This Saturday at 3:00 we will begin the journey of the playoffs for a Division 1 National Championship. The Predators will play host to the Baltic Beast from Nyköping. We finished the season a perfect 12-0 as the Division 1 South Champions. Scoring a colossal 566 points for an average of 52 points per game makes us the highest scoring team in all of Sweden. Our defense relinquished a stingy 79 points for an average of only 7 points per game. Making them tops in Division 1 South.
The Predators are lead by Quarterback Phil Juhlin who has lit up the scoreboard with his ability to make plays both through the air and on the ground. The predator offense also boasts a trio of wide receivers that are unmatched in productivity and play making ability. Benjamin Hörnqvist, Sorin Pandrea and Marcus Johnsson have each had multiple TD games and have made the Predator offense hard to predict and impossible to stop. The Predator offensive line is young and undersized but have shown flashes of greatness and will be fully healthy for the first time since Game 1. They have been the backbone allowing Juhlin to have time to find his targets.
Defensively the Predators have been on a steady rise, peaking at the right time as the playoffs approach. Leading tackler linebacker Sacce Hörnqvist heads a very aggressive high energy front 7. On the defensive line Anton Wahrby has been the most dominate defensive player I have seen in Division 1. He is a stout run stopper and a great pass rusher. In the secondary the Predators are lead by Alex Nilsson. Alex is explosive and leads the team with 9 interceptions returning 1 for touchdown.
Nyköping finished the regular season with 9 wins 0 losses and 1 tie. As Division 1 East Champions they will be travelling to Kristianstad with the difficult task of trying to tame the Predators. The Baltic Beasts are known for playing hard nosed football. They have a good running attack and are built to stop the run as well. They will rely on superior size on the lines to control the game. It will be a battle of conflicting styles and tempos. The team who can force their oponent to play their style of game will have a clear advantage.
