The Hildesheim Invaders make their much anticipated 2019 German Football League debut on the road as they head to Potsdam, Germany to take on the Potsdam Royals on Saturday, May 4.
Hildesheim finished seventh in the North division in 2019 with a 4-10 record while the Royals were fifth at 6-8-1. The two teams faced each other twice in 2018, splitting the series. Potsdam won the first encounter 56-0 while Hildesheim gained some revenge later in the year with a 14-0 win.
Potsdam came out of the gates on fire in 2018 but cooled down as the season progressed. Still they were in playoff contention until very late. Head coach Michael Vogt has brought in QB Cody Williams, (Monmouth) DL Michael Reynolds, WR Keevan Lucas ( Tulsa). They lost a pair of starters – WR Max Zimmermann and LB Thiadric Hansen – to the Canadian Football Leaguebut have signed Sweden’s top receiver, WR Jacob Dahre.
The team that has undergone the biggest change in the offseason would have to be the Hildesheim Invaders. In 2018, their second year in the GFL, they barely improved on their 3-11 record in the first year. Head coach HC Matt Lefever has obviously been given freer rein with the check book as he talked all star QB Casey Therriault out of a one-year retirement. Therriault from Jackson State University, won 5 titles with the New Yorker Lions and is widely acknowledged to be one of the finest quarterbacks to have ever played in Europe. LeFever’s sales skills also enticed standout French WR Anthony Dable-Wolf (New Yorker Lions, New York Giants) to join the Invaders and re-signed WR Jaleel Awini who collected 306 receiving yards in 5 games last year. Outstanding French DL Mamadou Sy has also been convinced to leave the Lions and join Hildesheim.
