In almost 100 degree temperatures, the crowd at Berlin’s Mommsenstadin stadium were witness to the German Football League’s highest scoring affair so far this season as the Potsdam Royals defeated the Berlin Rebels 81-56.
With the win, Potsdam sits atop the GFL North standings with a perfect 4-0 record while the Rebels fall to 0-2-1.
From the opening whistle to the end of the game, the two teams battled it out, trading touchdowns. However, the Royals took the lead first and never let it up. Even when the Rebels tried to claw their way back, including tying the game midway through the second quarter, the Royals simply kicked into another gear and scored a pair of touchdowns.
Potsdam QB Chris Helbig threw for a league-best 553 yards and 6 TDs Photo: Dirk Polk
There were numerous contributions from the offense that led to the Royals’ offensive explosion on the night. If there was one player that was their most valuable, it was quarterback Chris Helbig. With quite possibly the best performance out of any passer this season in the GFL, he completed 25 for 38 passes for 532 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. Helbig was on fire, averaging 21.3 yards per completion. His top two targets were exceptional in their own right as they both had over 200 yards receiving. Jared Wolfe led the way in yards, with 278 yards via 13 completions and two touchdowns. Brandon Polk meanwhile, had fewer yards with 204 from eight catches, but had an extra touchdown to make up for it.
Running back Karri Parjarinen had a field day rushing for 155 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries, averaging 10.3 yards a carry.
Even in a losing effort, the Rebels had some quality efforts including from quarterback Donovan Isom, who despite only playing through three quarters, had a solid game, completing 15 of 23 passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those scoring strikes went to wide receiver Robert Downs III, who also had 127 yards and four receptions for the day while teammate Nigel Westbrook hauled in six passes for 156 yards and another score. Running back Meril Zero was at times unstoppable rushing for 182 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
Berlin Rebels WR Robert Downs III scored 3 TDs Photo: Christian Gossler
The undefeated Royals will continue their trek for perfection when they face the Monarchs on July 2 while the Rebels will be looking for their first win of the season on June 25 against the reigning champion Dresden Monarchs.
Watch the highlights here.
