LIVESTREAM Danish Mermaid Bowl: Copenhagen Towers vs Søllerød Gold Diggers, Sept. 24, 12:00 CET (12 noon, 6 am ET)

AFI | American Football | 09/24/2022

The Copenhagen Towers and Søllerød Gold Diggers square off Saturday, September 24 at Blue Water Arena in Esbjerg in the Danish Nationalligaen’s 2022 title game, Mermaid Bowl XXXIII.

This is the second consecutive year that these two teams have faced each other in the championship game and the third time since 2017. Copenhagen won last year’s title game 24-7 to avenge two losses during the regular season and also won in 2017, 20-7.

The Towers are looking for their 10th Danish title while Søllerød is aiming for championship #3.

The teams split the season series with Copenhagen winning the first game 57-38 and the Gold Diggers the second in a much lower scoring contest, 21-13.

Copenhagen Towers vs Søllerød Gold Diggers, Sept. 24, 12:00 CET (12 noon, 6 am ET)

This year, the Towers boast the highest scoring offense in the Danish Nationalligaen racking up 263 points in the six game series, an average of almost 44 points a game. They had the second best defense surrendering 22.6 points a contest. They opened the season with a 36-12 win over the Aalborg 89ers and then beat the Gold Diggers 57-38 in an offensive showdown. They then doubled up on the Triangle Razorbacks 34-17 right before the six week long break. However, when they came back, they ran into a fired up Søllerød squad and found themselves on the wrong end of a 21-13 score. After such a poor offensive outing, they went on a tear overwhelming Aalborg 56-19 and then embarrassing the Razorbacks 67-29 to wind up the regular season with a 5-1 record and first place and a bye into the title contest.

Towers quarterback Josh Greaves has definitely found a rhythm in the Danish top league. He is the league’s top passer and he has plenty of targets to throw to. Number one on his list is veteran wideout Mike Williams. He also has Jacob Green and young Martin Due, both of whom have been key targets this season. Tight end Oliver Tribler provides solid blocking along with excellent receiving skills. The ground game is led by crafty veteran Anton Witmeur who is complemented by Michel ‘Junior’ Konaté.

The Copenhagen front seven is formidable and features defensive linemen Marcus Boesen and Mads Marquard along with linebacker Philip Hargett. Cornerback Jakob Bækgaard is one of the team captains and anchors a solid secondary.

The Gold Diggers enter the game with momentum after winning the last three games of the regular season, including a 21-13 win over Copenhagen, and then defeating the Aalborg 89ers 51-30 in the playoff round.

The Gold Diggers opened their 2022 campaign with a strong 54-24 win over the 89ers and followed that up with a 34-4 thrashing of the Triangle Razorbacks before suffering a 57-38 loss to Copenhagen. Then Søllerød went on a roll beating the Towers 21-13 and the Razorbacks 46-6 before winding up the regular season with a 45-16 thrashing of the 89ers.

Søllerød had the stingiest defense in the league giving up 119 points in the six games (19.8 pts/game) while scoring an average of 39.6 (second behind the Towers).

Gold Diggers quarterback Louis Colosimo (Davidson, NCAA Div. 1) has looked solid in the seven games and with his mobility, he will make life difficult for the Towers front seven as he did in the second game between the two teams. Wide receiver Simon Føns will be a key target in the title game as will Frederik Oldenburg and young Jonathan Steinhauer, both of whom have found the end zone. Running back Magnus Nørgaard is always dangerous and gives Søllerød an excellent ground game.

The Gold Diggers defensive secondary kept the Copenhagen aerial offense in check in the win and with cornerback Emil Brügge playing well right now will make life difficult for Towers quarterback Josh Greaves.