Barons win home opener 32-8

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Rusty Frank
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany - --  During a warm Saturday afternoon, the smell of smoke from hotdogs and hamburgers grilling, and the sound of the crowd cheering at the end of every play, provides the perfect backdrop for a high school football game.

And this backdrop set the environment for the Bitburg Middle-High School Barons football team season opener against the Baumholder Buccaneers Sept. 6, 2014.

The game started out the way the Barons planned by scoring on their opening drive.
However, the ensuing kickoff didn't go as planned, because the Buccaneers ran the return for a touchdown, converting a two-point attempt and taking the lead with a score of 8-6.

"What was going through my head when it happened was 'where were my containment guys,' because we have guys whose job it is to make sure nobody runs down the sideline like that," said Mike Laue, Bitburg Barons football team head coach. "The next thing was 'kicker, you weren't supposed to kick it to him, you were actually supposed to
kick it away to make sure he can't get to the ball'."

By the end of the first quarter, the Barons scored again taking the lead with a score of 12-8. Laue said it was the experience of being behind in the game that could provide a great teaching tool for his players in the future.

"I can say 'hey, listen, you were behind sometime this year, and you made it happen, it's no big deal'," Laue said. "The thing I liked about it is they didn't get worried about it, they just went down the field and scored."

By the end of the game, the Barons won with a final score of 32-8. Although only the first game, it provided a preview of what the team may be like this season.
"I think we have a good team," said Terrance Hoffman, a Bitburg Barons football team assistant coach. "We have some young, inexperienced players who just need to get some playing time under their belts."

Chris Howard, a Bitburg Barons football team assistant coach, said the team did a good job of stepping up to the challenge of playing against a different team for the first time this season.

Laue also stressed that, even though the team won this week, they need to stay focused.

"We have the next game circled on our calendars because that's one we have to play," he said. "We take one game at a time, we don't worry about anything else, and we get that one taken care of and move on to the next week."

The Barons play their next game Saturday Sept. 13, 2014, at AFNORTH with kick off slated for 1 p.m.