The Stirling Clansmen American football team pulled off a narrow victory against the Glasgow Tigers in a physical match.
The Clansmen started the game with a successful offensive drive. The offence moved the ball down the field fluidly through big runs from Finlay Ramsay and passes from Jaxen Fischer.
The drive was cut short by a fumble that gave Glasgow the ball. This set the precedent for a sloppy game in terms of ball security for the Clansmen.
The defence stood strong throughout the first half. Limiting Glasgow’s offence and giving their own offence great opportunities to run up a big score.
The defence scored the first points of the game when Glasgow’s quarterback rolled out and lost control of the ball. He fumbled it into the endzone to give the Clansmen 2 points by way of a safety.
The offence couldn’t capitalize on the defence’s success though. Fumbling the ball twice more and throwing an interception that took them into the locker room with a slim lead of 2-0.
Glasgow came out of the gates hot in the second half, returning the opening kick off for six points. This put them in the driving seat for a long and arduous game. The Tigers style of heavy running plays draining the clock away and limiting the time the Clansmen’s offence had to respond.
Stirling’s offence continued to struggle until Marci Habermayer gained consistent targets. The big man from Hungary drove the Clansmen down the field on a succession of huge catches and runs that put the Clansmen into scoring range.
A deflected pass off the hands of tight end Ben Grove landed perfectly for Team Captain Cameron Gass who grabbed it to take the Clansmen to a tight 8-7 lead.
As the fourth quarter drew to a close, the team from Glasgow were in a march down the field. Consistent plays in the run game and penalties from the Clansmen allowed them to get within field goal range and a game winning score.
A first field goal attempt was missed as the seconds drained away, eliciting cheers from the Stirling side line, but a dubious penalty call gave Glasgow a second attempt from only five yards away.
With the roar of crowd behind them, the Clansmen defence held strong. Aided by a wobbly snap and hold, line backer Luca Clements rushed through the line to disrupt the kick and save the game for the Clansmen.
Although this game wasn’t a repeat of the 75-0 thrashing that happened the last time Stirling played Glasgow, the team came away with a much-needed win that may prove instrumental in the playoff picture come the new year.
The MVPs for the game were:
- Team MVP: Marci Habermayer
- Offensive MVP: Tristan Cravens
- Defensive MVP: Ehren Harvey
- Special Teams MVP: Luca Clements
The Stirling Clansmen will travel to Aberdeen on December 10. This will be their final game of the semester, aiming to head into the Christmas break 3-0.
Feature Image credit: John Ryan
