Spangdahlem's A.J. Smith runs past Hohenfels defender Matthew Stellfox, bottom, as Jameson Trotter chases during an Oct. 2, 2026, football game in Spangdahlem, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Dewayne Washington almost didn’t come out for the Baumholder football team this fall.
The Buccaneers didn’t have a football team in 2022, the year after they won the six-man football championship with a small squad of 12 players.
The sporty returned during Washington’s freshman campaign. What followed was three struggling years with only two wins.
So, when his senior year rolled around, the signal caller admitted he didn’t want to play. A lobbying effort by Chris Schoonever and the Baumholder coaching staff got Washington back under center for the 2026 season.
Heading into the Friday evening’s DODEA-Europe six-man football championship game, Washington expressed his gratitude for their efforts. The Buccaneers went 6-1 during the regular season and advanced to the final against host Spangdahlem.
“It means the world to me,” Washington said. “My freshman, sophomore years, we didn’t win many games, and here we are, my senior year, the last ride, we’re able to have a winning season and a shot at the championship.”
That shot comes against a small-school powerhouse. The Sentinels (6-1) are playing in their fifth championship contest since 2021, and they won their last two in 2023 and 2025.
The only season that Spangdahlem didn’t make a final appearance was in 2024, when the program played nine-man football and advanced to the semifinals.
The current Sentinels are aware of the program’s success. Roman Wells said the team doesn’t feel pressure – just they want to keep things rolling.
“It’s good to carry on that legacy and go and get a win for all the people that established that program before us,” Wells said.
The two teams met earlier this season at Spangdahlem High School – the same site as the final. The Sentinel defense slowed down Baumholder’s high-powered offense that averaged 34.6 points per game and got enough out of the other side of the ball to eke out a 24-12 victory.
Both teams took positives out of the game.
For the Sentinels, it was about staying grounded, as well as executing, both Wells and teammate Jase Tyler said.
For the Buccaneers, it showed that they could hang with the defending champion.
“They’re not this super unbeatable team that everybody claims they are,” Washington said. “They’re just like the rest of us, and I do think that we have a real shot at the championship this year.”
One thing is for certain: Expect a tough physical game.
Both teams boast star running backs in Baumholder’s Jaylon Bilbrew and Spangdahlem’s A.J. Smith. And they have plenty of other weapons on the outside that will keep defenses honest.
Baumholder freshman Pene Vaisagote said he and the linemen are ready to make their mark on the game.
“We’re fierce,” Vaisagote said. “We’re not scared to make contact or hit somebody.”
The Sentinels also are up for the fight, Tyler said. He emphasized that they need to be mentally prepared to repeat as champions.
“I feel like physically we’re good,” he said. “It’s just the mental aspect of the game, everybody remembering to do their jobs, knowing what to do on certain plays and just going out there and actually executing it like we’ve been practicing this whole time.”