The two best teams in the BNL will square off Saturday, June 11 in the Championship Game as Belgium’s Limburg Shotguns will play host to the Amsterdam Crusaders from the Netherlands at Beringen Mijnstadion in Belgium.
In BNL play, Amsterdam finished the season unbeaten and then downed the Arnhem Falcons in the semifinals 42-0. Limburg lost just one game in the regular season, to the Crusaders, 28-7. They defeated the Kasteel Nitros 30-14 in the other semifinal.
The Shotguns enter the game led by running back Jaycen Taylor and quarterback Bram Baete. However, backup quarterback Oskar Sardyga, who threw six touchdown passes in the win over the Groningen Giants, is ready in the wings should anything happen to Baete. Taylor is a threat every time he touches the ball. The former MVP of Finland’s Maple League and Purdue graduate is perhaps the most potent weapon in the Shotguns arsenal. Other Limburg players for Amsterdam to keep an eye on include wideout Jay Koltzem who scored two touchdowns against Arnhem and running backs Javin Helsel and Michael David.
Defensively, linebacker Nick Vanhee returns to the lineup while the Dutch duo of Nick Meijers and Mathew Bodden, both with backgrounds in the German Football League, are facing another tough test.
In the only game between the two teams this season, the Crusaders were paced by tight end Jazz Holliday who scored two touchdowns and he will be a problem for the Shotguns secondary today. The other main weapons in head coach Alejandro Alfarez’ arsenal include quarterback Jasper Nijland, along with key receivers Juliani Cotin and Anton Chereminskiy as well as veteran running back Miquel Castelen.
On defense, the Crusaders rely on Serbian defensive lineman Oleksandr Lebediev as well as his linemate Shaquille Peters. In the secondary, strong safety Soufyan Dardour has been a ball hawk with three interceptions in BNL games.
LIVESTREAM BNL Championship Game: Amsterdam Crusaders vs Limburg Shotguns, June 11, 18:00 CET (6 pm, 12 noon ET)