Vilseck football preview capsule
Vilseck Falcons
Head coach: Jim Hall
Last year: 4-3, lost to Ramstein 24-21 in D-I semifinals.
Key games: Sept. 22 vs. Ramstein, Sept. 28 at Wiesbaden.
If speed kills, Vilseck will be holding the smoking gun in 2012.
“Speed, skill positions,” Vilseck coach Hall cited as his team’s strengths in a preseason email. “We need to find a line this year to go with the skill positions.
Personifying that speed and skill are senior running backs Carlton Campbell and Shawn Peebles, both 2011 DODDS-Europe all-stars who stand 5-foot-10 and tip the scales at 200 and 190 pounds, respectively. Vilseck suits up even more skill in slotback Blade Strauss, a 5-6, 140-pound burner whose effectiveness is increased by Vilseck’s multiple-set offense.
The Falcons, who won a D-II European title in 1995, will get an idea of where they stand in their quest for its first European D-I title on Sept. 22, when they host Ramstein, the team which ended their 2011 playoff run. The following Friday, they travel to Wiesbaden to take on the defending D-1 champs.
2012 schedule
Sept. 15: at Kaiserslautern
Sept. 22: Ramstein
Sept. 28: at Wiesbaden
Oct. 6: Filton; JV at Ansbach
Oct. 13: Patch
Oct. 20: at Heidelberg