Dresden. Head coach Ulrich Däuber was previously confident of victory and his protégés did not leave him standing in the drizzle of Dresden: The Dresden Monarchs celebrated a mandatory victory and made it through to the playoff semifinals for the German American Football Championship with a sovereign performance. On Saturday they defeated the Allgäu Comets 50:13 (14: 0, 17: 0, 14: 7, 5: 6) in the quarter-final game of the German Football League (GFL) in the local Heinz-Steyer-Stadion.
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“I didn’t quite expect it,” said “Ulz” Däuber after the one-sided encounter and said about the guests from Kempten: “I thought they were a little stronger. I knew your defensive line was good. They showed that. We always had problems on the offensive. ”Nevertheless, it should be enough for four touchdowns by the“ Royal ”until half-time. Darrell Stewart, Devwah Whaley, Anthony Brooks and Robin Wilzeck shone with possession in the end zone. Kicker Florian Finke not only got the four extra points, but also scored a field goal over the distance of 46 yards – 31: 0 was the clear break for the hosts.
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Defense the key to clear success
Also because the opposing attackers did not get a chance and hardly worked their way across the center line. “Our defense clearly dominated,” said Ulrich Däuber happily. “I don’t know if they even did first downs, although Glen is a very good running back.” This refers to the Briton Glen Toonga, previously in the service of the Monarchs. The game was too focused on him, which was also due to the fact that his compatriot Sam Huxtable turned out to be too limited a game designer for a GFL quarter-finals. “The quarterback couldn’t throw. There’s not much you can do about that. But that’s their problem, not ours, ”Däuber had also recognized and his men adjusted accordingly.
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In the third quarter, the Monarchs then made 45-0 with further touchdowns from Devwah Whaley and Robin Wilzeck, before Däuber let his second row off the leash. Huxtable used this to show his skills and served Brandon Kohn. Only 45: 7, but still a comfortable lead. Florian Finke built it up to 48: 7 with his second field goal of the day in the final quarter, whereupon the Allgäu were able to score again. The final point, however, was set by the Dresdeners two minutes before the end with a safety from Vincent Kanig, who brought two points to the 50:13 final result.
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Coach Däubler praises his offense – the goal is the German Bowl
“The backups were also good,” said Ulrich Däuber, praising his complementary players. “You allowed two touchdowns. But for them I am always happy that they come back on the field. They also struggled with a strong D-Line, but still moved the ball. ”But he was particularly impressed by his first team around quarterback KJ Carta-Samuels. “With all the guns, especially offensively, this is the strongest team we’ve had so far,” assesses the 51-year-old head coach, who took over the Monarchs after the end of the 2017 season.
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Now there is only one step left to the season’s goal, the German Bowl in Frankfurt / Main. The monarchs want to go to it next Saturday at 3 p.m. It will be the last major sporting event in the venerable Heinz Steyer Stadium before its renovation and the monarchs want to fill it up with fans again. Who will be the opponent in this semifinals will be decided this Sunday at the meeting between the south-second Saarland Hurricanes and the north-third Cologne Crocodiles. “We know that we have to win if we want to get into the German Bowl. We don’t care who we play against, ”says“ Ulz ”Däuber.
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Dresden’s self-confidence is great
After this game, his team, which will train normally on Tuesday and Thursday next week, will go into the next encounter with great self-confidence. “We talked about winning on Thursday in training. It’s just a question of how we win, ”said Däuber. And the “how” was also convincing this time. He doesn’t want to look at the German Bowl yet, but only has the next Saturday in view: “We have to do our homework next week, otherwise it doesn’t matter what we’re dreaming of.”
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