By Brad Duff
Saturday, June 10th will see the 3-0 Berlin Rebels host the 2-0 Potsdam Royals in the fourth week of German Football League action.
The Rebels are coming off a tight victory over the Dresden Monarchs, with Berlin walking away with a 30-23 win.
In what was a very pass-heavy game, with Tyrese Johnson-Fisher being held to just 16 yards on seven attempts, Connor Kaegi took the spotlight in a passing duel with Monarchs’ quarterback Steven Duncan.
Kaegi passed for 321 yards and three touchdowns, all three of which going to Bryce Goggin, who racked up an impressive 211 yards. While Dresden’s offense managed to match and even surpass these impressive numbers, with Duncan going for 352 yards (Austin Mitchell claiming 226 of them), the pass is also where Berlin won the game; with the game tied 23-23 in the final quarter, Deji Agbana picked off Duncan and returned it to house, giving the Rebels a late lead, which they managed to hold onto. Robert Kendall also snagged his own interception earlier in the game, as well as leading the team in tackles.
Potsdam have also looked to be one of the strongest sides in the GFL, with their Jaylon Henderson-led offense leading the league in points-per-game (43.5).
After Henderson’s electric GFL debut which saw him pass for an impressive five touchdowns while dethroning the then-unbeaten-at-home Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, last weekend saw a humble 100-yard performance and a single touchdown as Potsdam breezed past the Paderborn Dolphins.
GAME REPORT 👑
Der Royals Laufangriff ist zu viel für die Dolphins – nächste Woche geht's zum Spitzenspiel bei den noch ungeschlagenen Rebelshttps://t.co/gkqKLQbJh0
— Potsdam Royals (@PotsdamRoyals) June 4, 2023
The run game, which we didn’t see as much of in week one, was what really overpowered the Dolphins, with the Royals’ offensive line helping create 265 net rushing yards, split mostly between Gennadiy Adams and Heiko Bals, who claimed two touchdowns each.
Paderborn had no such luck, with a net total of four rushing yards on the day, showing the dominance Potsdam had up front defensively. Yago Rivero was a standout in the front-seven, laying claim to two sacks and two tackles-for-loss.
With both teams looking to continue their win streak and prove the legitimacy of their German Bowl hopes, this is sure to be an exciting matchup.