American Football: Dresden Monarchs fight for their second championship title

Greg Seamon has experienced a lot in his long coaching career. The American worked in the NFL, the strongest football league in the world, for 20 years before moving to the Dresden Monarchs at the end of last year. He could set up a small monument there after less than a year when the Monarchs play against the Potsdam Royals for the German championship in Essen on Saturday. It would be the second in the Saxons’ 32-year club history, after they won the crown for the first time in the “German Bowl” against the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns in 2021.

“We are full of anticipation,” said Seamon in an interview with SPORT IM OSTE. The emotions are currently still in the background, “the full focus is on the tasks necessary to play well.” The Monarchs will definitely need a good game. Because the role of favorite is clearly with Potsdam. The defending champion marched through the main round with 12:0 victories and also made short work of it in the playoffs with two clear victories against the Allgäu Comets (84:20) and record champions New York Lions Braunschweig (25:6).

But the Monarchs were also able to make an exclamation mark. The Saxons ended the main round with 10:2 wins, with only defeats against the Berlin Rebels and finalist Potsdam. Two dominant performances followed in the playoffs against the Straubing Spiders (35:6) and in the semifinals against the Hildesheim Invaders (27:13).

Wide receiver Ricky Smalling was particularly convincing. The 26-year-old American scored all three Dresden touchdowns against Hildesheim. “He is an extraordinary player,” enthuses his coach. “I’m sure Potsdam has that in mind and will make tactical adjustments to stop Ricky. But that’s part of the game of chess,” Seamon smiled.

But it’s not just Smalling who may be the deciding factor against Potsdam. The Monarchs’ defense was also in stronger form against Hildesheim with seven quarterback sacks alone. With Jaylon Henderson from the Royals, an even tougher task awaits on Saturday. The 27-year-old quarterback is one of the best playmakers in Europe and leads all relevant statistics this GFL season.

For the Monarchs, however, the focus remains on their own game. “We keep our routines,” Seamon said. Of course, tactical adjustments and “a few surprises” are always part of the game, but you won’t have to find yourself from scratch for the finale. Finally, the recent finals confirmed the work of the last few months. “We stayed focused and went our way,” emphasized Seamon. “Now we will do our best to win the final.”