This past weekend saw a huge upset in Germany, when the Allgäu Comets hosted Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns. At the end of the game, the Comets drove to take 34-28 lead with only :44 left to play, surprising the Unicorns and leaving them with their first GFL South defeat of the season.
Much like the weather of the day, the Comets came out hot! After stopping the Unicorns opening drive, the Comets’ QB Cedric Townsend dashed 15 yards for a touchdown. The PAT by Maximilian Feneberg was successful and the Comets took the 7-0 lead. The ensuring drive by the Unicorns was once again fruitless. Allgäu, however, marched down the field and at the end it was again Townsend, who took the ball effortlessly into the end zone from the 1-yard line. Feneberg stayed perfect and the Comets’ lead was now 14-0 shortly before the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was more of the same. Comet’s DB Cody Smith intercepted a pass by Unicorns QB Marco Ehrenfried and shortly thereafter Townsend found WR Christian Hafels for another 6 points. Tack on the PAT, 21-0 Comets.
Shortly before the end of the half the Unicorn offense showed some life. With :39 seconds before the half WR Stephan Mertsching caught an 8-yard pass from Ehrenfried to put Schwäbisch Hall on the scoreboard. The PAT kick by Tim Stadelmayr was blocked, and the Comet’s took at 21-6 into halftime.
The offense of Allgäu picked up where it left off, when Townsend hit WR Hendrik Preis for a 20-yard touchdown pass. This time, the Unicorns blocked the extra point. 27-6 Comets.
Only now did the Schwäbisch Hall offense fully come to life. A great drive was capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by RB Christian Rycraw. The PAT was good. After a stalled Comet’s drive, the guests once again put together drive which ended with Rycraw and a successful 2 point conversion.
The score going into the last quarter was 27-21 Comets. It took up to 2 minutes to play until the next points, and it was worth it for Schwäbisch Hall. Ehrenfried found his favorite tall target TE Moritz Böhringer for 60-yard catch and run. The score gave the visitors their first lead of the game with under two minutes to play.
Finding themselves behind for the first time all game, the Allgäu Comets offense went to work. In a little over a minute the team drove 75 yards. With :44 seconds to play Townsend found Hafels for a 35-yard score. The key PAT was successful.
The Unicorns did not give up and Ehrenfried lead his team deep inside the Comets territory with time winding down. On a last ditch effort with time expiring Ehrenfried’s pass thrown from the 7-yard line fell incomplete and the Comets had officially shocked the German American football community.
Schwäbisch Hall head coach Siegfried Gehrke after the game;
“They (Comets) played really very strong today especially when it mattered.”
Allgäu Comets head coach Brian Caler;
“Last year we had such games as this yet lost. But now we are better. Now we are stronger!”
Source: www.unicorns.de