American Football: Delmenhorst Bulldogs defeat Rendsburg

Since their founding in 2018, the Delmenhorst Bulldogs have already achieved a lot and set attendance records. Now there were two new experiences for the American footballers: for the first time, they stayed overnight in a hotel before an away game, but above all, they reached the playoffs for the first time. The Bulldogs won 17:8 (10:8) against the Rendsburg Black Knights, thereby securing their place in the playoffs. “That was a good performance. We are now the series winners and are concentrating on the playoffs,” said coach Tyrus Morgan. With a record of 7:1 wins, the Bulldogs prevailed in their state league series. Now they want to win the championship and achieve the associated promotion to the association league.

“The record used to build the seeding list for the playoffs is most likely better for Delmenhorst than that of the group winners of the two parallel groups,” said team spokesman Michael Kerzel. Who will win the other groups will not be decided until next weekend. It is already certain that the Emhusen Windmills will advance to the playoff semi-finals as the best group runner-up and will probably face the Bulldogs. The two teams have already played against each other twice this season, with the away team winning each time. Delmenhorst now wants to break this streak to advance to the final. In all likelihood, the Bulldogs will once again have home advantage in the final, regardless of who wins the second semi-final. The Flensburg Sealords will probably host the Hannover Grizzlies II. The Hamburg Wild Tigers and the Wolfenbüttel Black Wolves still have outside chances of a place in the semi-finals.

Sander scores touchdown

After staying overnight in a hotel in Kiel, the Bulldogs played in Rendsburg with a small team. The hosts took an 8-0 lead with a touchdown and a subsequent two-point conversion. Delmenhorst quickly countered with a touchdown from Fabian Sander after a pass from quarterback René Post. This was followed by a field goal from Deniz Altuntas, so that the guests went into the locker room with a narrow 10-8 lead. “We had a mixed first half,” said Morgan. In the second half, the Bulldogs only found their rhythm on offense late. Sander scored after a screen pass from Post in the fourth quarter to make it 17-8 and thus secured the preliminary decision, while Delmenhorst did not allow anything more at the back. “The defense played a great second half,” praised Morgan.

After the game, the head coach immediately focused on the playoffs and the likely opponent: “Emhusen is a really well-coached team that is also very talented,” said Morgan. His team must focus on the basics and play “basic football.” “We will be well prepared for all opponents that come,” promised Morgan, who is already looking forward to the first playoff game in Delmenhorst’s history: “We have a great fan base, for which we are very grateful. Maybe we’ll crack the 1,000 mark.” Spectators in the semifinals. If there are no big surprises, the Bulldogs will face the Windmills on Sunday, October 13. The association has scheduled the final for October 19 or 20.

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