The Pforzheim Wilddogs (8-4) get their first taste of home playoff football Saturday when the second-place team from the GFL South welcomes the Hildesheim Invaders (9-3), third in the GFL North, to Kramski Arena with a spot in the German Football League semifinals on the line.
There isn’t much separating two teams that took different routes to the postseason. Pforzheim earned home field behind an 8-4 season and a defense that allowed only 164 points, while Hildesheim arrives after winning nine games and surviving a wild finish in its regular-season finale.
Harris gives Wilddogs big-play threat
Drequan Harris has been at the center of the Pforzheim offense and gives the Wilddogs a quarterback capable of opening up a game quickly.
The Wilddogs scored 403 points during the regular season while their defense kept opponents to 164. That balance helped them finish second in the GFL South, edging out the Ravensburg Razorbacks for the home quarterfinal after both teams finished 8-4.
Saturday also breaks new ground for the club. In just their second season in the GFL, the Wilddogs will play a postseason game at Kramski Arena for the first time.
Watch live. Hildesheim Invaders @ Pforzheim Wilddogs, Sept. 12, 16:00 CET (4 pm, 10 am ET)
Invaders arrive battle-tested
Hildesheim had to fight all the way to the final snap to finish its regular season with a victory.
The Invaders trailed the Berlin Rebels 17-12 in the second half before working their way back. Hendrick Scharnbacher scrambled 15 yards for a touchdown and then found Thies Surma for the two-point conversion to put Hildesheim ahead 20-17.
After Berlin tied it, the Invaders moved into position one final time and Tristan Eikenberg drilled a 27-yard field goal as time expired for a 23-20 victory.
Nelson Hughes III gives Hildesheim another option at quarterback, while defensive lineman Kyle Kitchens anchors an Invaders defense that will have to find ways to disrupt Harris.
One game changes everything
The regular-season records disappear once the ball goes in the air Saturday.
Pforzheim has home field, a productive offense and a defense that has kept points off the board. Hildesheim brings a 9-3 record and enters the postseason having already shown it can grind out a game that goes down to the final play.
For the Wilddogs, it’s the biggest home game in club history. For the Invaders, it’s a chance to turn a strong regular season into a deeper playoff run.