The 2023 German Football League season will draw to a close this weekend as the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns will face the Potsdam Royals in the GFL Bowl.
In a rematch of last year’s championship game, which saw the Unicorns come away with a 44-27 win, the Royals enter this game as favorites after an incredible 11-1 season.
The GFL season opener featured a matchup between the two teams, in which Potsdam made a statement with a 44-30 victory. Royals quarterback Jaylon Henderson sent shockwaves around the league in his debut, throwing five touchdown passes against the reigning champions.
Henderson went on to become one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the game, sitting second in rushing touchdowns (12) while also being the most accurate passer in the league with a completion percentage of 74.0% and just shy of 4,000 passing yards. His TD:INT ratio of 49:3 puts an exclamation point on his near-perfect debut season in the GFL.
Despite a rough start to their season, the Unicorns managed to turn their season around. After losing almost half of their roster and coaching staff to the Stuttgart Surge of the European League of Football, Schwäbisch Hall somehow managed to return to being one of the top teams in the league as they would go on to win eight straight games before closing out their season with a close loss against the Saarland Hurricanes.
Offensively, veteran running back Mike Gentili has been a crucial contributor to the Unicorns’ success, ranking third in the league with 1,123 rushing yards and leading the league with an impressive 7.2 yards per attempt.
Where Schwäbisch Hall have really stood out, however, is on the other side of the ball. Ranking first in interceptions (23), fumble recoveries (15), sacks (28) and defensive touchdowns (6), the Unicorns have been a force to be reckoned with on defense. Monteze Latimore has been responsible for a huge part of this success, picking off a mind-boggling 11 balls and returning four to the house.
The two teams will face off on Saturday as the Royals look to crown themselves GFL champions while the Unicorns attempt to defend their title.
Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns vs Potsdam Royals
Oct. 14, 17:00 CET (5 pm, 11 am EDT)
