[tps_title]Around the Continent: Week 10[/tps_title]
Week 10 of the European edition of Around the Continent saw upsets and lopsided scores from all over the continent.
There were plenty of games to watch live. The Orebro Black Knights in Sweden posted their first victory under new head coach Randy Beverly and the game was live streamed with a scoreboard. The clash between two of Italy’s top teams, the Ancona Dolphins and the Lazio Marines was shown live as well.
The playoff spots have been decided in Spain and in France. Read about it below in their sections. Meanwhile, the Portuguese championship pairing has been decided. The Turkish league championship game is coming up this weekend. The Romanian semifinals are also set for this weekend. The Belgian playoff picture has already been determined with one weekend of play remaining.
We are always looking for photos and highlight videos so if you have any please do not hesitate to send them along so we can feature them here. We spend hours looking for and finding photos from the previous weekend’s action. We try to make sure every photo is new from that weekend. We also strive to include any extra stats and info so please let us know. If a player you know has had an outstanding game, for instance, send us a message about it.
We would again like to point out the great job that Amerikansk Fotball does in Norway as well as National Ligaen in Denmark. We rely on both sites as well as Gridiron in the Netherlands. We also want to thank Double Coverage in the UK for their excellent coverage. Lastly, we must acknowledge the fine work done by Football-Aktuell in Germany.
Otherwise, there is plenty of news from around the European continent. so make sure to check it out every week. Another shout out goes to Filippo Rostoni who is invaluable at gathering facts and keeping us on our toes. Also a special thank you to Tiberiu Anghelina from Romania for making sure we have our facts straight about American football in his country. Andre Amorim helps us out with news from Portugal. We thank him as well. Alexander Malyshev is great in getting us info from the Eastern League of American Football.
Make sure to read Henrique Riffel’s articles. He keeps us abreast of all developments in Brazil and also Portugal. Luther Rommens has been contributing with game stories from Belgium. Our correspondent in Russia – Ilya Kravtsov – does an outstanding job of covering everything about American football in his country. If we have left someone out please remind us. And any and all contributions are welcome.
Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, Holland, Ireland, Belgium, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Austria, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Norway, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey, the Ukraine, Russia and Denmark are all playing whether regular season or playoffs. However, the Finnish season does not start until June and the Croatian season gets underway in the fall.
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. Please keep us informed of events when they happen in your country. And please send us game photos from your most recent games.
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
SONY DSC
The Alpe Adria seven team league involving teams from Slovenia (Maribor Generals, Alp Devils) Croatia (Zagreb Patriots) Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo Spartans) and Serbia (Pancevo Panthers, Belgrade Blue Dragons) saw two games played this past weekend.
The Patriots remain in first in the West division while the Serbian Pancevo Panthers still lead the East at 2-0.
Austria
Swarco Raiders quarterback Sean Shelton threw for 500 yards and four touchdowns in a 58-6 rout of the Danube Dragons last Sunday. His main target again was wide receiver Christian Erlsbacher who caught 10 passes for 243 yards and three of those touchdowns. The only other game scheduled, between the Vienna Vikings and Prague Black Panthers, was cancelled due to flooding at Hohen Warte Stadium in Vienna.
The Vikings remain atop the standings at 4-1 while Swarco has climbed into second at 5-2. Vienna has a better winning percentage than Swarco – .800 v. .667. Prague occupies third at 3-2 followed by the Danube Dragons at 2-4. The Graz Giants have yet to win a game.
Baltic Sea League
The Baltic Sea League, featuring teams from Latvia, Estonia and Belarus was idle this past weekend. Action resumes on June 13 when the Tartu Titans host the Grodno Barbarians in Estonia while the Minsk Pagans travel to Vitebsk to play the Lynxes.
Belgium
Flemish Conference (FAFL)
The Brussels Black Angels surprised the football world in Belgium by handing the Ghent Gators their first loss in two years trouncing them 39-0. With the win the Black Angels captured the regular season title, earning them a bye into the playoffs. In the only other game the Izegem Tribes downed the Puurs Titans 44-6. Although one weekend remains in the regular season, the playoff picture is set.
