Over the weekend, the Stirling Clansmen American Football Team travelled down to play their opening game of the season against a tough Leeds Beckett side.
The game started poorly for the Clansmen as their first offensive drive stuttered to a halt, forcing them to punt the ball away to Leeds. This was followed by a quick rushing touchdown from QB Matt Mariota, brother of NFL QB Marcus Mariota.
Leeds capitalised on their fast start and set the tone for the day as the Clansmen struggled to move the ball consistently on offence while the defence struggled with containing the speed of Mariota.
With Stirling’s offensive and defensive lines succumbing to injuries, the game was deemed too dangerous to continue and was called halfway through the fourth quarter.
Although the final score of 51-0 doesn’t flatter the squad, Head Coach Danny Smith was pleased with the effort his team showed. He said: “Despite the defeat, I was delighted with the toughness and spirit shown by our players.
“We ended up with only 17 fit players remaining most of whom are new to the sport.
“Without extensive recruitment the future will remain difficult.
“On the plus side the players enjoyed themselves hugely.”
MVPs for the game were:
- Team MVP- Finlay Ramsay
- Offensive MVP- William Stevens
- Defensive MVP- Omer Mendes
- Special Teams MVP- James Diamond
The Clansmen’s next game is at home on Sunday November 6 against Nottingham Gold.
Feature Image credit: Katie Stepek
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