Bristol University Barracudas vice-president and coach, Archie Wills-Johnson is predicting that Bristol Aztecs will upset the odds at Britbowl XXXVI by defeating hot favourites London Warriors in the Championship game on Sunday.
New perspective: Archie Wills-Johnson leading from the sideline
“I’m predicting 27-24 to the Aztecs, though this is more of a hope than an unbiased opinion!” said the 21-year-old West Country native. “Over the past three years, the North Conference has been quite top-heavy with the Manchester Titans dominating, but things are changing. What has set the Aztecs apart has been the talent generated from Bristol’s nearby universities – UWE, SGS, University of Bristol, Exeter, Cardiff, Gloucester and Bath. They all contribute talent to the program so too American players from the likes of UWE.”
Any such result would ride against the tide of a 23-2 record that the Warriors have over the Aztecs, but Archie feels things are changing.
“Obviously London too has the advantage of being a mega city with all the population and international presence that goes with that to draw in a strong talent pool. So it should make for a great game that I’m excited to watch,” he added.
Wills-Johnson, from Cheltenham took up coaching after refusing to allow his passion for American Football to fade following a serious on-field injury which forced him to retire while playing for University of Bristol, where he studied. Halfway through a match in December 2022 he felt a “big electric shock” course down his right arm, which turned out to be a herniated (damaged) disk. But he has since returned to the Barracudas, as coach and vice president – and has big plans to help grow the game he loves through his work with the Barracudas.
“Our goal is to establish a full-time flag football operation at the university of Bristol to increase participation and access to our sport, especially among women. This will then hopefully act as a feeder team for our Contact squad as people get a taste for what American football is,” he explained.
