Spain: Mallorca Voltors rebound for gritty win

AFI | American Football | 02/24/2020

Photo: Coslada Camioneros

The Mallorca Voltors (3-1) rebounded from a disappointing overtime loss last week to hang on to defeat the 0-4 Coslada Camioneros 30-21 in Coslada this past weekend as the Spanish League of American Football wound up its fourth weekend of play.

Voltors quarterback Ty Henry tossed two touchdown passes both to Slovak receiver Lubos Paprčka who also caught a third game-clinching touchdown pass late in the game to preserve the win.

Coslada quarterback José Óscar Zazo led his team on a dramatic second-half comeback after trailing 21-0 late in the second quarter, throwing two touchdown passes to Samuel Anca. Defensive back Marco Antonio Zárate also scored on a pick six.

Mallorca jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with Henry finding Paprčka twice on deep balls. Running back Robert Brice then rushed for a third touchdown in the second quarter to increase the lead to 21-0 and the Voltors had the game in control. It seemed.

That’s when Zárate picked off an errant Henry pass to make it 21-7 for Mallorca heading into the break.

The Camioneros came out in the third quarter with renewed energy as Óscar Zazo connected twice with Anca to pull within one, 21-20 with a missed extra point attempt preventing the tie.

Voltors kicker Max Siemssen added a field goal to give his team some breathing room but early in the fourth quarter, Henry left with game with an arm injury. However, young Diego Lliteras stepped in and on the next series and calmly found Paprčka who caught his third touchdown pass of the game, to put the game away.

With the win, the Voltors improve to 3-1 and hold onto second place in the Spanish league’s South Conference.

In other action in Spain, the Badalona Dracs scored 35 second half points to pull away from the stubborn Gijon Mariners and win 55-21. The Las Rozas Black Demons broke open a 13-13 tie in the second quarter with two last minute touchdowns and then exploded in the second half to defeat the Fuengirola Potros 55-19. Finally, behind five touchdown passes from quarterback Joey Bradley, the L’Hospitalet Pioners pounded the Zaragoza Hurricanes 53-0 to improve to 2-2 in the tough North Conference.