ANSBACH, Germany -- Friday was “a historic night in Ansbach,” football coach Stephen Choate said. And for his Cougars, it was also a triumphant one.

Ansbach bested the visiting Hohenfels Tigers 50-12 as the first six-man football season in DODEA-Europe history kicked off. The game was also the first for Ansbach’s storied football program in nearly two years.

AFNORTH beat host Brussels 51-14 in the evening’s other six-man Division III opener. Those schools had been competing as a merged Division II program until this year’s advent of the six-man division featuring five small DODEA-Europe schools.

Lasse Bohlen threw for 186 yards and three touchdowns, while Cole Birdsell ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Zachary Snider and Iosefa Palmer forced two fumbles apiece for the Lions.

Ansbach’s Ogden Andrew emerged as the breakout star of the division, turning in touchdown runs of 30, 53, 28 and 75 yards and adding a defensive touchdown for another score. Andrew finished with 279 yards on 13 carries.

Johnnie Keels ran for a third-quarter touchdown and Rovic Denuna found Keoni Ulloa-Galindo for a 25-yard touchdows pass to round out the Cougars’ scoring. Anthony Gonzalez threw a touchdown pass apiece to Julian Walker and Luka Sotabeer to put Hohenfels on the board.

Ansbach, a former Division II powerhouse that was unable to field an 11-man squad in 2017, is among the favorites to win DODEA-Europe’s inaugural six-man Division III title. The Cougars are scheduled for a bye next weekend as AFNORTH visits Hohenfels and Baumholder visits Brussels.

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