Sweden: Örebro Black Knights down Carlstad Crusaders to advance to 2nd straight title game

| American Football | 07/06/2022

The reigning champion Örebro Black Knights continued their impressive play with a dismantling of the Carlstad Crusaders in the Superserien semifinals this past weekend.

The game got off to a slow start with both teams struggling to get things rolling on the offensive end, but the Black Knights quickly adjusted and went into the half with a strong 27-7 lead. Despite some resistance from the Crusaders in the third quarter, the Black Knights finished the game strong winning 43-20 and reclaiming their spot in the finals from last season.

This highly anticipated contest began with the Black Knights grabbing the lead with quarterback Trevor Vasey engineering a 49-yard drive and capping it with a four-yard strike to Jesper Lindeus.

Örebro WR Johannes Lindeus #1 had 8 catches for 113 yards and 3 TDs Photo: Jonas Domfors

Unfortunately for Carlstad, starting quarterback Connor Carusello went down heavily late in the first quarter and backup Albin Forsman was pressed into service for the rest of the game.

With Carlstad’s offense now struggling, Vasey picked the pace of the game up on Örebro’s third possession, finding 2021 Wide Receiver of the Year, Johannes Lindeus (older brother of Jesper), breaking towards the sideline to sneak in the endzone for a 26-yard touchdown reception of his own. The Black Knights defense fed off their offense’s newfound energy with former Defensive Back of the Year, Cewin Eriksson, intercepting the ball on the next play from scrimmage. Örebro continued to build on their momentum with Vasey connecting with the older Lindeus for another touchdown to give them 21 unanswered points. 

After making a stand on fourth down in their own territory, the Crusaders were determined to put some points on the board. Forsman, begain finding a ryhthm and utilized his legs in addition to his throwing power to give the Crusaders’ offense a push. He zipped a pass to wideout Kevin Borzsei, who caught the ball in stride and broke tackles on his way to score the Crusaders’ first and only points of the half. 

Jesper Lindeus was determined not to let his brother steal the show and broke free for a 49 yard catch that gave his team a sturdy 27-7 lead at the break. 

The Crusaders were not ready to give up on their season quite yet and came out of the tunnel swinging in the second half. Another stop on fourth down from their defense paved the way for Forsman to show off his speed on a play-action bootleg that saw him tuck the ball and run 62 yards for the touchdown. Their comeback hopes would only grow on the next possession as an ill-advised pass from Vasey allowed Carlstad defender Erik Kyrk Gere to intercept the pass for a pick-six. With the lead cut to just seven points, the Crusaders found themselves with the ball at midfield threatening to tie the game up. However, a fumble on third down led to Örebro defender William Domfors scooping up the ball and rumbling 49 yards downfield for the score. 

Carlstad QB Albin Forsman gets a pass off. Photo: Jonas Domfors

The fourth quarter opened with Vasey connecting with his go-to target Johannes Lindeus for his fifth passing touchdown of the day to stretch the lead to 41-20. With a comeback now looking like an impossible challenge, the Crusaders fell apart giving up multiple sacks that would eventually lead to a safety. 

The Örebro Black Knights’ explosive passing game paired with the reliable hands of the Lindeus brothers allowed the team to dominate their competition 43-20.

The team will face the league-leading Stockholm Mean Machines in the Superserien final with a chance to repeat their championship on the line. If their passing game can stay as hot as it was in this game, they’ll have a good chance to defeat Stockholm once again and prove definitively they’re the best team in Sweden. 

 

Will is a student at the University of Michigan where he is pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sport Management. He also has experience in professional scouting and hopes to pursue this field after graduation.