[tps_title]Around the Continent: Week 6 – Week of Rivalries[/tps_title]
Week 6 of the European edition of Around the Continent saw some terrific football action as arch rivals went head to head in many countries.
In Austria, the Swarco Raiders reasserted themselves, decisively defeating arch rivals the Vienna Vikings.
In Holland, the two rival teams in Group A in that country, the Alphen Eagles and the Arnhem Falcons went head to head and Alphen came out on top this time by one point.
In Italy, the Milano Seamen and Parma Panthers faced off after the Panthers unceremonious dumping of the Seamen in the season’s opening game. This time Milano made no mistake.
Keep reading for more rivalries and upsets.
We intend to keep you abreast of all the news from around the European continent so make sure to check it out every week.
So far Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, Holland, Ireland, Belgium, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Austria, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Norway, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Slovenia, Turkey, the Ukraine and Denmark have kicked off their seasons. Slovakia gets underway this weekend.
We do everything we can to stay on top of developments in each country but cannot always keep up with it so this is where we need your help. Last week, we had a few more misses but again our readers helped us straighten things out. Please keep us informed of events when they happen in your country. And please send us game photos from your most recent games.
We have tried to do previews for each country but without input from the leagues, this becomes an almost impossible task at times. Please help us here by letting us know who to contact in your country. Don’t hesitate to let us know if we have missed something or made a mistake. If we don’t respond quickly, keep trying. We are a tiny staff and we will eventually get your information posted. Also, if you have a tournament or new league write to us at info@americanfootballinternational.com.
Finally, if you can share on Facebook or retweet on Twitter we will spread the news even further.
Alpe Adria League
The Alpe Adria involves teams from Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
Austria
The Swarco Raiders took revenge on the Vienna Vikings for their opening round loss to the Vikings in beating them decisively 30-17. This was the fifth straight win for the Raiders, including Big6 and Battle4Tirol play. The Prague Black Panthers then won their second straight game in Austria edging the Danube Dragons 35-34 behind the arm of quarterback Kyle Newhall.
The Vikings remain atop the standings but the picture has changed.
Baltic Sea League
The Baltic Sea League involving teams from Latvia, Estonia and Belarus was idle this past weekend. Play resumes May 2 when the Riga Lions will host the Minsk Pagans.
Belgium
Flemish conference (FAFL)
The Flemish conference was idle this past weekend. The Ghent Gators are undefeated at 5-0 and lead the conference followed by the Brussels Black Angels who are now 4-0.
French Conference (LFFAB)
The French conference resumed play as the Brussels Tigers defeated the Waterloo Warriors 23-14. Then the Liege Monarchs edged the Louvain Fighting Turtles 6-0. The Tigers still top the French conference at 4-0-1 followed by Liege at 3-1-1.
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
CEFL
The league takes a month-long hiatus until May 23 when Novi Sad plays host to defending champion Vukovi Belgrade.
Vukovi has reached the final every year since the league began in 2006 and won five times while losing four. The Silverhawks have made the final three times and won it once, in 2012. This is the third time since the league’s inception that the Blue Devils will participate. They reached the championship in 2009 but lost to Vukovi.
Croatia
The Croatian league kicks off in the fall.
Czech Republic
In the third weekend of play in the Czech Republic the Prague Lions pulled off a surprise by knocking off last year’s finalists the Pribram Bobcats 32-21 after trailing 14-6 at the half. Then the Trnava Bulldogs blanked the Brno Alligators 26-0.
Denmark
In the only game played in the Danish American Football League the Triangle Razorbacks and Aarhus Tigers turned a defensive battle for three quarters into an all-out sprint as Triangle scored 22 fourth quarter points to defeat the Tigers 29-20. Razorback’s running back Mathias Kragh rushed for 211 yards and two touchdowns to lead Triangle to the victory.
In IFAF Europe Champions League North action the Copenhagen Towers travel to Helsinki, Finland to take on defending champion, the Helsinki Roosters.
Finland
The Maple League starts in early June. The schedule is pending.
France
It was a busy weekend in the French league and created a logjam in the standings. In Nice, the Nimes Centurions pulled off the upset of the week in Europe as they traveled to Nice and trounced the Dauphins 42-2. The Centurions had been winless entering the contest. Then the La Courneuve Flash handed the Elancourt Templiers a 37-6 pounding. In the game of the week, in a thriller the Aix-en-Provence Argonautes scored a last minute touchdown in a see saw fourth quarter battle to beat the Thonon Black Panthers 37-34. The game saw multiple lead changes and the Black Panthers poised to score again from the 20 yard line when the final whistle blew.
