By Tyler Arthur
The De Montfort University Falcons and the Leicester Longhorns are set to battle in the American football varsity match this weekend.
The two teams played at the beginning of their season, and the Longhorns took a comfortable win, as the DMU side experienced the repercussions of a delayed start to their training regime as they began their uphill battle through the 2016/17 campaign.
However, their arduous season had a climactic ending and they were able to finish on a high – defeating MMU’s Eagles 38-0, in Manchester.
Now, they turn their heads to the most hotly anticipated match of the year.
The quarterback, and captain of the team, Tom Proffitt, 22, is going to lead the Falcons in his last ever match for the team – finishing his fourth and final year at DMU.
“We had a tough year, but we finished on a high and I hope to carry momentum into the game against Leicester.
“The Longhorns are our rivals, so to beat them in my last game would be an incredible feeling.”
The rest of the team have joined Proffitt in his enthusiasm for the fixture, and they are all determined to give everything they’ve got in the varsity fixture on Sunday.
“The preparation for the game has been above and beyond anything else we’ve done all season. We are about as ready for this game as is physically possible,” he added.
The Falcons have added extra training sessions and employed drinking bans to ensure the maximum possible result.
The two Leicester sides will be returning to the location of their league match-up, where the Longhorns defeated the DMU team, but now the Falcons’ feel much more prepared, and confident.
Star receiver, Laurence Hoffmeister, 20, wants to end the year with a win. “Varsity is the game everyone looks forward to playing.
“It defines our season,” he concluded.
The Leicester Longhorns recently experienced an unfortunate knocking out of the BUCS Playoffs by way of a coin flip, which sent divisional opposition Coventry into the next round – so they are going into Varsity with a chip on their shoulder.
However, the DMU lads also want to come out on top, and continue their upward trajectory. The Chairman, Luke Bowden, 22, is optimistic.
He said: “After finishing a tough season on a high, I believe we can carry our newly found confidence into our upcoming varsity match.”
The two teams will battle it out at noon on Sunday the 19th of March, at the Stoughton Road playing fields in Leicester.
