. Mannheim bobbled the snap on the next play, however, and AFNORTH recovered in the end zone for the game-winning safety.

"Today, AFNORTH played like a team that won a division championship in 2008," Mannheim coach Frank Macias said. "It was a great game that could have gone either way. But at crunch time, Lions quarterback Jacob Reynolds was able to step up and make some gutty plays even though it was obvious his leg was hurt."

Daniel Gettridge led the ground game for AFNORTH, rushing for 123 yards on 11 carries. Harold Martin, who also had an interception, returned a fumble for the Lions’ first touchdown.

Mannheim got touchdown receptions from from Aaron Garrison and Kenyatta Hill, a scoring run from Garrison and 116 rushing yards from Trevin Hampton.

Vicenza 40, Baumholder 0: At Vicenza, Kyle Kaus rushed for 118 yards and five touchdowns for the Cougars, promoted this season from Division III.

Kola Awe threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Shakael Skeete and rushed for 60 yards.

SHAPE 20, Bamberg 12: At Bamberg, the Spartans ran to a 20-0 halftime lead.

SHAPE’s Damian Anderson and Bamberg’s Forte Cunningham each rushed for two touchdowns.

Aviano 20, Hohenfels 8: At Aviano, Saints QB Myron McRae engineered a 14-0 first-quarter lead with a 34-yard TD pass to Daniels Bert and by calling his own number for a 9-yard scoring run. The Saints got their final TD on a 53-yard punt return by Alex Gary. Gary rushed for 84 yards on 10 carries. Hohenfels, which moved up to D-II this season, scored on a 15-yard run by Josh Cooper, who also had a safety.

ISB 40, Naples 18: At the International School of Brussels, Ben Hausdorff threw three touchdown passes, and Gino Culotta opened the game with a 71-yard scoring run. Hausdorff hit Scott Coleman withr a 60-yard touchdown pass, Stephen Clark for a 20-yard score and Brennan Edwards for a 10-yard TD.

Culotta led ISB with 143 yards on 19 carries. Naples, in its debut under coach Dirk Lambertson, answered ISB’s big gainer with a 71-yard scoring pass to Sam Person on its ensuing possession, but ISB’s Scott Coleman stymied Naples with three interceptions.

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