The winless (0-11) Hamburg Huskies will be trying to avoid a relegation playoff game when they play host to the 3-8 Hildesheim Invaders August 25 at Hammer Park Stadion, in Hamburg in German Football League play.
Hamburg sits dead last in the GFL North standings with the Invaders right above in seventh, but with three wins, including a 23-9 victory over the Huskies in mid June. To avoid playing in a relegation game, Hamburg would have to win their last three games while the Invaders would have to lose.
In the 23-9 Hildesheim win over the Huskies earlier in the season, Hamburg quarterback Moritz Maack threw for 122 yards while running back Colby Goodwyn rushed for 164 yards and was a factor despite the loss. However, offensive coordinator, Kirk Heidelberg has a quarterbacking dilemma as neither Maack nor original starter, Quentin Williams, has shown any consistency. Maack has thrown for 478 yards in his four starts and 668 overall. Meanwhile, Williams in seven games as a starter has thrown for 604 yards. Goodwyn is thus carrying a heavy load and remains the third leading rusher in Germany with 859 yards.
The Invaders had won three games in a row before being brought down to earth by the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes two weeks ago. Last week, Hildesheim was blanked by the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions 49-0.
In last week’s game, Invaders quarterback Tyler Johnson threw for just 99 yards and the week before in losing to the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes completed just 15 of 35 passes for 130 yards and found himself under pressure the entire game. Receiver Jaleel Awini (formerly with the Frankfurt Universe in 2017) has only played five games but is already the second leading receiver for the Invaders with 302 yards.
Before losing their last two games, the Invaders had won three in a row. They won the last two games before the four week GFL break including a stunning 14-0 shut out of the Potsdam Royals on July 7.
Two teams desperate for a win will face each other in Hamburg. Hildesheim Invaders @Hamburg Huskies, August 25, 4p (10a ET)
