The Augsburg Raptors are unstoppable

It is a well-rehearsed ritual among the American football players of the Augsburg Raptors that after a victory, one of them grabs the club flag. Then he sprints up and down two or three times in front of the main stand at the TSG Augsburg facility to the cheers of the spectators.

On Sunday, the cheers of the more than 500 Raptors fans were particularly loud. With the 34:16 (7:0, 7:8, 6:0, 14:8) victory against the Erlangen Sharks in the play-off quarter-finals, the Augsburg team took the first step towards the championship and the associated promotion to the Regionalliga.

Königsbrunner Ants lose against the next opponent of the Raptors

It was a relatively safe victory for the second-placed team from Augsburg in the south against the third-placed team from Erlangen in the north. It looks like the southern group is stronger than the northern group in the play-offs for the Bavarian League championship this year. Only the Königsbrunner Ants had to admit defeat to the northern champions Hemhofen Gechers with 0:13 (0:7, 0:0, 0:0, 0:6). The southern champions Munich Cowboys II won 29:7 against the Bamberg Bucks, while the Bad Tölz Capricorns won in Nuremberg with 16:13.

The Augsburg defense dominated the Erlangen Sharks

At the TSG Augsburg facility, the American footballers are a division of the Lechhausen club, the Raptors’ careful preparation during the four-week break from league play was quickly noticeable. “Erlangen has a very old, physical playbook that you no longer find in the league,” says Metzler. The Raptors’ answer to this was a fixed blocking scheme. Metzler: “Every player in our defense knew exactly which players to use and he had to stick to it consistently.” The actions of the Augsburg defenders also rarely found a way through for the Erlangen players. And on offense, the receivers were reliable. “Lennard Rötzer, Fabian Hinz and Fabian Fellenberg are great guys from our own youth team,” enthused Metzler. And so the guests from Franconia found no recipe against the concentrated play of the Augsburgers. “It was real old-school football and we were prepared for it,” said Metzler happily.

The Augsburg Raptors now face the Hemhofen Gechers

The Raptors now need two more wins to win the championship. In the semifinals they will now face the Hemhofener Gechers. The Middle Franconians beat the Königsbrunner Ants. “It must have been really close until the fourth quarter,” Metzler has already gathered some initial information. Video sequences are now being organized to prepare for the away game in Hemhofen on September 21 or 22. The semifinals are not exactly over yet. Metzler is not afraid of the trip to the small community, which is eleven kilometers northwest of Erlangen. “After the victory against the Erlangen Sharks, I am very confident,” says the experienced football official. “Erlangen beat Hemhofen in the league, we can do it too.”