The Tyresö Royal Crowns stunned the defending champion Carlstad Crusaders 28-22 on the road in the Swedish Superserien semifinals, ending Carlstad’s title defense and advancing to a second straight Swedish Championship Game. Entering the playoffs as the fourth seed, the Royal Crowns produced their biggest performance of the season and now move within one victory of claiming the club’s first Swedish title since 2001.
Trading blows
The Crusaders struck first midway through the opening quarter when De’Anta Sipp powered in from three yards out, and Truls Wenli added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
The Royal Crowns answered quickly behind quarterback Trevor Vasey. He connected with Peter Forss on a 34-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to one after the extra point was missed. The same duo struck again late in the second quarter, this time on a 22-yard scoring pass. An unsuccessful two-point conversion left the visitors with a 12-7 halftime advantage.
The momentum shifted again in the third quarter when Sipp broke loose for a 69-yard touchdown run to put Carlstad back on top 14-12 heading into the final period.
Vasey takes over
With a championship game on the line, Vasey delivered his best football of the afternoon.
Early in the fourth quarter, he found Oliwer Stedt for a 14-yard touchdown pass, and Lukas Lissel ran in the two-point conversion to give Tyresö a 20-14 lead.
A few minutes later, Vasey struck again, connecting with Stefan Borkovic on a nine-yard touchdown pass. Lissel converted another two-point attempt, extending the advantage to 28-14.
The Crusaders refused to quit. Jackson Erdmann found Anton Jansson for a 10-yard touchdown, and Rory Kelly added the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 28-22. But the Royal Crowns held firm over the closing minutes to complete the upset.
One win away
Vasey finished an outstanding game by completing 16 of 24 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns while adding six rushing yards. Borkovic led the receiving corps with three catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Stedt added four receptions for 59 yards and a score. Forss made the most of his two catches, turning both into touchdowns for 56 yards.
Lissel contributed 67 rushing yards on 14 carries and scored both successful two-point conversions.
For the Crusaders, Sipp rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries, while Erdmann completed 11 of 25 passes for 160 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Now, the Royal Crowns head back to Karlstad for the Swedish Championship Game at Sola Arena, where they will face the Stockholm Mean Machines with a chance to end a 25-year wait for another national title.
