CEFL Championship
Saturday, 7 May, 17:00 CET
Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns — Örebro Black Knights

Live stream: https://vimeo.com/event/2092449

Second round of the CEFL Championship is starting this Saturday. Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns will host Örebro Black Knights in the prequel of the three other games that are coming next week. The winner of this matchup will be the first semifinalist.

As last season’s champions, Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns are again a seeded team, meaning they’ve skipped the first round. They didn’t get to host any games last year due to corona measures, so this will be a debut for the CEFL Championship in Germany. Their national league hasn’t started yet, but the Unicorns have played a friendly game 2 weeks ago. Beating another Nordic team, Helsinki Roosters, by 46-0 they seem to be ready for great things again this season.

Örebro Black Knights have played the first round game in Copenhagen against the Towers. They’ve orchestrated a big turnaround there, after being down 20-0 in the second quarter. Snapping back, they posted 20 points in the second period and 36 points in the third, which was ultimately enough for a big 56-25 win. Now they’re facing another big obstacle in the Unicorns, hoping to continue their premiere participation in the CEFL Championship.

This will be the first CEFL game which both teams will play with 3 import players each. CEFL Regulations grant teams the right to carry 3 import players with college football experience on their rosters, while 2 of them can play the game. Current season has introduced a little adjustment which allows for both teams to play with all of their import players if they both carry 3 of them on their rosters. This way equity and fair play is still kept and teams can field their best lineups.

Those 3 import players for the Unicorns will be Italian-American quarterback Reilly Hennessey, last season’s CEFL Bowl’s MVP, wide receiver Tyler Rutenbeck, and former CFL safety, Mitch Fettig. Their homegrown tight end with NFL experience, Moritz Böhringer will also be a big option in the offense.

Black Knights will be reinforced with oversees additions, 200cm-tall quarterback Trevor Vasey, and two players from the other side of the ball, defensive back Eric Murphy and defensive lineman Tristen Cox. Next to CEFL Championship 1/8 round, they’ve already played 3 national league games, winning one.