The Black Angels will await the winner of the game between the Ostend Pirates (3rd in the FAFL) and the Liege Monarchs (2nd in the LFFAB) on June 14. In the other first round playoff match up also on June 14, the Ghent Gators (2nd in the FAFL) will face the Waterloo Warriors (3rd in the LFFAB).
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
CEFL
The Central European Football League was back in action this past weekend with a huge upset.
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
Photo courtesy: © Miki Gerlašinský
The Prague Black Panthers extended their lead in the standings to 5-0 with 29-14 win over the Trnava Bulldogs.
The Black Panthers remain undefeated in first place at 5-0 with the Bobcats in second with a record of 3-2.
Denmark
In a repeat of the 2014 championship game, the Copenhagen Towers faced the Aarhus Tigers and beat them again, this time 30-13. Then the Horsen Stallions took care of the Herlev Rebels by a surprising 33-6 score. Then the Sollerod Gold Diggers defeated the visiting Amager Demons 28-13.
The Razorbacks sit in first at 3-0 while the Towers have climbed into second at 3-0 as well. With their win the Gold Diggers move back up into third while the Tigers loss bumped them down to fourth again.
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
Eastern League of American Football
The Moscow Bruins played host to the Voronezh Mighty Ducks but were edged 9-7. Meanwhile in a battle for Minsk, the Minsk Litwins pounded the Minsk Zubrs 31-8.
Finland
The Maple League starts in June 11 as the Seinaijoki Crocodiles host the Porvoon Butchers.
France
In the final weekend of play in the French league – FFFA – the playoff puzzle was resolved. The Saint-Ouen Cougars avenged the only blemish on their record this year – a tie in the first week of the season – and overwhelmed theVoronezh Mighty Ducks Templiers 44-6. The Thonon Black Panthers secured third spot in the standings in beating the last place Nimes Centurions 34-21. The second place Aix-en-Provence Argonautes did not have an easy time but still turned back the Nice Dauphins 35-28. Finally, in a game that had no bearing on the standings the Asnieres Molosses defeated the La Courneuve Flash 33-20.
The playoffs start June 6/7 as the first place Saint-Ouen Cougars will host La Courneuve Flash who finished fourth. The Cougars beat the Flash in both meetings this year, 31-21 and 21-13. In the second game the second place Aix-en-Provence Argonautes will host the Thonon Black Panthers who came in third. The two teams split the series this season. Thonon easily beat the Argonautes 41-13 in the first game earlier in the year while Aix en Provence returned the favor in a shootout a couple of weeks ago defeating Thonon 37-34 with the Black Panthers knocking on the door as time expired.
The French championship game is scheduled for the weekend of June 20.
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
Germany
North
Kiel Baltic Hurricanes quarterback Blake Bolles broke a club record throwing for 455 yards and six touchdowns in a 43-28 defeat of the Berlin Adler in Berlin. The Braunschweig NY Lions played everyone it seemed in pounding the 58-7. The Lions racked up over 500 yards in offense compared to 100 for the Düsseldorf Panther in the rout. Quarterback Evan Landi now appears to be the starter for Braunschweig as Grant Enders injury would seem to be more serious that originally thought. Landi threw for 236 yards but the team rushed for 268 yards. The Hamburg Huskies find themselves in second place in the North after edging the Berlin Rebels 19-17.
South
In a battle of two undefeated teams the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns taught the upstart Allgäu Comets a lesson as quarterback Marco Ehrenfried threw for almost 400 yards and four touchdowns in downing the Comets 40-14. Stuttgart Scorpions quarterback Tom Schneider had 280 yards passing and three touchdowns along with 80 yards rushing and another touchdown as the Scorpions beat up on the hapless Rhein-Neckar Bandits 53-7. The Saarland Hurricanes kept the Marburg Mercenaries out of the win column beating them 27-17. The Munich Cowboys then defeated the Franken Knights 24-7.
