The ifm Razorbacks lose to the New York Lions

ifm Razorbacks Ravensburg against New Yorker Lions Braunschweig – that was the match in the play-off quarter-finals of the German Football League in the Teledata Stadium in Weingarten on Sunday. The Upper Swabians, who qualified for the play-offs for the first time ever, lost to the 12-time German champions with 14:45 (0:14/7:16/7:8/0:7). The Upper Swabians team is missing two important defenders, Ben Rashid and Mika Stieger.

Ravensburg under pressure from the start

Ravensburg only managed to score six plays in the first quarter – the defense of the guests from Lower Saxony was too good, putting the Ravensburg team under enormous pressure, especially with their defensive line. The Braunschweig team, on the other hand, had no problems gaining ground. Running back Tyrrell Bovelle and quarterback Donovan Isom led the Lions all over the field. Isom then found his slot receiver in the end zone to make it 6-0. Luca Jeckstadt’s extra point missed.

Now Ravensburg had the ball, but gave it away again after four plays. And once again the guests marched towards the Ravensburg end zone. On the third and one attempt, Bovelle broke through the defense, and after a successful 2-point conversion the score was 14:0.

Braunschweig scores at will

A penalty against Braunschweig led to a good field position for Gilligan’s team. But the right to attack quickly changed to Braunschweig, who scored again. They ran into the end zone from nine yards – after the 2-point conversion, the score was 22:0 for the Lions.

But the ifm Razorbacks had not yet given up. After a penalty on the punt return for the Lions, they found themselves on the opponent’s 34-yard line and shortened the lead with a nice pass from Broghean McGovern to Tim Müller. Linus Diez’s extra kick was on target and the new score was 7:22. But that was still not to be it, because the guests managed to make it 30:7 two seconds before the end of the first half through Bovelle, who played a strong game. The 2,417 spectators in the Teledata Stadium accompanied the Razorbacks with cheers in the locker room.

Second half begins with an interception

The second half couldn’t have started any worse. Quarterback McGovern’s first pass was deflected and intercepted. The New York Lions are already paying attention to running down the clock and playing seven times in a row. Bovelle made it into the end zone again – 38:7 for Braunschweig. The Upper Swabians must be credited with never giving themselves any challenges. In return, Michi Mayer suffered the 112th touchdown of his football career, which ended with this game, making the score 14:38. “Of course it’s nice to catch a touchdown in the last game, I just wish we had played better. Braunschweig dominated us,” revealed an emotional Mayer after the game.

It was almost a given that the Lower Saxons would restore the old lead. Luc Meacham was served perfectly by his playmaker in the end zone – 45:14. With a 31-point lead, the guests’ main priority was to take as much time off the clock as possible, which they managed well. Lamar Jordan came onto the field as quarterback, and with him mainly running plays were announced. With 1:23 minutes to go, the ifm Razorbacks got possession of the ball again, but could not change the outcome.

“Respect to the opponents,” said Ravensburg head coach John Gilligan after the match, “they were the better team.” And then he expressed hope for the next season: “We will get even better, it’s a process. The ifm Razorbacks should become one of the top teams in the league.”

In the semifinals, the Braunschweig team will face the title favorite Potsdam Royal (84:20 against the Allgäu Comets). The Dresden Monarchs (35:6 against Straubig) and the Hildesheim Invaders (31:28 in Schwäbisch Hall) will also meet. The parties will take place on the 28th and 29th in Potsdam and Dresden. A paid live stream is available on Sportdeutschland.TV.