Henderson leads Potsdam Royals to defend their title in the East duel

Were the Potsdam Royals without Jaylon Henderson, their top quarterback? Probably a pretty good team in the German Football League (GFL), that is. But with Henderson, they defended their championship title on Sunday evening with a 27:21 win against the Dresden Monarchs in the German Bowl and are once again the best team in the GFL. Helmet in hand, the 27-year-old, who was named most valuable player in the final, ran across the field with long side steps, while two teammates poured a barrel of water over coach Michael Vogt’s head. The Potsdam team celebrate their second third success in the final in a row.

Almost 10,000 spectators watch the German Bowl in Essen

Almost 10,000 people came to the stadium on Hafenstrasse in Essen to watch the East German championship duel in American football. And they saw how the Potsdam Royals continued their successful season with twelve wins in the main round and two more in the play-offs in the German Bowl final.

Jaylon Henderson, who not only has a strong throwing arm and excellent intuition, but also quick legs, started right from the start. And the Dresdeners were probably annoyed that they had given the Potsdamers the right to attack first, because the Royals took the lead with their first attack, in which Henderson carried the ball into the end zone. After a successful conversion, the score was 8-0 for the defending champions.

Dresden’s offensive became stronger and scored points. But then it was Henderson who tanked through the Monarchs defender and scored his second touchdown of the finale. The quarterback from Kingwood, Texas, broke several records in the regular season: He set new standards with 72 touchdowns through the air, 82 total touchdowns and an average of 374 passing yards per game. 78.7 percent of his passes were received – Potsdam’s passing game was also the decisive advantage in the final.

However, Dresden’s offensive recovered. The party remained exciting until the last minute. Dresden’s quarterback Brock Domann also shone. After the Monarchs had temporarily gotten within 14:19, Henderson again extended Potsdam’s lead to 27:14 with a run of 57 yards and the third conversion. But Dresden came close again – with 30 seconds before time expired, the Monarchs played one last attempt in the so-called victory formation. But Potsdam’s defense was careful.

Potsdam’s quarterback hero Jaylon Henderson leaves the future open

And Jaylon Henderson? The man who couldn’t recommend himself for the NFL because of the corona pandemic? The man who earned money as a financial advisor and then played football in Japan? And who is now considered the best quarterback in Europe, even though he initially didn’t want to move to Europe?

He didn’t feel compelled to win the second title with the Potsdam Royals and told RBB when asked about his future that he wanted to enjoy this moment and the days to come. After the season he will see what is best for him: “Maybe that is in Potsdam, but maybe somewhere else.” A commitment like last year, when Henderson emphasized how much he loved Potsdam, its coaches, the community and This time it was not clear that the community here was more important to him than a financial amount elsewhere.