JAPAN
Kadena running back Ethan Ferch tries to avoid Kubasaki defender Connor McBee.

Kadena running back Ethan Ferch tries to avoid Kubasaki defender Connor McBee. (Heather Mendoza/Special to Strip)

KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa – New season opener, same result.

Haustin Lunsford scored twice, including a 95-yard kick return to open the second half and Kubasaki held off a two-touchdown fourth-quarter Kadena rally to edge the defending Far East Division I champion Panthers 14-13 Friday at Ryukyu Middle School.

“Another nail biter,” Kubasaki coach Tony Alvarado said of the Dragons’ second straight season-opening victory at Habu Field in as many seasons. Kubasaki beat Kadena 34-20 last Sept. 8 at the same site, but the Panthers went unbeaten the rest of the way.

Read more at stripes.com.

The best stories from the Pacific, in your inbox

Sign up for our weekly newsletter of articles from Japan, Korea, Guam, and Okinawa with travel tips, restaurant reviews, recipes, community and event news, and more.

Sign Up Now