ELF: Paris Musketeers earn first home win in team history in thriller over Hamburg Sea Devils
The Paris Musketeers earned their first home win in franchise history on Saturday as they took down the Hamburg Sea Devils 27-23 in a European League of Football nailbiter.
As an expansion franchise, the Musketeers received a lot of hype in the offseason, but sputtered out of the gate, as they were only 1-3 heading into the meeting with Hamburg. It looked like the home team’s struggles would continue after the first quarter, as the Sea Devils took an early 10-0 lead thanks to a Malik Stanley touchdown reception and an Eric Schlomm field goal. The second quarter did not see much action until the very end, when Paris quarterback Zach Edwards found receiver Cheikhou Sow, who made an impressive catch in the end zone to get his team on the board with just seconds left before halftime.
Musketeers WR Kyle Sweet hauling in a pass pursued by Hamburg defender
In the third quarter, Edwards found Kyle Sweet streaking down the sideline for a touchdown to give Paris the lead. The extra point was no good, though, and Schlomm knotted the score at 13-13 with another field goal. In the fourth quarter, Schlomm made a field goal to give Hamburg the lead, but Edwards and Sweet quickly linked up once again for another touchdown. After the teams traded possessions, Hamburg found the end zone with just three minutes remaining, as quarterback Preston Haire found running back Jakob Michaelsen, who was wide open on a wheel route and scampered in for the touchdown.
Paris got the ball back with time winding down, and they made the most of their opportunity. A 43 yard strike from Edwards to Sow got the Musketeers in good field position, and a 3 yard rush from Edwards on 4th and 2 kept the drive alive. Finally, Edwards found Florian Larose in the end zone to give the home team a late lead. The Paris defense did not allow the Sea Devils to respond, and the Musketeers came away with their first ever victory at Stade Jean Bouin.
This was a much-needed victory for Paris, who can now turn their season around after a poor start. However, they have a tough task ahead of them next week, as they travel to Stuttgart to face the undefeated Surge. The Sea Devils dropped to 2-3 with the loss, and they have a crucial home game ahead of them next week against the 4-1 Wroclaw Panthers.
Photos: @tiffanyamisse x @maximelepihif
