Neu-Ulm Spartans Dominate Season Opener with 48-7 Victory: Head Coach Warns “The Big Pieces Are Still to Come”

The Neu-Ulm Spartans, the American football cracks of TSV 1880 Neu-Ulm, showed themselves in top form in the first game of the championship season in the Regionalliga Süd (3rd league). The score at the end of this home game at the start of the season was 48:07 (8pm / 2pm / 7am / 7:07am). The hosts, newly promoted Passau Pirates, never had the slightest chance against the brutal hosts and for a long time they could not even get into Spartans’ half of the field. But head coach Daniel Koch warns against arrogance: “The big pieces are still to come.”

The spectators in the packed stands in the Dietrich Lang Sports Center felt very happy, they were eager to hear and strongly supported their team, mostly with the support of the very energetic Impact cheerleaders. As usual, the organization of the sporting event went smoothly thanks to the large number of volunteers in the Spartans Arena – and the weather could not have been better.

In the first series of attacks, the attack of the Spartans showed how ready the teams of the third division of Neu-Ulm (promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga is planned) are for the season. Seven strong runs by Dirk Mainka (#34) and Mike Höchsmann (#16) covered 75 yards and Dirk Mainka finished over eight yards for the Spartans’ first touchdown in 2024.
The defenders of Neu-Ulm did not want to be lower than that. After three attempts by Passau’s offense around quarterback Andrew Griffin to get nowhere, Adam Benkovic (#98) blocked the opponent’s punt in the end zone. Linebacker Philipp Orlogi (#3) threw himself at the free egg – Spartans defense. The next series of attacks by the hosts was also caught in the buck, the Spartans offense came on the field in a promising position and now poured in nice passes to join the strong run . Quarterback (QB) Hunter Sturgeon (#7) served to Daniel Nässler (#89) for the third touchdown, Dirk Mainka added a 2-point conversion, the score was 20:00 for the Spartans at the end of the first season
Even though it looked briefly as if the guests were getting into the game better, the Spartans quickly dashed those hopes. A nice pass from QB Sturgeon to team captain Patrick Schempf (#9), a run by the Sturgeon playmaker, a second 2-point conversion from Dirk Mainka and an interception from Elias Mauritius (#23) made it clear 34:00 Halftime .
Head coach Daniel Koch’s summary of the break: “We played very disciplined. Mental errors, high speed and 0 penalties almost ensured a clear position early on.
In the second half, the Spartans brought more young talent to the field after the defense continued to stop early attacks and another great pass from Sturgeon to Schempf and an extra point from kicker Mike Höchsmann made it 41:00. Sturgeon ran another touchdown (Höchsmann’s extra point) and the hosts also got a respectable goal in the last minute. Final score 48:07 for strong Spartans.
New offensive coordinator Turner Sturgeon (brother of the Spartans QB, who is playing his third season in Neu-Ulm) was very happy with his first time in local football: “Great win. The team played very well, and in the winter the new versions added well to what I saw last year. With so many good players in the offense, we have a lot of options.”
And head coach Koch, who is in charge of defense, is also euphoric: “I don’t remember the last time we executed such a good game plan in defense. Passau scored 38 points per game last year and today against us except for the last series This was due to the high pressure from the defensive line around Steffen Ganghof (#91), but especially on the defensive backs with Joshua Bocksrocker (#22), Elias Mauritius, Nicolas Prinz (#6) and Jona Flaig (#28).””
How this performance can be classified in the overall context of the league will become clear next Saturday. Then the Spartans travel to the Franken Knights, who have strengthened their staff with American imports and, together with the Nuremberg Rams, may be the toughest opponents.