The Copenhagen Towers beat the reigning British champions, the Tamworth Phoenix, by a whopping score of 50-7 on Saturday afternoon in front enthusiastic Danish fans.
The Phoenix surprised the British football community by winning the BAFA championship in 2017 after knocking off the two powerhouse teams of London; The Warriors and the Blitz. Consequently the Towers expected a very physical and close game.
Nonetheless the Towers hit the ground running and never looked back. American running back Dayton Winn was brought back for the 2018 season in order to make a difference in international games. And Winn did make a difference as he scored three touchdowns in the 1st quarter alone en route to a total of five touchdowns on the day. To keep Winn fresh, running backs Anton Witmeur and Michel ‘Junior’ Konate saw extensive playing time as well.
Quarterback Kasper Skyum started the game and played the majority of the snaps, but Patrick Hargett played a significant number of snaps, too. Both showed impressive accuracy, poise and ability to keep the ball moving.
Photo: Michael Quist
The Towers’ big, strong receivers, Aske Troen, Lasse Tor, Jesper Hansen and Jakob Green outran and outplayed their coverage and consistently made very difficult catches look easy.
When teams put up exceptional offensive numbers, the big guys up front usually have had a good day at the office. This was certainly the case in this game. Copenhagen’s running backs not only freeways, but occasionally what seemed like airport runways, to run through. The offensive linemen dominated in the trenches, pancaking their opponents in the run game, while also providing superb protection for both Towers quarterbacks.
Defensively, the Towers played a stellar game. The defensive line, particularly Kristoffer Brun and Mads Marquard, kept the Phoenix’ running game in check all game long and kept them out of the end zone until late in the game.
Furthermore the linebackers kept the British quarterback and running backs contained throughout the game, while the defensive backs were in position with their coverage again and again.
Add some brilliant special teams play and this game might very well have been the best performance of any Towers team over the past 28 years. The kicking game as well as the return game was strong and focused enough to take advantage of every single mistake made by the Phoenix.
Photo: Michael Quist
But most impressive of all was the discipline that the team showed. It was a credit to the players, who performed according to the game plan, but also the coaching staff that instilled confidence In the entire team, yet kept them grounded.
This means that the Towers have gotten off to the best possible start to the Northern European Football League season after winning the first two of three games. Having beaten the Oslo Vikings and now the Tamworth Phoenix, the Towers have one game left in the NEFL. This game might be the toughest of the tournament as the Swedish champions, the Carlstad Crusaders are a very difficult opponent.
The Towers will travel to Sweden to face the Crusaders on June 9th.