Swedish Season Kicks Off This Weekend: Who Will Topple the Carlstad Crusaders?
[tps_title]PREVIEW: Svenska Amerikansk Fotbollförbundet[/tps_title]
[tps_header]Örebro Black Knights[/tps_header]
Örebro is entering its fifth season after returning to Sweden’s Super Series in 2011. So far the team has been a success having reached the playoffs all four seasons and the championship game the last two, unfortunately having had to face Carlstad both times. But behind the entrepreneurial leadership of Micael Jönsson they have set a new marketing and recruiting standard for American football in Sweden.
However, the off season saw Jönsson take a step back for personal reasons and relinquish his leadership role to Ida Jensen. Nevertheless the team has continued recruiting and brought in a number of highly talented imports, both Swedish and otherwise.
New head coach Randy Beverly Jr., has been busy for the past week getting to know his team having just arrived from Norway. His new quarterback should please him as Grant Welp was a USA College Football D-III 1st-TEAM All-American at Franklin College. He threw for almost 3,500 yards in 2014 and 32 touchdowns.
In fact, the Black Knights have become a mecca for import players. No fewer than 10 players with experience from other countries have joined the club including Welp and American linebacker Mike Kagafas. The club has also found the Murphy twins, linebackers Eric and Joshua Murphy, who hold both Swedish and American passports. Fropm Serbia Dusan Radojevic, Milos Lisanin and Nikola Savic have arrived joining veteran Black Knight Serbian wideout Marko Nesovic who returns for a third season. Two other returning players include Cesar Hebel from France and Finnish two-way lineman Veikka Lehtonen.
Welp will have plenty of quality receivers to throw to including veteran and leader Johan Stål along with Jacob Grufman, Mike Hadley, Jimmy Palmborg, Nati Habte and Cesar Hebel. This is as good a receiving corps as there is in Sweden. At running back Veikka Lehtonen and veteran Anton Källvik will see a lot of playing time. They will be running behind an excellent offensive line led by the Serbian trio Nesovic, Radojevic and Savic.
On defense the Murphy brothers at linebacker will be joined by Kagafas. The defensive line will rely on Aleksi Nystrom, Serb import Milos Lisanin and Erik Törnblom. Defensive backs will include Philip Berglund and Johan Lindahl but Johan Stål, who will be playing both ways, will bolster the secondary.
Despite not signing head coach Berverly until last week, the Black Knights seem poised to challenge for the Swedish title again.
