So while winning consistently may be new to Zama, football is not.

It has been played in Japan since before World War II, brought by Christian missionaries. There are now thousands of players and hundreds of teams at all levels in Japan.

The school on this military base has fielded a football team since 1958, providing comfort on a base that was once home to the Imperial Japanese Army.

Home is a theme that often comes up in conversations about football.

“We do it to connect our kids to home and to give them as much of an American high school experience as possible,” said Jodi Hernandez, a Spanish and language arts teacher at the school who attended the game. “Football connects all of us. I’m a nerd and the coach of the debate team, and I still come. With football, everyone can participate. It just gets people out.”