Finally, league leading the Saint-Ouen Cougars downed the Asnieres Molosses 27-14. With that the Cougars should finish first in France although the Argonautes have a game in hand and with three victories would take over top spot. But third and fourth are wide open as the Dauphins, Black Panthers and Flash are all tied at 4-4 each with a victory over one of the other two. With two games remaining, this will be a thrilling finish to the French regular season.
The Cougars lead the league with a 7-0-1 record followed by the Argonautes in second at 5-2 and the Dauphins in third at 4-4. The Flash sit in fifth spot at 4-4 trailed by the Black Panthers at 4-4.
The Thonon Black Panthers will head to Milan, Italy this weekend to face the Seamen in IFAF Europe Champions League Central play.
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
Germany
North
The second weekend of action in the young GFL season saw the once proud Berlin Adler continue their downward spiral which began in 2014 as they were blanked by the Dusseldorf Panthers 30-0. Then the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions traveled to Berlin and beat the Rebels 31-9 after only leading 10-6 at halftime.
South
The Stuttgart Scorpions hosted German finalist the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns and were no match for the Unicorns dropping a 28-9 decision after spotting them 28 straight points. The Allgau Comets seem to be on a roll. Fresh off their 48-13 thrashing of the Badalona Dracs last week, they blanked the Rhein Neckar Bandits by the same 42-0 score. In a game with a total offense for both teams of 390 yards the Munich Cowobys beat the Saarland Hurricanes 3-0.
Great Britain
North
The East Kilbride Pirates atoned for their surprising loss the previous week by dumping the Yorkshire Rams 63-2 in their home opener. Then Tamworth Phoenix opened their season at home by blanking the Coventry Jets 17-0.
South
In the only game played in the Premiership South, the Bristol Aztecs handed the South Wales Warriors a 35-7 drubbing.
The London Blitz will host the Aix Argonautes for France in second round action this weekend in the IFAF Europe Champions League West.
Holland
There was a full slate of games played in Holland this past weekend. In the game of the week the Alphen Eagles and the previously undefeated Arnhem Falcons waged a see saw battle with the Eagles emerging with a 21-20 victory. The Amsterdam Crusaders struggled but finally beat the stubborn Hilversum Hurricanes 14-6. The Amsterdam Panthers had an equally tough time defeating the Nijmegen Pirates 12-6. Finally, the Rotterdam (010) Trojans pasted the Lightning Leiden 53-7.
The Eagles and Falcons have turned Group A into a race as Arnhem leads at 6-1 followed by Alphen at 5-1. The decider may come May 24 when the two teams meet for the third time this season. The Crusaders have a stranglehold on first in Group B with a 6-1 record.
Highlights of the Alphen Eagles victory over the Arnhem Falcons.
Hungary
The Monarchs lead the league with a 3-0 record with the Budapest Wolves and Cowbells right behind at 2-0. The Monarchs have averaged more than 50 points a game so far.
Watch highlights of the Budapest Wolves win.
Ireland
North
The Belfast Trojans made up for their defeat at the hands of the East Kilbride Pirates two weeks ago by beating up on the Carrickfergus Knights 27-7. Then the Dublin Rebels beat the South Dublin Panthers 15-6. The Trojans are alone at the top of the standings at 3-0 while the Rebels are in second at 2-2.
South
The University of Limerick Vikings keep finding ways to win as they edged arch rivals University College Dublin 13-12. The Craigavon Cowboys blanked the West Dublin Rhinos 28-0 leaving the Rhinos without a victory after four games. The Vikings top the South at 5-0 with Trinity College trailing well behind at 2-1.
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Italy
North
In a surprising show of power, the defending Italian champion Milano Seamen pounded the once-proud Parma Panthers 44-3. Then the Bolzano Giants took over second spot beating the Bergamo Lions 26-6. Finally in the North the Milano Rhinos dumped the Torino Giaguari 32-6 in Turin. With that, the Milano Seamen lead the North at 5-1 trailed by the Bolzano Giants at 5-2 and the Panthers are in third at 4-2.
South
In the South, the Lazio Marines put on an offensive display handing the Napoli Briganti their second straight 70-0 loss. The Ancona Dolphins kept pace with the Marines beating the Roma Grizzlies 34-7. In the only other game the Ferrara Aquile surprised the Bologna Warriors 20-6 tightening the playoff race even more. The Lazio Marines continue to lead the conference with a 6-0 record followed by the Dolphins at 5-1.
The Milano Seamen travel to France in the second round of IFAF Europe Champions League Central play to face the French champions, the Thonon Black Panthers.
