The reigning and three time champion Stockholm Mean Machines take on the upstart Örebro Black Knights in the Swedish Women’s American Football championship game Saturday, September 19, at Zinkensdamm IP field in Stockholm.
Stockholm enters the game as the clear favorite having won every Swedish championship held. The Mean Machines were the regular season winners finishing with a 6-1 record, their only loss due to a forfeiture related to a player licensing snafu. In their only meeting of the year, Stockholm had no trouble with the Black Knights beating them handily 41-6.
The Mean Machines boast by far the best offense in the league scoring 316 points in seven games. But on defense, Örebro wasn’t far behind giving up only 7.7 points per game as compared to Stockholm’s 7.1.
Stockholm is a team of all stars though and the Black Knights will have to contend with their speed, particularly the speed of receiver Ebba Hällasjö (#89). Whether playing catching passes downfield or coming out of the backfield, she creates matchup problems for any defense. If Örebro is to have any chance of winning at all, they have to find a way to neutralize her.
Although Stockholm has a veteran, battle-hardened team, Örebro could surprise if taken lightly. This may be their first appearance in the final, but if they were to pull off the upset, it would not be the first time an underdog shocked everyone by winning a championship.
