After being runner-up at the first edition of the NFL Flag German School Bowl in Unterhaching in 2022, the TFG Desperados also secured third place on the podium at the third edition of the German School Flag Football Championship on Monday in Berlin. They narrowly missed out on making it to the final, as they were only defeated 6:7 in the tiebreaker in the semifinals by the winner of this year’s NFL Flag Local School Bowl in the Rather Waldstadion, the Lisa Meitner Comprehensive School. So it was the Duisburg team that made it to the final instead of the Fliedner students, in which they had to admit defeat to the Munich Erasmus-Grasser-Gymnasium with 7:16; the team that was inferior to the TFG Desperados at the start of the tournament. But first things first…
At the start early on Monday morning, the Desperados, coached by Noah Middendorf and Alexander Schnalke under the leadership of main trainer Sammy Schmale, achieved the 8:6 success indicated above in an extremely close game against the eventual tournament winner, which will now be their reward in February of next year can go on a 6-day trip to the NFL ProBowl in Orlando. It was no less close for Desperadas & Desperados in the second game of the day against the Hamburg district school Meiendorf, which had already been scouted by coach Matthias Magnus, which ended in a 6:6 draw. In the third game we headed towards the semi-finals with a clear 22-0 win against Berlin’s Kurt Tucholsky School, before an 18-0 win against IGS Stromberg from Rhineland-Palatinate finally sealed their place in the semi-finals.
What followed was pure drama. In the fight for the final, the Desperados initially led 6-0 before the Duisburg comprehensive school managed to equalize in the 15 minutes of play with the clock running. Both teams then had their chance to avoid extra time – they missed it. The decision had to be a tiebreaker – both teams played a single attempt starting at the opponent’s 5-yard line. The Lisa Meitner School started and took the lead with 7:6. The Desperados, on the other hand, failed – from the dream of the final, from the dream of Orlando, tears.
These had not yet dried when the “small finale” for third place took place just a few minutes later. Best conditions to fall apart now. None! Despite dwindling strength, the TFG Desperados managed to take an early lead, which they were able to keep until the final whistle. Third place – on the podium again!
So at least the tears dried again at the award ceremony. Under the eyes of a Berlin senator and the NFL mascots “Blue” (left, Indianapolis Colts), “Pat” (middle, New England Patriots) and “Fritz” (right, Atlanta Falcons) accepted the trophy (front from left: ) Julius Gradzielski, Jonas Kather and Nils Hüffner, (behind from left:) Louis von Dietze, Benjamin Brechter, Anna Buchwald, Laura Müssig and Valerie Bomhard and (back from left to right:) Victoria Otto, Pauline Gelhaus, Alexander Schnalke and Noah Middendorf.
During the course of the day, Anna Buchwald (12), Louis von Dietze (34) and Jonas Kather (6) as well as Victoria Otto (14), who was also named MVP by the tournament management, were on the scoreboard for the TFG Desperados. Most Valuable Player”, the best girl among the ten schools.
A few impressions of the final can be found here: Pictures