Norway
The Lura Bulls continue to dominate the Norwegian league recording their third straight victory in beating the Vålerenga Trolls 32-8 on the road. In the only other action, the Oslo Vikings won their first game of the year downing the Nidaros Domers 34-13.
The Bulls sit alone at the top of the Norwegian standings at 3-0.
Poland
All eight teams in the Polish league (PLFA) were in action last weekend. In a matchup of league finalists the Wroclaw Panthers gained a measure of revenge for their loss in the championship game last season by blanking the Gdynia Seahawks 33-0. The Warssaw Eagles then traveled to Poznan to defeat Poznan Kozly 36-6 . The Bialystok Lowlanders kept pace though blanking the Zaglebie Steelers 46-0. Finally the Szczecin Husaria upended the by another 33-0 score.
The Panthers now find themselves in sole and undisputed first place at 5-0 having racked up 230 points in five games. The defending champion Seahawks are second at 4-1. The Eagles are third at 3-2 just ahead of the Lowlanders who are also at 3-2.
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
Portugal
The Portuguese regular season came to an end as the Braga Warriors blanked the Porto Renegades 30-0. The Porto Mutts finished first in the North at 8-0 followed by the Braga Warriors in second with a 6-2 record.
South
In the South the Lisboa Devils finished the regular season with a big 47-0 win over the Algarve Shark. The Lisboa Navigators finished the regular season undefeated in first place in the South at 8-0, followed by the Crusaders who are 6-2 on the season so far.
Look for a preview of the Portuguese playoffs next week in Around The Continent.
Romania
In Romania this past weekend only one game was played as the Bucharest Rebels took care of the Timisoara 89ers 46-0. The Rebels now lead the South East conference while the Bucharest Warriors have dropped to second. The Cluj Crusaders are first in the North West undefeated at 3-0.
Russia
The Russian league kicks off May 9 with eight teams in action. The 15 team four division league winds up its regular season in August.
Serbia
Three games were played in Serbia. The Kragujevac Wild Boars rolled up a 54-25 win over the Sirmium Legionaires after scoring 19 points in the first quarter. The Indija Indians recorded their first victory of the season with a 26-7 victory over the Pancevo Panthers. The Indians were paced by running back Ivan Prskalo who rushed for 140 yards while also recording two sacks and eight tackles. The Nis Imperatori then beat up on the winless Cacak Angel Warriors 42-12.
After three games played the Novi Sad Dukes top the standings at 2-0, followed by Vukovi, while Pancevo sits in third at 2-1.
This coming weekend Vukovi Belgrade will travel to Istanbul, Turkey to face the Bogazici Sultans in a Champions League East match-up.
Slovakia
The Slovakian league gets underway this weekend as all six teams will be in action.
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
Spain
The Spanish league resumed play with the Valencia Firebats blanking the winless Mallorca Voltors 34-0. Madrid’s Osos Rivas then beat the L’Hospitalet Pioners 22-15 while the Badalona Dracs rebounded from their dismal outing last weekend against Germany’s Allgau Comets to beat the Valencia Giants 14-0.
With two games remaining in the Spanish league the Firebats still remain in first with a 7-1 record, but Osos Rivas is not far behind in second and the two teams play each other on May 9. That game could decide first place in the league. Badalona’s win over the Giants pretty much cinched third place for them with the Giants in fourth, out of reach for the fifth place Pioners.
Sweden
The Swedish season gets underway this weekend with three games on tap.
Switzerland
The defending Swiss champion Basel Gladiators brought the Luzern Lions back down to earth after their startling overtime upset of the Calanda Broncos two weeks ago. However, running back Jeff Souder left the game in the first quarter and did not return and is out with a knee injury for 4-6 weeks.
Basel took a 21-6 three quarter lead and then held on to beat the Lions 28-18. The Bern Grizzlies wasted no time in trouncing the winless Winterthur Warriors 37-6 while the Calanda Broncos more than doubled the Zurich Renegades 48-22.
Calanda remains in first place in the Swiss league at 4-1 followed by the Gladiators at 3-1. Luzern is right behind in third.
Turkey
The Turkish league is idle until May 9. In Turkey, the Koc Rams lead the league at 6-0 followed by the ITÜ Hornets at 5-1 and the Bogazici Sultans who are 4-2.
The Sultans will host the Vukovi Belgrade in IFAF Europe Champions League play on May 2.
Ukraine
The Ukrainian season is fully underway. This past weekend the Kiev Slavs beat the Dnipropetrovsk Rockets 26-18 while the Kiev Bulldogs traveled to Odessa and thumped the Pirates 36-6.