Great Britain
North
The visiting Tamworth Phoenix handed the Lancashire Wolverines their first loss of the season in beating them 17-10. Then the Coventry Jets defeated the Yorkshire Rams 27-14.
The Phoenix now sit in first with a 3-0 record followed by Lancashire (3-1) and East Kilbride at 2-1.
South
The two heavyweights were in action in the South as the London Blitz, fresh from qualifying for the IFAF Europe Champions League Final Four overwhelmed the Bristol Aztecs 52-12. Then the London Warriors traveled to Wales and handed the South Wales Warriors a 49-0 shellacking.
The Warriors and Blitz are tied at 3-0 with the Warriors first by virtue of a slightly better points differential. The London Olympians are third at 2-2.
Holland
The Alphen Eagles improved their record to 7-1 in defeating the Group A rivals the Arnhem Falcons 14-7. The win gives the Eagles a leg up on the Falcons as they had beaten them a month ago 21-20. In the only other game, the Amsterdam Crusaders battered the last place Lightning Leiden 59-0.
The Eagles remain in first place in Group A with a 7-1 record ahead of the Arnhem Falcons now at 6-2. The Crusaders have a stranglehold on first in Group B with a 7-1 record.
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
Hungary
The Nyiregyhaza Tigers handed the Miskolc Steelers 42-13 defeat to climb up to third in the league standings. Then the Budapest Wolves whipped the Györ Sharks 44-7
The Monarchs remain first at 4-0 with the Cowbells in second also sporting a 4-0 record. The Monarchs have a better point differential. The Monarchs still have the best offense averaging almost 50 points a game so far.
Ireland
North
There were no games played in the North this past weekend. The Belfast Trojans offense has rolled up 196 points in five games and allowed only 23. The Trojans now lead the North at 5-0 while the Dublin Rebels are a distant second at 2-3.
South
Trinity College Dublin pulled off the biggest upset of the season in Ireland in downing the previously undefeated University of Limerick Vikings 22-3.
The Vikings still top the South at 5-0 with Trinity College trailing well behind at 2-1.
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
Italy
North
In the Milano city derby, the Milano Rhinos surprised the Milano Seamen 30-22. The Parma Panthers then retook first place in shutting out the Bergamo Lions 38-0. Then the Bolzano Giants kept pace with the Seamen by beating Torino Giaguari 22-14.
The Parma Panthers are the new leaders of the North with a 7-2 record while the Seamen slipped to second at 6-3.
South
The Ancona Dolphins avenged an earlier loss to the Lazio Marines in beating them decisively 45-32. Then the Ferrara Aquile pounded the winless Napoli Briganti 55-7. Lazio continues to lead the conference, and the league, with an 8-1 record but the Dolphins are a close second at 7-1. The The Warriors are third at 4-4 and the Grizzlies fourth at 3-5 but with a victory over the Warriors in the event of a tie.
Norway
The battle of the only two undefeated teams in Norway was a thriller as the visiting Lura Bulls pulled off a 27-26 win over the Eidsvoll 1814s. The Valerenga Trolls climbed out of the basement in beating the Nidaros Dolmers 42-39 in Trondheim.
The Lura Bulls now have sole possession of first place in the Norwegian standings at 4-0 trailed by the Eidsvoll 1814’s also at 3-1.
Highlights of Bulls – 1814s game
Poland
The Wroclaw Panthers scored 38 points in the first half and coasted to an easy 45-14 win over the Warsaw Eagles. The defending champion Gdynia Seahawks kept pace with the Panthers in trouncing Kozly 42-13. Then the Bialystok Lowlanders upended the Warsaw Sharks 46-33. Finally, Szczecin Husaria beat the Steelers 31-6.
The Panthers are in sole and undisputed first place at 8-0 having racked up 382 points in eight games. The defending champion Seahawks are second at 7-1 after their win. But the Lowlanders have inched up into third with a 5-3 record, ahead of the Eagles who are now fourth at 4-4.
