The 6-2 Dresden Monarchs, Europe #5 will play host to the 2-5-1 Potsdam Royals Saturday, August 3 as the German Football League heads into the latter half of the season.
Dresden had no trouble beating the Dusseldorf Panther last week, 38-7 while the Royals suffered their fifth loss of the year and fifth game without a win in losing 26-14 to the Cologne Crocodiles.
Dresden had rebounded from their two losses in early June beating the Potsdam Royals 33-13 after getting a 42-7 win over the Cologne Crocodiles. They had been on a two-game losing streak. They were beaten by the Hildesheim Invaders 31-27 after leading most of the game. They lost their first game of the year six weeks ago, dropping a narrow 34-31 decision to the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions. The Monarchs had won three straight, including 49-13 over the Dusseldorf Panther, 42-14 over the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes and a 17-0 shutout of the Cologne Crocodiles.
Monarchs quarterback Zach Greenlee threw for 395 yards and 5 TDs last week against Dusseldorf bringing his season total to 2,245 yards and 21 TDs. He had returned for the last two games before the break after missing the Hildesheim game the week before. He had been replaced by Glen Cuiellette in the loss to Hildesheim. Greenlee is second the GFL in yards per game, 320.7. The top receiver for the Monarchs is Kevonn Mabon who has 65 receptions for 1,111 yards and 11 touchdowns and is second in the league in receiving yards per game (138.9 yds/game). British RB Glen Toonga has rushed for 415 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. Linebacker AJ Wentland leads a tough Dresden defense and is again the leading tackler in the GFL with 113 tackles averaging 14.1 tackles (!) per game.
Potsdam has gone winless since May 18 when they beat Dusseldorf 34-17. That’s a span of five games and includes a 28-28 tie with the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes.
Before losing to Cologne, the Royals had been coming off a 33-13 loss to the Dresden Monarchs following a 28-28 tie with the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes which saw them rally to score late in the game to earn the tie. They had suffered back-to-back losses to the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions, 35-14 and 46-7. Potsdam had dropped their opening game to the Hildesheim Invaders, losing 50-28, but rebounded in beating the Berlin Rebels 30-17. They then downed the Dusseldorf Panther 34-17 before losing to Braunschweig.
Potsdam is struggling with quarterback injuries resulting in a true revolving door at that position.Sam Straub who had started his fourth game last week, suffered a concussion after throwing for 94 yards and is doubtful for today’s game. His replacement has not been named although Paul Zimmermann who has played this season, could be the candidate. The receiving corps has struggled. Against the Monarchs earlier this season, running back Gennadiy Adams was the leading receiver with 77 yards on six catches. He also had 106 yards rushing in that tame so he could be the key today. Wide receiver Keevan Lucas did not have a catch last week while Timothy Knuttel is now the second leading receiver with 386 yards. Adams has given the Royals a rushing attack and has carried the ball 131 times for 611 yards and 9 TDs and is the second leading rusher in the GFL in average yards per game (76.4). Another key addition has been LB Dustin Illetschko who anchors the front seven. He has already recorded 82 tackles in eight games.
