Broken bone, big deficit: Dramatic finale at American football in Görlitz

Done, happy and surrounded by cheerleaders – the Görlitzer Grizzlies celebrate their promotion. © Photo: Hans-Ernst Friedrich

In order to secure the championship title in the 5th League East early, the Görlitz Grizzlies needed one last win. This should definitely be celebrated at the last home game of the season this weekend against the Vogtland Rebels – in front of the home crowd.

600 fans made the pilgrimage to the Stadion der Freundschaft on Saturday. They saw that with the score at 17:14 for Görlitz, seconds before the end, the football was less than two yards from the Görlitz end zone. If the Vogtlanders managed to carry the ball over the baseline, it would be the first league defeat for the Grizzlies, and the promotion celebration would have to be postponed.

The spectators, and especially the Görlitz teammates, held their breath. The Vogtlanders’ snap was successful, and a visiting player, supported by his pushing teammates, tried with all his might to somehow carry the ball into the end zone – but the Görlitz defense players threw themselves against it with everything they had. The Rebels’ attempt failed. And when they put the football down for another attempt, the head referee blew the whistle to end the game. The game time was up. 17:14 final score, victory, promotion.

The players and fans needed a second to understand this. Then all the dams broke. The cheers were huge. The Görlitz team is moving up to the 4th American Football League, where they will face tough competitors next year, such as the Dresden Monarchs II, the Chemnitz Crusaders, the Radebeul Foxes, the Leipzig Hawks and the Jenaer Hanfrieds.

Daniel Kislicyn, who launched the American Football project a good two years ago and led the team as head coach and quarterback undefeated through the sixth and now fifth league, said after the game: “I am extremely proud of this team, of every single player. I never thought that we would get through this season so well. The two home games against the Vogtland Rebels in particular were extremely close.”

The game also showed how difficult all of this is – and how much work remains to be done for the next higher league. The Vogtland Rebels marched across the field with their first right of attack (drive) and a lot of running and managed the first touchdown with an extra point. The Görlitz team seemed just as difficult to stop. When they were already close to the end zone, the first major mishap occurred. A snap (return to the quarterback) was way too high. Kislicyn was just able to secure the ball, but the loss of space was huge. It was still enough for a field goal from a relatively long distance, which kicker Lukas Braun scored (3:7).

The Görlitz defense did a great job after that, but the Görlitz team couldn’t get through either. The second mishap happened when the Görlitz team wanted to punt on a fourth attempt, but this snap was also too high. The ball landed in their own end zone. Kicker Braun tried to kick the ball forward over the sideline, but didn’t hit the uncontrolled bouncing ball properly. A Vogtlander was able to secure the ball, touchdown for the guests. “It would have been better if he had secured the ball or kicked it out of the back of the end zone, then it would have only been two points for the Vogtlanders,” explains Kislicyn. But as it was, including the extra point, the score was 3:14.

Titus Seeliger (No. 7) and Oliver Bahr celebrate the second Görlitz touchdown, which ultimately brought victory, with a typical American football cheer. © Photo: Hans-Ernst Friedrich

There was still some time left in the first half. This time, the Görlitz team, who once again relied almost exclusively on their running game, moved all over the field, and after the two-minute warning (two minutes left in the game) they always had an eye on the clock thanks to their own timeouts, and actually managed to score the next touchdown to make it 10:14 shortly before halftime. Running back Oliver Bahr was practically pushed into the end zone by the strong offensive linemen.

In the second half, the Görlitz defense was great and hardly allowed anything. In the third quarter, the Görlitz team managed a series of running plays that gained a lot of ground. When they were close to the end zone, a serious injury to the Görlitz offense captain interrupted the game. He had broken his arm and had to be taken off the field by the ambulance and taken to the hospital.

After the restart, the Görlitz team managed to score a touchdown to take the lead: They had lured the Vogtland defense to the right side, then ran via Titus Seeliger over the left side into the end zone – 17:14.

The Görlitz defense stopped the visitors’ attack again, but the Görlitz team missed the chance to decide the game: “The Vogtlanders read us well. It was already the third game against each other. In the end, we were not variable enough, made too many small mistakes and also received unnecessary penalties, which repeatedly set us back,” explains Kislicyn.

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The Vogtlanders were given the right to attack again, failed in three attempts and sent their punt team onto the field with a good two minutes to go to kick the ball deep into the Görlitz field. The Görlitzers fell for this fake – this was the third mishap of the afternoon. After a long run, the Vogtlanders were only stopped at the twelve-yard mark and after the two-minute warning without their own timeout had three more attempts to carry the ball into the end zone. But the Görlitz defense held – until the liberating whistle came.

The two remaining games of this season are now the first preparation games for the new season for the Görlitz team. Players who have had little playing time so far should prove themselves in order to increase the range for the new season with significantly more games. And Johannes Konrad, the current backup quarterback, will gain match practice. Kislicyn is considering not playing quarterback himself in the new season, but instead playing receiver or running back, where there is more physical contact. But for now, these are still thoughts for the future. After such a success, it is time to celebrate.