European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 26, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 48 stars and stripes thursday april 26 2007 Home team a weekly look at local sports Heidelberg Puppolo in no hurry Sophomore opts for club to slow Busy by Rusty Bryan stars and stripes St Leon rot Germany Heidelberg Sophomore fallen Puppolo is beat ing the Rush this year Puppolo 16 an Al Europe second Teamer As a freshman defender for the euro Pean i Champion Heidelberg Lions last year chose not to play for her school this season in Stead Shes focusing on playing for her German club team vib St Leon rot and her olympic development program team last year we were always Rushing around she said before a Sun drenched practice on a lbs extensive Complex just South of Heidelberg once we had to drive Back from Belgium in three hours still the Puppolo a genuine soccer family whose two sons were Al Europe for the Heidel Berg european champions and whose patriarch Perry is a Long time assistant with the Lions coped they rushed Fallon from the schools fineday week practices to twice weekly sessions with vib but this season vib changed game Day for its 15to 19yearolds from sunday to sat urday and the lady Lions came out the loser Dodds is not flexible said Puppolo Mother Erin you cant leave a Dodds event Early to go to a no Dodds event even if there just running laps they wont let you leave to go to another practice without Puppolo among oth ers Heidelberg has struggled the lady Lions coming off last saturdays 50 defeat at Kaiser Rusty and stripes Sophomore Fallon Puppolo an Al Europe defender last season with the Heidelberg lady Lions perfects her thrown style monday during a practice with her German team vib St Leon rot Slauter Are 021 in league play going into fridays noon contest at Patrick Henry Village against Lakenheath does seeing her former team fall on hard times bother Puppolo everybody gets on me she smiled but i can handle it Puppolo who made the Allee rope basketball team for Heidel Berg last Winter said that she chose to abandon High school soc cer because of the higher level of play in German leagues theres Superior Competition she said German soccer a lot faster theres a lot More passing lots of Giveand gos in Dodds its mostly Long passes hoping someone from your team will get to the Ball first Puppolo coach Werner Fuchs also commented on the level of Competition in the Southern Region where we play the big teams Are from Bayern Munchen and 1ffc Frankfurt the women eur Homeister he said you know what kind of programs they have it also appears that Puppolo is part of the teams master plan for improvement Fuchs said the team manager has been doing a lot of recruiting in Hopes of win Ning not just the regional title but also the National championship Puppolo is Parton that recruit ing haul according to Fuchs and with Good reason Shes very Clear about the game Fuchs said of his Ameri can athlete on a squad which also includes a greek a Turk and a player from Eritrea she has a very Good Eye she sees the Ball coming in and knows where to go she has a very Good shot a Good Long Ball for Clear ing and a Good shot at a German if not a High school title but then she already has one of those Heidelberg won the 2006 championship by beating its main rival Ramstein 54 in a title game shootout that was a Good Way to end it she said email Rusty Bryan acc this weeks schedule soccer boys and girls at same Sites unless otherwise indicated Friday division Lakenheath at Heidelberg at Ankara saturday division at Kaiserslautern Patch at Heidelberg International school of Brussels at Wiesbaden division snort Hanforth at Baum Holden Pitburg at shape division at Black Forest Academy Mannheim at Vilseck division  Hill at Ai co Bury Brussels boys at London Cen trial at Naples Mary mount International of Rome at Simonella Milan at american overseas school of Rome at Ankara softball fridays doubleheader division at Wiesbaden saturdays doubleheaders division at kaisers laut pm Heidelberg at Patch Lakenheath at Ramstein division at Baum hold in London Central and Rota at Alcon Bury track and Field saturday at Hohenfels Bamberg Frankfurt International school Hanau Hohenfels Munich International school Vilseck at Mannheim North Ansbach Black Forest Academy Brussels Gies sen Mannheim Wiesbaden Wurzburg at men Fth Hill Alconbury Laken Heath London Central me with Hill at Pitburg Heidelberg Kaiserslautern Patch ram Stein shape game of the week who Lakenheath at Ramstein softball doubleheader where Ramstein High school when noon saturday whats at stake probably the division i conference Crown presuming the lancers dont stumble Friday at Wiesbaden two victories at Ramstein will hand Lakenheath 80 Over All 60 in i its second straight Confer ence title the games will be the final league contests for Lakenheath until the lancers return to Ramstein May 1719 to Battleford the i european Champion ship were grooming for the tournament Lakenheath coach John Gilmore said by Telephone on wednesday if we pick something a league title up along the Way that Fine Ramstein and Lakenheath Are the Only schools Ever to have won european i crowns in softball the royals won in the inaugural year of 1999 Lakenheath took the next three and Ramstein captured the last four Ramstein however won last yearns title by a single run Over Lakenheath in a game that ended after four innings because of heavy Rains Gilmore who thinks four innings Doest qualify As a full game Doest Factor in revenge in this doubleheader however this is a whole different team he said we Only have three returners All that turnover has Gilmore starting four freshmen this season Ramstein 51 31 is also Young he said with five freshmen in the starting lineup the lady royals Only loss this season was to Patch on saturday Gilmore said its possible hell have the Ace of his staff Rebecca Groff pitch All four games again this weekend two at Darmstadt memory Field against Wiesbaden on Friday afternoon an the two at Ramstein All Groff did last weekend in picking lip four victories was allow just 10 total hits strike out 28 batters and go llfor12 at the plate Well see now it goes said Gilmore who is known for having a Surprise Ace in the wings when europeans Roll around we Nave a Coupe of other pitch ers ready athletes of the week Feiloaiga Olio girls soccer Hanau High school last week Olio a Sophomore whose teammates shorten her samoan first name to Tei has marked her move from goalkeeper last season to striker in s2007 by scor ing 10 goals and assisting on three As Hanau has opened its first division i season 401 three of those goals and two of the assists came in saturdays 60 Victory Over Ansbach that left Hanau in the ill South Drivers seat at 400 tie 1 1 came against Vilseck of division ii Danaus category last year teams have started to key on and that has helped open up Fie Field allow ing us to score from other areas Hanau coach Sam Cassou wrote monday in an email to stars and stripes despite her youth Olio is not intimidated by older players Cassou added she has played a sport every season since her freshman year Cassou wrote of the Al Europe volleyball basketball and soccer player she performs Well under pressure selected by stars and stripes staff Jimmy Katz baseball Heidelberg last week Katz a right handed senior for Heidelberg High school aged players allowed no hits and struck out 12 in the Lions 171 season opening Victory saturday at Wiesbaden he walked a couple of batters in the first inning said Kates father Sal an Assis Tant coach with the team who was watching his son pitch for Heidelberg for the first time he mowed them Down after that nobody got a Ball out of the infield the elder Katz missed his sons previous season because of a deployment Down Range the younger Katz made up for that with the no hitter during which he mixed a change up with his Good fastball Katz Hopes to continue his pitching Success next year at California state University Northridge in Europe baseball is run by the morale welfare and recreation departments youth services not Dodds but teams observe school eligibility rules and players can earn school letters selected by stars and stripes staff