After suffering a 33- 6 loss to the AaB 89ers in mid-August, the Søllerød Gold Diggers looked like a team in free fall in Denmark’s Nationalligaen.
The Gold Diggers offense couldn’t score while the defense struggled as well. It wasn’t the combination of a championship contender. Yet here we are, two short months later, and this Søllerød team looks like a contender to hoist the Mermaid Bowl Trophy this Saturday night.
It came as a shock to Danish football fans when American quarterback Aaron Ellis and the Gold Diggers parted ways earlier this summer. Søllerød was 2-0 and looked like contenders, beating one of the league’s powerhouses in the Copenhagen Towers. Without a solidified starter under center, the Gold Diggers offense featured a collection of athletes looking to move the sticks and get into the endzone.
For weeks, running back Rasmus Caroe, French athlete Helson Jouffroy, and plenty of wildcat plays featuring running back Christian Vahl were the centerpiece of the offense. Sprinkled in was one of the team’s only trained quarterbacks in 20-year-old quarterback. Andreas Sølling.
Photo: Mikkel Rasmussen/1st Down Photo
However, the last three games have been different. Young Danish passer Andreas Sølling has been given the reins of the Søllerød offense and the team hasn’t looked back. The gunslinger has rewarded the coaches for their bold decision, leading the Gold Diggers on a three-game win streak and a Mermaid Bowl berth.
Sølling exploded against the Triangle Razorback throwing for five touchdowns. He then followed that performance by going into Copenhagen and beating the Towers to give the Gold Diggers the number one seed. After a solid semi-final performance, Sølling is thrilled to be in the Mermaid Bowl.
“Right from the start, the plan was to get into the Mermaid Bowl, it’s something I’ve been dreaming about since I was very little. So getting the opportunity, and as a starting quarterback, is absolutely amazing in my eyes. I’m really just happy that I got the opportunity to be with, and especially with such some good guys all around. Both coaches and players I really thought I got along well with.” (VIA Nationalligaen)
For the young quarterback, his football journey has already taken him across the world as Sølling played high school football in Pasadena California. After a stellar senior season, the 6’2 Dane received college interest and played one season at St. Johns University (NCAA D3) in 2019. However, Sølling transferred back to California joining the Pasadena Community College Lancers just prior to the pandemic. The European passer is still pursuing college football as he is playing this season in his home country during a redshirt year at the California junior college.
“When I got to talking with Søllerød I thought it was a super nice option. So, I chose to take a redshirt year at PCC to get out here and play for the Gold Diggers.”
Andreas Sølling playing for Pasadena High School in California. Photo Via Facebook
It seems as if Sølling is wise beyond his years. He is using this season to develop on and off the field. The promising prospect has been working on all the necessary skills that it takes to be a starting quarterback in Europe or in the NCAA. The junior college passer has impressed his older teammates with his attitude and leadership. Gold Diggers veteran lineman Luis De Las Heras commented on his quarterback’s preparation and poise:
“Even though he is a young quarterback, he has stepped up when the team most needed him. He is a committed guy who spends multiple hours watching film and does extra workouts to improve his football game.”
The clutch 20-year old is hoping to cap his homecoming with a Mermaid Bowl victory come Saturday night. For a player who began his career with the Amager Demons in Demark coming back and playing for a title in his home country after years abroad has been an experience grateful for:
“It has been the best experience I would like to come home and play with SGD, they have taken such good care of me all. Thought it was such a good chance to be allowed to play with since I have not played properly since 2019. It was hard with the first game, I could really feel that I just had to get into it all again, even now when it is a new team” (VIA Nationalligaen)
Make sure to tune in and watch the Mermaid Bowl on AFI.tv. Copenhagen Towers @ Søllerød Gold Diggers, October 9, 19:00 CET (7 pm, 1 pm ET)