HOHENFELS, Germany — Hohenfels’ Stephen Washington ran 25 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown Friday night to lift the Tigers to a 25-24 victory and end Ansbach’s DODDS-record 28-game winning streak.
The TD run by Washington, his third of the game, came with less than three minutes left and capped a rally from 12 points down.
Both teams were 4-0 entering the game, and the Tigers knew they had to play a perfect game if they wanted to do what no team has done in nearly four seasons — beat the Cougars.
“I told them before the game that we couldn’t make any mistakes if we wanted to beat these guys,” said Tigers coach Shawn Rodman.
But before the first quarter ended, the Tigers had three turnovers, the third of which led to a TD run by Ansbach quarterback John Willis-Morris and a two-point conversion that put the Cougars ahead 8-0.
The Tigers responded with Washington’s first TD, a 27-yard run, but failed on the two-point conversion.
Ansbach went up 16-6 on a 10-yard pass from Willis-Morris to Xavier Sheppard and a two-point pass to Zach Harmon four minutes into the second quarter. Again, Hohenfels came back quickly. On the first play after a 78-yard kickoff return by Washington, Sung Byong scored on a 2-yard run. Hohenfels failed on the two-point try.
Early in the third quarter, Ansbach took its biggest lead, 24-12, when Willis-Morris scored on a 2-yard TD run and added the two-point conversion.
But a stingy Hohenfels defense stopped Ansbach cold in the final quarter, while the offense kept plugging away. The Tigers scored 3½ minutes into the period on an 8-yard run by Washington and this time let Anthony Marshall kick the all-important extra point.
The Cougars’ lone turnover — a fumble with less than four minutes remaining — led to the final points.
With the home crowd on its feet and screaming, Hohenfels’ launched the winning five-play, 70-yard drive. It was highlighted by a 35-yard pass that B.J. Denson — who totaled 85 yards on just two completions — hauled in after outjumping the Ansbach defenders, and ended with Washington’s dash to the end zone.
“We tried to give it to them with all those turnovers in the first half,” joked Hohenfels’ Rodman. “Our defense battled back. They bent a little but didn’t break.”
Ansbach coach Marcus George said Hohenfels was the better team on Friday.
“Hohenfels did a great job today,” he said. “They’re faster and bigger than us.”
Ansbach still has a streak going into the start of the division playoffs this coming weekend.
“We’ve one three (Division III) European championships in a row,” George said, “and could still win our fourth this season.”
