Highland Stags walked away with pride in defeat as they gave highly-fancied Bristol Apache a real scare in the American football Division 2 final.
Just one year after being admitted into the British American Football Association (BAFA) NFC 2 North, they won their way through to a direct shoot-out for the overall UK Division 2 title in London on Sunday.
A perfect league campaign and a sparkling semi-final play-off success over Scunthorpe Alphas, led to them facing a rampant and experienced Bristol side in the ‘Britbowl’ final at the New River Stadium.
Kicking off the second day of the Britbowl weekend with a win of 17-7 are the 2022 D2 Championship winners Bristol Apache! They had some tough competition against Highland Stags who had a strong first half 🏈 pic.twitter.com/PkkJWLdYWT
— BAFA (@BAFAOfficial) September 4, 2022
It was a monumental effort from the north team to have such a brilliant attempt at winning the crown, although their eight wins from eight regular season league games form will almost certainly take them into Division 1 next season.
The Highland team led for much of the contest before Apache stormed back late in the tie to win 17-7, which is a much slimmer score than the victors are used to.
Bristol Apache are ‘fantastic team’
Stags general manager Tom Hutchison explained his side’s brilliant campaign really opened eyes throughout the country.
He said: “We put absolutely everything into that game and left nothing out there.
“Ultimately, Bristol are a fantastic team, who have been in the league for many years and have been to Division 1 in the past, so we know how strong they are.
“We came into the game as underdogs, which was my preference, and we were winning right up until the fourth quarter.
“They were averaging 40-50 points per game until they played us, so to hold them to 17 points is a fantastic achievement.
“I’m gutted, because we did have a real chance to win, but I’m just really proud of the boys for reaching this stage.
“We played above expectations including within our division, let alone the country, and I’ve had messaged from various people throughout the leagues to congratulate us for surprising a few people.”
Stags seek to kick on after final loss
While the players can switch off for a while and reflect on their efforts, work continues behind the scenes to reshape Highland Stags for the future.
Hutchison said: “It’s important to remember this has been our first year in the league. For most clubs, this is when they’d be starting to build upon that.
“We have got the foundations of a fantastic team and a great future ahead of us.
“We’ve suffered the heartbreak of a loss, which we’re not used to, but we will absolutely be back to winning ways next season.
“We have got our awards ceremony to look forward to and we’ll be setting a date for that soon.
“There is also our AGM and our players vote everyone in so, for example, my job is up for re-election.
“It’s very much a player-led club and they can put in who they want and that will be a key date on our calendar as we look at our objectives for next year.”
Huchison will also be turning his attention to bringing in more funds to help the Stags renew and update equipment for the 2023 season, which should start around April, with the players back in January to start their preparations.
For more information on the Stags, or to get in touch with the club, see their Facebook page.
