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The American footballers of the Fulda Saints started the next regional league mid-season with a clear 44:22 (22:0) victory – against feared opponents Marburg Mercenaries, whom the Fulda team has never been able to defeat so far.
Fulda – But last Saturday afternoon (May 2nd) that was supposed to change. Everything was just right on the Johannesberg sports field: weather, motivation, team spirit and support from hundreds of fans on the sidelines. Already Head coach Jonas Heck's gut feeling was positive.
Fulda Saints defeated feared opponents Marburg at the start of the season
And that turned out to be true. “We have never won against Marburg in our entire history. But of course we also did our homework and trained diligently,” explains the Schlüchterner. In addition, there was a change in the Marburg team after last season and their test game a few weeks ago suggested that the former favorite team would appear significantly weaker.
The Fulda Saints started on home soil with a lot of tailwind from their supporters and a large portion of motivation. And manpower from abroad. Shortly before the start, a fifth import player from Spain joined the team.
And so the spectators saw a dominant first half from the hosts on the Johannesberg sports field. The Saints didn't let anything go wrong, scored again and again and finally went into the locker room with a 22-0 lead.
Saints coach Jonas Heck is happy about the “incredible” team performance
“It was an unbelievable team effort what our players showed,” said Head Coach Heck, especially, whose feeling seemed to be coming true little by little. “It was a very tough and, above all, physical game, but we were able to take control early on,” continued Heck, who initially sent his A-guard onto the field and revealed: “Yes, we showed a very strong performance. But everything wasn't right for us either. There are definitely one or two problems that need to be remedied as soon as possible. Nevertheless, we have nothing to blame ourselves for. Strong performance.”
As hoped, the import players from the States also showed the desired performance and were on the field for the entire season. “It was definitely worth it,” summed up the coach, who clearly has his team’s sights on the championship and promotion to the GFL II.
But performance only works as a team – and so all players in the broad Saints squad were allowed to take part on Saturday afternoon. Heck sent two young and new players onto the field at halftime and initially saw his team extend the point lead to 38-0. But then the guests also got their moment and landed a few touchdowns, which ultimately led to a final score of 44:22.
However, the Fulda football players don't have long to rest. The second matchday is scheduled for next Saturday (May 9th): away to the Kassel Titans, who clearly defeated the Saints last season.
