Germany’s New Yorkers Lions have started their season with a dominant 20-6 victory over the Amsterdam Crusaders in a Big6 match-up in Amsterdam.
In the win, (7-0; 3-0; 3-0; 7-6), the team from Braunschweig gave the Crusaders no chances, only allowing them to march into their own territory and ultimately score in the fourth quarter. However, the the Lions offense showed a lot room for improvement, as penalties and inconsistent play kept the German Football League‘s 4-time defending champions from putting more points on the scoreboard.
The Crusaders could not take advantage of their choice to receive the opening kickoff, as an early third and out gave the ball back to the Lions. Their drive was stopped when a pass by quarterback Casey Therriault was intercepted in the Crusaders end zone.
The fans at Sportpark Sloten had to wait until the end of the first quarter to see some scoring, as when Braunschweig’s running back David McCants crossed the goal line from five yards out, the PAT from kicker Tobias Goebel was good. The Goebel increased the lead before halftime with a short field goal. 10-0 Lions going at the half.
Coming out of the break, the Lions brought the ball back into field goal range with some spectacular catches by receivers Niklas Römer and Christian Bollman, thus once again setting up Goebel for a successful 45-yard field goal.
In the last quarter the Lions’ defense remained to stay dominant, as they time after time refused to let the Crusaders score and continued to dominate the field position game. The Lions offensive unit converted one more chance into a score when McCants plunged into the end-zone with a nine-yard run. Tobias Goebel kicked his second PAT to make the score 20-0.
Photos: Bob de Calonne
Following this score, the Crusaders were finally able to put a nice effort together and began to move the ball downfield step by step, crowning that achievement with a touchdown by receiver Ashneal Werlemann. With a successful clock management, the Lions ran out the clock, securing the 20-6 victory.
Braunschweig will next face Spain’s Badalona Dracs on April 29 in the next leg of the Big6. The Lions are looking to get back to Eurobowl XXXI and a repeat as a champion for a third consecutive time. The Amsterdam Crusaders will face the Dracs on May 13 in their next Big6 game.
Braunschweig opens their GFL schedule May 6 against the Hamburg Huskies. The Badalona Dracs play the Valencia Giants next week in the Sant Jordi Bowl.
Scoring Summary
12:07 5-yard TD run D. McCants (PAT T. Goebel)
12:10 27 yard field goal T. Goebel
12:13 45 yard field goal T. Goebel
12:20 9 yard TD run D. McCants (Pat T. Goebel)
06:20 7 yard TD pass Keith Ray Ashneal Werkelmann