The Carlstad Crusaders defeated the Örebro Black Knights 24-0 Saturday night at Behrn Arena in Örebro to lay claim to their eighth consecutive Swedish title and fourth in five years over the Black Knights.
On a night when the Black Knights were looking for an upset, Carlstad was not in a giving mood. The Crusaders took control early and never let Örebro gain any momentum.
Crusaders quarterback Philip Juhlin was efficient throwing for 254 yards and two touchdowns and Alpha Jalloh caught one touchdown pass and ran another win in. Jacob Dahre caught five passes for 85 yards and a touchdown while Daniel Nyhlen kicked a 24 yard field to round out the scoring. Markus Persson, who earned the defensive back of the year award prior to the game, picked off three Örebro passes.
Markus Persson grabbing one of his 3 interceptions Photo: Kicki Nilsson TT
Örebro quarterback Corbin Lawler had a tough night completing only nine of 36 passes for 117 yards. While under constant pressure he had trouble finding receivers and threw into coverage while scrambling and was picked off three times. He was the leading rusher for the Black Knights though as Carlstad shut down the inside rushing lanes. The Black Knights even used returner Danny Wynne who rushed six times for 31 yards mostly around the end.
In fact, both defenses did well against the run as neither team rushed for more than 100 yards.
Carlstad took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of big plays. First Juhlin found Dahre for a 41 yard touchdown strike on the first possession of the game. Then, following a Persson interception of a Lawler pass, he connected with Alpha Jalloh for a 56 yard catch and run.
Örebro’s defense seemed to stiffen in the second quarter holding Carlstad to a field goal, but the offense could not capitalize on their chances. A trip to the red zone produced no points.
Carlstad QB Philip Juhlin Photo: Kicki Nilsson TT
Midway through the third quarter, Jalloh capped a 62 yard drive with a five yard touchdown run to give Carlstad a 24-0 lead.
Again, the Örebro defense forced stops but the offense could not take advantage. The fourth quarter saw no scoring as Carlstad seemed content to hold on for the win.
Both teams had the same number of first downs, 17, and the time of possession was almost identical. Carlstad seemed to have control of the game though from the opening whistle. But ultimately it was the big plays and turnovers that made the difference. The three interceptions were a key factor leading to two scores.
With the win the Crusaders have an almost unassailable record. With the organization as solid as it is and nothing in the foreseeable future to disrupt it, it would seem that the word “dynasty” would not be inappropriate.