Watch highlights of the Panthers-Eagles game.
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
Portugal
Playoffs
In a key upset the Lisbon Crusaders defeated the previously undefeated (in 2015) Porto Mutts 35-24 in the Portuguese semifinals. In the other semi-final, the Lisbon Navigators did not have an easy time of it but finally dispatched the Lisboa Devils 34-29.
Highlights Navigators-Devils
The Crusaders will face the defending champion Navigators on June 6 for the Portuguese championship.
Romania
The Romanian semifinals are slated for this weekend. In the one semi, the South East number one seed, the Bucharest Rebels will face the North West number two seed the Timisoara 89ers. In the other semi-final, the North West number one team, the Cluj Crusaders will face the South East number two, the Bucharest Warriors
Russia
Ural Division
No games were played this past weekend.
Volga Division
In one of the two games played, the Nizhny Novgorod Raiders 52 blanked the Moscow Dragons 19-0. Meanwhile the Podolsk Knights held on to first place by beating the host Moscow Spartans 17-14.
Black Sea Division
No games were played.
Big 5 Division
No games were played.
Serbia
The Novi Sad Dukes posted their biggest upset by manhandling the defending champion Vukovi Belgrade 38-14, their first victory against Vukovi since 2008. Dukes quarterback Alexander McKean threw three touchdown passes in the win. In the other game in Serbia, the Pancevo Panthers ran roughshod over the Cacak Angel Warriors 53-0.
The Novi Sad Dukes top the standings at 5-0, while Vukovi drops down to second at 4-1. After that the Indija Indians, Pancevo Panthers and Nis Imperatori all with 3-2 records are in a battle for a playoff spot. Two weekends of play remaining and anything can happen.
Slovakia
Only one game was played in the Slovakian league as the Zvolen Patriots shut out the Zilina Warriors 28-0 in the SFL East.
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
Spain
In the final weekend of the regular season in Spain, there were no surprises. As expected the Valencia Firebats overwhelmed the L’Hospitalet Pioners 47-0 to finish first in the league with a 9-1 record. The Badalona Dracs had no trouble with Osos Rivas dumping them 34-0 in preparation for meeting them in the playoffs. Finally, the Valencia giants ended the Mallorca Voltors horrible season beating them 54-0.
The Spanish semi-finals on June 6/7 will see the Valencia Firebats face the fourth place Valencia Giants. The Giants are the only team to have beaten the Firebats this year in Spain surprising them 26-20. In the other semifinal, the Badalona Dracs take on the demoralized Osos Rivas. Osos Rivas actually defeated Badalona earlier in the season 17-14.
Sweden
Photo: Tommy Andersson
The Carlstad Crusaders are beginning to kick into 2014 mode as they cruised to a 67-0 victory over the Stockholm Mean Machines. But the game of the weekend was a basketball shootout between the STU Northside Bulls and the Kristianstad Predators which the Bulls won 69-56! The Örebro Black Knights got their first win for new head coach Randy Beverly beating the visiting Limhamn Griffins 21-7. Then the Uppsala 86ers whipped newcomers the Vasteras Roedeers 46-7.
Switzerland
No games were played in the Swiss league this past weekend.
Calanda remains in first place in the Swiss league at 5-1 now followed by the Bern Grizzlies at 4-2. The Basel Gladiators dropped to third at 3-2 but with a game at hand now. Zurich with the win keeps pace and sits in fourth.
Turkey
The Turkish regular season is over and with no playoffs the first and second place teams – the Koc Rams and the Bogazici Sultans – have qualified for the championship game.
Both the Rams and Sultans will now face each other in the Turkish championship game on May 30/31.
Ukraine
The Ukrainian season is fully underway. This past weekend in Group A play the Kiev Bulldogs beat the Kiev Slavs 26-12. Also in Group B the Odessa Pirates blanked the Dnipropetrovsk Rockets 17-0.