Sophomore Corey Carpenter played a variety of positions for Yokota and led the Panthers to a second straight D-II title. (Greg Holladay/Special to Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – Sometimes, the genesis of a football team’s championship happens in its very first game.
Yokota won its opener 56-35 on a steamy Aug. 29 evening at Zama. But it was one play made by sophomore Corey Carpenter during that game that not only led the Panthers to victory that night but sowed the seeds for a second straight Far East Division II title.
“He set the tone for the rest of the season,” Panthers offensive coordinator Josh Long said of Carpenter, who atoned for a muffed punt by stripping the ball from the quarterback and taking it 60 yards to set up a touchdown.
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