The Dusseldorf Panther (0-1) will try to find their first win of the season Saturday, May 11 when they host the Hildesheim Invaders (1-0) at Stadion Benrath, in Dusseldorf in the second full weekend of play in the German Football League.
Newcomers to the GFL this year after a four year absence, the Panther opened the season on the road last week, losing to the Dresden Monarchs 49-13. In that game, quarterback Christian Strong (Seton Hill) completed 24 of 50 passes for 338 yards and one touchdown. However, the running game was virtually non-existent for Dusseldorf as they gained a total of 20 yards on the ground. WR Féli Manoka, who was one of the leading receivers in the GFL in 2018, caught 4 passes for 125 yards.
Hildesheim looked like a title contender last week in a 50-28 win over the Potsdam Royals. Four-time title winning quarterback Casey Therriault, in his first game back in the GFL in two years, shook the rust off early, throwing for 475 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for another. Wide receivers Jaleel Awini (129 yds) and Nathaniel Morris (227 yds) caught a pair of touchdown passes each while Anthony Dablé-Wolf (114 yds) caught one. Linebacker Phil Gamble added a touchdown on a three yard run.
With the Invaders high-powered offense looking impressive already, the Panther will be hard pressed in this game.
