LIVESTREAM Denmark: AaB 89ers @ Søllerød Gold Diggers, Aug. 8, 15:00 CEDT (09:00 EDT)
The Danish National League opens its “post coronavirus lockdown” season, Saturday, August 8 with the AaB 89ers visiting the Søllerød Gold Diggers.
This will be the second league in the world to play a season of football since the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe.
This opening game features two of last year’s playoffs teams ready to get back to play. These two teams faced each other twice in 2019 with the Gold Diggers coming out on top both times. In the first game they combined for a whopping 128 points as Søllerød beat the 89ers 72-56. The second game was not as high scoring with the Gold Diggers winning that one 46-22.
AaB 89ers @ Søllerød Gold Diggers, Aug. 8, 15:00 CEDT (09:00 EDT)
The 89ers posted a 5-5 record in 2019, but their offense was far from average. The 89ers averaged 43 points a game behind stellar play from quarterback Alexander Kronborg. Kronborg threw for 3,619 yard and 52 touchdowns. Returning in 2020 along with Kronborg will be his favorite target wide receiver Mads Christiansen, who had 1,177 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. Balancing out the offense will be running back Breon Allen who returns to Aalborg after scoring an impressive 24 touchdowns last season.
Head coach Jakob Zinck Thellufsen:
“We want to keep our high performance on offense, and we have almost all the same pieces back, plus some new additions, so it’s going to be interesting”.
On defense, the 89ers need to improve their 35.4 points allowed per game average. Anchoring the defense will be longtime 89er Jeppe Haals. Haals and the defense will be helped by former West Alabama defensive back Rashad Greene. Greene was a versatile player for the Tigers playing cornerback, wide receiver, and returning kicks. Look for him to show off his athleticism week one.
The Gold Diggers are coming off of a 8-2 season where they reached the semifinals before losing a tight game to the eventual champion Triangle Razorbacks. Søllerød will have some fresh faces on the 2020 squad starting with quarterback Tanner Gueller (Idaho State). Gueller had an impressive collegiate career throwing for 74 touchdowns and over 9 thousand yards. Catching passes from Geuller will be new Spanish tight end Adria Botella. The 6’5 Botella had 436 yards and two touchdowns for the Allgau Comets in 2019 (German Football League).
Defensively the Gold Diggers will be adding a new few reinforcements. Three vital new players are David Strobel, a Swedish national team defensive lineman, former Sioux Falls defensive end Logan Dykstra, and linebacker Kody Graves who made 98 tackles while playing with Geuller at Idaho State.
Gold Diggers general manager Casper Reinhardt and head coach Troels Vestergaard, have gathered an impressive lineup of new imports, who they hope propel them to the Title.
“This year’s group of imports, is something unique. Not only have we managed to recruit really high caliber football players, but also high quality people who’re going to help us grow and improve. We’ve set out to improve our culture and so far these guys have done nothing else but impress us.”
Today’s game could be foreshadowing this year’s playoffs as both team are looking to build on successful 2019 campaigns. It will be interesting to see how the experience of the 89ers matches up against the Gold Diggers and their new players!
Watch the game live here. AaB 89ers @ Søllerød Gold Diggers, Aug. 8, 15:00 CEDT (09:00 EDT)
Søllerød Gold Diggers roster
