20110620: Show beat Gladiators - win 2nd Division
The game started with the Gladiators returning the ball, but returner Long Hoang was tackled inside his own 10-yard line by the swarming Show kickoff unit. As expected, Kristiansand immediately put the ball in the hands of their freighttrain of a runningback, Levan Abramishvili. Despite knowing that the Gladiators wanted to establish their running game early on and rely on it all day, the Show defense struggled to stop a fully charged Abramishvili. It was clear that the Kristiansand offensive line with solid players such as guards Sven von der Lippe and Uno Burås Karlsen came ready to play, leading the way with very good run blocking most of the day.
AFC Show's defense managed to stop the Gladiators on their first drive, although the Kristiansand side's first drive took up most of the 1st quarter and got well into AFC territory. Show answered with a drive from their own side of the field and down to the 21st yardline of the Gladiators. Unfortunately the drive stalled as Show couldn't quite find the connections in the passing game. Kristiansand got the ball back, and as the 1st quarter turned into the 2nd, they met a Show defense that started to step up. The drive ended with a punt that meant Show started their 2nd drive on their own 24th yardline. Despite starting off with a 38-yard run by Simon Olsen up the middle, the drive was shut down by the home team's defense when a tackle by LB Kay Daniel Stokke Tobiassen had Simon Olsen stretch out for the 1st down on a 4th down play. Somewhat surprisingly for the Show sideline, the referee was of the opinion that Olsen did not make the 1st down, and the Gladiators offense got back on the field. Gladiators went straight back their bread and butter, with Abramishvili and RB Thomas Bringsverd seing carries. The Show defense once again stepped up, led by aggressive tackling by players such as LB Raymond Rød and DT Joel Galmor. Galmor played most of the game with a broken finger after an incident early in the game, but did not seem to be hindered by the pain as he was constantly involved in the battle to stop the Kristiansand running game.
With around 2 minutes left of the half, the Show offense got the ball back for their 3rd drive of the day. It was to be the drive that set the tone for the rest of the game. Starting at the Gladiators 49th yardline, AFC Show struggled to get going, but a 14-yard run by QB Pål Dannevig on an option keep on 3rd down gave new life to the drive. A determined run by Simon Olsen led to another first down shortly after, and a 17-yard catch-and-run by RB Simon Bruset brought the Show offense to the 3rd yardline with 7 seconds left of the half. On the next play, a nice block by WR Magnus Vadla freed up QB Dannevig to run the ball into the endzone for the first touchdown of the game. The two-point conversion was no good, leaving the score at 6-0 as the whistle blew for halftime.
The 2nd half started with AFC Show receiving the ball. A solid return by Simon Bruset meant Show could start their drive at their own 49th yardline. AFC immediately went to the air, and on 2nd down QB Pål Dannevig found TE Jeroen Wiebes for 30 yards, with Show knocking on the redzone door at the 21st yardline of the Gladiators. The redzone was breached on the very next play on a run by Simon Bruset, but a holding call and a sack by Gladiators' DE Tony Flaen had Show back at the 27th yardline. A spectacular tackle on Simon Olsen later, which left the tackler injured, Show was facing 4th down with around 15 yards to go on the 25th yardline. On the 4th down play, QB Dannevig found rookie WR Asbjørn Lindland running a fade route, catching the ball as he was tackled in the endzone making a spectacular grab of a beautiful pass. The two-point conversion attempt was successful, as RB Simon Bruset ran up the middle behind very good blocking from the offensive line and his fullback.
Down 0-14, the Kristiansand Gladiators had to answer. But solid tackling by CB Christian Andreassen and others, followed by an interception by Andreassen, stopped the next drive. The Kristiansand defense answered, stopping the Show just as quickly. The Show defense made some mental mistakes on the following drive, but made up for it through intercepting QB Chris Heimtun. CB David W. Knox got the job done, once again handing the ball over to the Show offense. Despite a 20-yard catch by TE Wiebes, a mental mistake by the Show offense ended the drive, as an option pitch went straight into the hands of DE Tony Flaen, putting the Gladiators in good field position early in the 4th quarter.
However, the Kristiansand side could still not get the ball into the endzone, as the running game got stuffed on a more consistent basis as the game grew older, and the passing game was erratic despite some big plays. It certainly didn't help that players such as DE Jarle Vangsnes, DE/LB Inge Bodsberg and LBs Rød and Ole Petter Ølberg put pressure on Kristiansand QB Heimtun as it became increasingly clear that the Gladiators needed to go to the air.
As the 4th quarter got down to the last 4 minutes, the two teams traded unsuccessful drives several times, and time ran out on a Kristiansand pass play where David W. Knox made the tackle at the Kristiansand 8-yardline. Show had won 14-0, beating the Gladiators in Kristiansand for the first time.
"We came to Kristiansand with the intention of getting the win. Our entire team should be proud of what they've accomplished. It was clear to us after a few minutes that the Gladiators had done adjustments we didn't expect, but by making our own adjustments throughout the game and getting exceptional play by several of our players meant we still managed to do what needed to be done. I am not happy with getting on the scoreboard so few times, but there were many missed opportunities due to concentration issues in the passing game; we need to work on that. At the same time I have to give credit to the Gladiators defense - they're not an easy opponent to beat. Our defense did a good job at keeping the Gladiators out of the endzone, although I am sure their offense feel there were missed opportunities for them too.", Head Coach Jarle Magnus Henriksen said.
Despite one game remaining, the 2nd division title 2011 now belongs to AFC Show, as even with a loss Show would win the league based on beating Kristiansand more times (twice) than the Gladiators beat Show (once).
AFC Show's next game is at home against the Tønsberg Raiders at ISS Stadium on the 26th of June.
AFC Show travelled to Kristiansand to face the Gladiators in their home town for the 2nd time this season. The game would decide who won the Norwegian 2nd Division 2011, regardless of the result in Show's game against the Tønsberg Raiders next week.
It seemed that the Show had brought the wet Stavanger weather with them for the day, although it cleared up during most of the game. AFC showed up with 29 players on the day, the majority of which were eager to prove they are the best in their league.
The game was to be the most tightly fought contest of the season as the two teams played physical football all day. The halftime score was 6-0, and Show added 8 points on the first drive of the 2nd half to secure a 14-0 win and the 2nd division championship.
Check out the video on the right for highlights from the game.