In the final game of this weekend’s German Football League action, the 2-2 Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns will host the 2-3 Straubing Spiders at Optima Sportpark.
This season has been somewhat of a rebuild year for the previous dynasty of the Unicorns, opening up their season with a home loss to the Potsdam Royals before falling to the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions in week three. The Unicorns’ two wins both came against the Ingolstadt Dukes, most recently by a score of 40-26.
The win against Ingolstadt saw a mixed performance through the air, with Ian Gehrke going for 204 yards with a score and an interception. The receiving threat was relatively one-dimensional; Caleb Schweigart caught five balls for 92 yards and a score.
Watch live PPV. Straubing Spiders @ Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, July 2, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 9 am EDT)
Gehrke sits near the bottom of the table in all QB stats aside from interceptions, where he appears second with eight turnovers.
Where Schwäbisch Hall were successful, however, is the run game. Cristian Insua had a breakout game, taking 11 carries for 78 yards and three touchdowns – all of which are season highs.
THROWBACK 🔥🙌🏻 What a weekend, what a win! Das Homecoming Game gegen die Ingolstadt Dukes war sehr spannend, unsere Jungs haben Vollgas gegeben und sich den Sieg verdient. More U than ever!#unicornsfootball #moreUthanever
🎥 Dremaze Media pic.twitter.com/zeYLafmba1— Unicorns Football (@unicornsfootbal) June 21, 2023
Straubing’s season has been far from ideal, with their only wins coming against the Munich Cowboys and the Ravensburg Razorbacks, both of whom have just one singular win on the season.
Their most recent game was a 39-20 win over the Cowboys, where their defensive performance was the main standout; Adehkeem Brown finished the game with three interceptions and two pass breakups.
On offense the Spiders have struggled to find the endzone all season, averaging just 17.4 points per game, putting their offense in the bottom three of the GFL. Kamal Cass has been a bright spot however, holding second place in the league for yards (493) and touchdowns (4).
The Spiders will look to even out their record as they travel to face the Unicorns.