The Braunschweig New Yorker Lions (7-5), the #3 seed in the GFL North, will face the GFL South’s second seed, the Ravensburg Razorbacks (7-5) in the final quarterfinal matchup of the German Football League season.
The Razorbacks enter the game on a five game winning streak while Braunschweig won two of their last four.
Both teams opened the season with losses only to improve as the year progressed.
For Ravensburg, the season picked up after an early slump. They lost a close one, 31-28, to the conference leading Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns after beating the Allgäu Comets 46-20. They had opened the season with tough losses to the Comets, 52-28, Straubing Spiders 14-3, Saarland Hurricanes, 44-32 and Hildesheim Invaders 31-30. In between they defeated the Munich Cowboys 32-17. They then went on a roll winning five straight to end the season.
Watch live PPV. New Yorker Lions @ Ravensburg Razorbacks, Sept. 22, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 9 am EDT)
After opening the season with three straight losses, the Lions then won five straight before succumbing to the Dresden Monarchs 17-15. They earned a walkover win over the Berlin Adler who forfeited all their games. However , they suffered a 59-0 pummeling at the hands of the Potsdam Royals. However, they finished the regular season with a 22-21 win over the Hildesheim Invaders to climb into third.
For the Razorbacks, Broghean McGovern has thrown for 2,626 yards and 30 touchdowns with Michael Mayer as his main target with 45 catches for 721 yards and seven scores. Pierre Moudourou has 40 receptions for 685 yards and six touchdowns. Running back Lennies McFerren has rushed for 791 yards and six touchdowns in the 11 games he has played in.
For Braunschweig, there has been a revolving door at the quarterback spot. Lamar Jordan started the final regular season game of the year, the win over Hildesheim, throwing for 164 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 94 yards and another two scores. Donovan Ismo had started seven straight games, but suffered a concussion early in the game against the Adler and did not play against Potsdam or Hildesheim. His status is not certain. If he can’t go, either Jordan or young David Shafir will step in. The leading receiver for the Lions so far has been Luc Meacham who has 37 catches for 498 yards and three scores.
This game is a toss up. Both teams have undergone significant improvement during the season. However, a pressure-filled playoff game is familiar territory for Lions head coach Troy Tomlin and his experience may be the deciding factor.