Seoul American running back Alex McDonald gets dragged down by Yokota defender Mikey Henagan during Saturday's DODDS Pacific Far East Division I regular-season game at Yongsan Garrison, South Korea. The Panthers blanked the Falcons 40-0. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Seoul American running back Alex McDonald gets dragged down by Yokota defender Mikey Henagan during Saturday's DODDS Pacific Far East Division I regular-season game at Yongsan Garrison, South Korea. The Panthers blanked the Falcons 40-0. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Yokota running back Morgan Breazell is brought down by Seoul American defender Alex McDonald during Saturday's DODDS Pacific Far East Division I regular-season game at Yongsan Garrison, South Korea. The Panthers blanked the Falcons 40-0. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Seoul American quarterback Cameron Harris gets hit by Yokota defender Raymond Butler just as he throws during Saturday's DODDS Pacific Far East Division I regular-season game at Yongsan Garrison, South Korea. Yokota was called for roughing the passer on the play. The Panthers blanked the Falcons 40-0. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Seoul American running back Ronald Dogan looks for running room as Yokota defender Raymond Butler gives chase during Saturday's DODDS Pacific Far East Division I regular-season game at Yongsan Garrison, South Korea. The Panthers blanked the Falcons 40-0. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea – Rare is the game in which Yokota throws as many touchdown passes as it scores on the ground.
Stanley Speed tossed two touchdown passes and backup Marcus Henagan passed for another as the Panthers took the first step toward defending their Far East Division I football title, routing Seoul American 40-0 on Saturday at the Falcons’ Sims Field.
Coupled with two breakaway running touchdowns, one each by Raymond Butler and Morgan Breazell, the Panthers stepped out of character; they usually grind out touchdowns with lengthy drives over several minutes at a clip.
“We have big-play capability,” said coach Tim Pujol of the Panthers (4-0 overall, 1-0 Division I). I don’t have a problem with scoring on eight plays over six minutes, but we’ll take them any time, any way we can get them. I thought it was an outstanding effort by the guys in the line.”
Though they threw three touchdowns, Speed for 63 yards to Cody Trask and 20 yards to Breazell and Henagan 27 yards to A.J. Leake, the Panthers only threw four passes, Speed and Henagan combining for 110 yards in the air.
Yokota scored the first four times it had the ball. Raymond Butler ran five times for 96 yards and two scores and Breazell five for 74 and a TD in just under one half. The last 28 minutes were played with a running clock. Yokota outgained the Falcons 359-83 on offense. The Falcons reached Yokota’s 22-yard line in the second quarter.
“We came out flat and you can’t do that against a team like that,” said coach Jim Davis, whose Falcons (1-3, 0-3) fell out of contention for a spot in the D-I football title game scheduled for Nov. 17.
Davis has seen this all too many times from Yokota, as a player in the 1980s and later an assistant coach with Nile C. Kinnick in the 2000s and now with Seoul American.
“It’s just as much attitude as it is fortitude” with Yokota, Davis said. “They displayed that today. He (Pujol) does a great job preparing that team, not only physically and mentally but the belief in themselves that they are champions.”
Ronald Dogan shook off a leg injury on the game’s first possession to rush eight times for 66 yards for the Falcons, who suffered five turnovers.
Yokota travels to Kinnick on Friday, while Seoul American is at Osan American on Thursday.
