For the first time in the history of the German Football League, the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns and Dresden Monarchs will do battle in the German Bowl.
The two teams have met five times in post season play since 2014 and Schwäbisch Hall has won every one of those games. Will this finally be the year of the Monarchs?
Check out our head-to-head comparison of the teams at key positions and decide for yourself.
Quarterback
We have presented two different scenarios involving Schwäbisch Hall QBs although there could be a third should Reilly Hennessey get the nod. Nevertheless, the starter all season has been Alexander Haupert (who may be hurt) while Dresden is led by Kyle J. Carta-Samuels. It would seem, on paper at least, to be a no brainer. Carta-Samuels leads an aerial offense and has thrown for twice as much yardage per game than Haupert. Still, in terms of efficiency, not much separates the two. The completion percentages are almost identical. However, the key is the TD passes with Carta-Samuels having thrown three times more scoring passes than his counterpart.
Should the Unicorns start Ian Gehrke instead of Alexander Haupert, or Reilly Hennessey, on paper, it might not be a bad idea. Although Carta-Samuels is the far more prolific passer, Gehrke has been more efficient, and accurate, in the times he has been asked to quarterback the Unicorns. His efficiency is far higher as is his completion percentage. Still, in this, the biggest game of the year, game experience is probably the most important factor.
Running Back
Since Monarchs RB Devwah Whaley arrived late in the GFL season, he has had an impact. giving Dresden a powerful ground game to complement their already league-leading aerial game. He is averaging over 100 yards per game and makes Dresden tough to defend. However, Unicorns RB Jannis Fiedler has quietly put up some impressive numbers himself. Although he has not been asked to carry the ball as often, his average gain per carry is slightly better than Whaley’s. With John Santiago out with an injury, Fiedler may well be called upon much more often in this game.
Wide Receiver
Dresden WR Darrell Stewart Jr. has been a key to the success of the Monarchs offense this year and is the go-to guy for QB KJ Carta-Samuels. He was the fourth-leading receiver in the GFL in terms of yards per game and led all wideouts with 21 touchdowns. While Unicorns TE/WR Moritz Böhringer was not thrown the ball as often, he made it count when he did averaging almost 20 yards per catch. Despite his size, he does have speed too. This could be an interesting matchup.
Linebacker
German Bowl XLII could well be decided by the defenses. Each has a linebacking corps that has excelled this season. The Monarchs front seven has been led by LB Andrew McElroy who has amassed 86 tackles in 12 games averaging 7.2 tackles per game. Meanwhile, Nick Alfieri of the Unicorns has been the anchor of the league’s best defense allowing just 10.1 points and 227 yards per game.
Graphics: Igor Lazarevic