Once again in 2022, the German Football League was very top-heavy, as both division winners dominated their divisions. The Schwabisch Unicorns and the Potsdam Royals both went a perfect 10-0 in their respective divisions, while the Munich Cowboys would finish a close second at 8-1-1 in the South. The top four teams in each division qualify for the post-season. In the first round of the playoffs, it was the Schwabisch Unicorns over the Berlin Adler 35-21, the Allgau Comets over the New Yorker Lions 14-10, the Potsdam Royals destroying the Straubing Spiders 66-25, and the Cologne Crocodiles squeaking by the Munich Cowboys 34-31. In the Semi-Finals, it was the Unicorns rolling over the Comets 33-8, and the Royals would do the same over the Crocodiles 49-21, setting up the match-up for the 2022 German Bowl. After a crushing defeat in the 2021 German Bowl at the hands of the Dresden Monarchs, the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns find themselves at the top of the mountain once again after defeating the previously unbeaten Potsdam Royals 44-27 at Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park in front of 9,000 fans in German Bowl XLIII. After 15 plays of rushing domination from the combo of QB Robbie Patterson and RB Karri Pajarinen, the Royals found the endzone with a five-yard rush from Pajarinen. They would be unsuccessful however on the following play after attempting a 2-point conversion. Potsdam would try to take advantage of Schwäbisch Hall once with a surprise onside kick. This only benefited the Unicorns however, as Joshua Hoss recovered the onside kick with nothing but green grass ahead of him and took the kick in for Schwäbisch Hall’s first points of the game. After a successful PAT, the Unicorns would lead 7-6. Potsdam would once again regain their lead after putting together another successful 5-minute drive that would end with them in the endzone. Pajarinen scored on the ground yet again, this time from four yards out to give the Royals a 13-7 lead. The Unicorns went on an offensive frenzy scoring 23 unanswered points over the next two quarters, starting with a six-play, 64-yard drive following the Royal’s score on their previous drive. The Royals would not go out without a fight however as they answered with a score of their own on the ensuing drive. Patterson marched his team down to the Unicorns’ three yard line and then called his own number to reduce the lead to 10 points again, 37-27. However, the Unicorns managed the game and the clock perfectly after that, milking the clock for the rest of the game and keeping the vaunted Potsdam rushing attack off the field. Hennessey ended a game-clinching, seven-minute drive by throwing his third passing touchdown of the contest, this time to WR Aurieus Minton to make it 44-27 with less than a minute left in the game. Reilly Hennessey was named Player of the Game after his four touchdown performance. In fact, Schwäbisch Hall had only one non-scoring drive the entire game.