German Semifinal Head to Head Analysis – Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns v. Dresden Monarchs

AFI | American Football | 09/26/2019

Graphic: Igor Lazarevic

For the fifth time since 2014, the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns and Dresden Monarchs will do battle in the German Football League semifinals.

So far, Schwäbisch Hall has won every one of those games advancing to the German Bowl each year. Will this finally be the year of the Monarchs?

Check out our head-to-head analysis of the team’s at key positions and decide for yourself.

Quarterbacks

On paper, although only a year older, Jadrian Clark definitely looks like the favorite in this comparison with Dresden QB Glen Cuiellette. Over the 15 games he has played this season, including the quarterfinal win over Berlin, Clark has thrown for 3,964 yards and 47 TDs against only 9 interceptions. In the playoff victory over the Rebels he threw for 375 yards and 5 TDs. The is Clark’s second straight season in the playoffs. He guided the New Yorker Lions to the semifinals in 2018. Cuiellette. on the other hand, is appearing in the playoffs for the first time. He threw for 276 yards and 3 TDs against Marburg and did enough for the win. He only started five games in the regular season but won the last two and then the playoff game. However, Dresden’s secondary allowed only 13 passing TDs and 11 rushing TDs all year. Still, Clark has the edge playing behind an offensive line that gave up fewer sacks (19 compared to 26) and with more sure-handed targets to throw to.

Advantage: Jadrian Clark

Running backs

With such a prolific passing game, the Unicorns have not had to rely heavily on their ground attack. Maurice Schüle is their leading rusher and against Berlin he had 15 carries for 74 yards and 1 TD. Expect roughly the same numbers against a Dresden rush defense that is on a par with Berlin’s. Nevertheless, the Unicorns had the second best rush offense in Germany this year. Monarchs RB Glen Toonga on the other hand, was the 5th leading rusher in the GFL and last week against Marburg he rushed for 142 yards and 1 TD. He will be facing a rush defense ranked 4th in Germany, giving up an average of 71.3 yards a game. However, Schwäbisch Hall surrendered 214 yards on the ground against Berlin last week.

Advantage: Glen Toonga

Wide Receivers

Dresden WR KeVonn Mabon led the league in receiving yardage with 1,680 during the regular season and in last week’s win over Berlin he had 112 yards and 1 TD. He is always dangerous and being a physical receiver presents all kinds of matchup problems for opposing secondaries. He has been the go to receiver for both Cuiellette and his predecessor, Zack Greenlee. Unicorns WR Nate Robitaille has been terrorizing opposing defenses for years and was the 3rd leading receiver in Germany this season. Last week, he had 166 yards receiving against the Rebels and 2 TDs. With Unicorns QB Jadrian Clark having so many receivers to choose from, Robitaille also presents issues for defenses. He had far fewer receptions, 64 compared to 115 for Mabon and with that a higher average per reception. He also scored on 25% of his catches compared to 16% for Mabon.

Advantage: Even

Tackles

Based on past results, this looks like an easy pick. AJ Wentland led the GFL in tackles for the 2nd year in a row and again it wasn’t even close. He had 182 during the regular season averaging 13 a game and last week recorded 15 against Marburg. He accounted for 23% of all tackles for Dresden. He disrupts plays causing opposing offensive coordinators to rethink their attacks. Unicorns safety Goran Sec, while not having the same numbers as Wentland, operates on a defense of great tacklers. He is one of the keys to a secondary that had a league-high (tied with Dresden) of 24 interceptions.