Sports
DODDS-Europe Division II playoffsMannheim's final game will be for championship
Stars and Stripes
October 30, 2010
Mannheim's Jerome Conley, left, gets a hold of ISB's Tony Holt and does not let go, stopping the Raiders on fourth-and-goal with under five minutes to play in the Division II semifinal game in Mannheim on Saturday. The Bison held on to win 14-6 in the final game at Woods Memorial Stadium, as they head to Baumholder for next week's divisional championship game. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Mannheim's Jerome Conley, left, gets a hold of ISB's Tony Holt and does not let go, stopping the Raiders on fourth-and-goal with under five minutes to play in the Division II semifinal game in Mannheim on Saturday. The Bison held on to win 14-6 in the final game at Woods Memorial Stadium, as they head to Baumholder for next week's divisional championship game. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
International School of Brussels' Christian Gingerella, rear, pulls in a long pass despite the defense of Mannheim's LaJuarren Burks in a Division II semifinal in Mannheim, Germany. Mannheim won the game 14-6 to advance to next week's championship game in Baumholder. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
MANNHEIM, Germany - The Mannheim Bison continued to make their final season of football their best in decades, earning a 14-6 Division II semifinal victory Saturday over visiting International School of Brussels Raiders.
According to Bison coach Frank Macias, the game was the first semifinal game since 1991 for Mannheim, which is scheduled to close its doors forever in June.
“In an evenly matched contest, ISB struck first,” Macias wrote in an e-mail Saturday. “Early in the second quarter, on third-and-11 from ISB’s own 30-yard line, QB Marshall Kontos threw to Alex Immel for a 70-yard TD reception.
The Raider defense, led by junior Bifani Matias and his 16 tackles, kept the Bison off the scoreboard and ISB led 6-0 at halftime.
Better things, however, were to come for Mannheim, which will take a 5-2 record into Saturday’s title game against defending champ Bitburg.
“ISB played a great first half,” Macias wrote, “but we are a second-half team, and we knew the points would come.”
They did, in the third quarter. Sophomore Aaron Garrison, who would finish with 27 carries and 92 yards, scored on a 6-yard TD run, and Mannheim ran in the two-point conversion.
The Bison followed those points with a 44-yard TD pass from Adam Cornelius to the man he replaced at quarterback, Calvin Baisden. Cornelius finished the game 5-for-8 passing for 92 yards and an interception.
For the day, Baisden caught three balls, good for 50 yards. And when he wasn’t catching TD passes, Baisen was preventing them by shutting out ISB’s main receiving threat, Stephen Clark.
“Watching film on ISB,” Macias wrote, “my staff concluded that we needed to do whatever we could to keep the ball out of Clark’s hands. Baisden, a free safety, accepted the challenge and played as great a game at corner as we’ve seen in a long time.”
Helping Baisden pitch the second-half shutout were Austin Benton (nine tackles, a fumble recovery and what Macias called a game-saving interception). Jacob Lankford, who rushed for 62 yards, blocked a punt and made six tackles; LaJuarren Burkes, who had six tackles and forced two fumbles; and Tyrell Jeter, who came up with six tackles.