CEFL: Quarterfinal round finishes up with three games this weekend
The Central European Football League winds up its quarterfinal round this weekend with the three remaining games.
Last weekend, the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns from Germany knocked off Sweden’s Örebro Black Knights 58-7 in the opening game of the quarterfinals. This weekend, Austria’s Danube Dragons pay a visit to Parma, Italy to face the Parma Panthers while two teams from France clash as the Thonon Black Panthers will host their rivals from Paris, the La Courneuve Flash. Finally, the Calanda Broncos from Switzerland will be the host team when Hungary’s Budapest Wolves come calling.
All three games will be available with full previews on American Football International on Saturday morning.
Saturday, May 14
Danube Dragons @ Parma Panthers
The Parma Panthers struggled early on in the Italian Football League after winning the title in 2021 in an undefeated season. They have begun to return to their 2021 form and now sit third in the IFL standings. The Danube Dragons have impressed after winning their first five games of the Austrian Football League season are first in the AFL.
Budapest Wolves @ Calanda Broncos
The Calanda Broncos are the defending Swiss champions and no strangers to the CEFL. They reached the championship game in 2019 and the semifinals in 2021. Currently, Calanda sits second in the Swiss standings with a 5-1 record. Meanwhile, the Wolves are returning to the tournament for the first time since 2014. Budapest has opened the Hungarian season with a loss, after dropping a 28-25 decision to the Budapest Cowbells.
La Courneuve Flash @ Thonon Black Panthers
This could be the most intriguing matchup of the quarterfinals. The teams sit first (Flash) and second in France’s northern division (Conference A). La Courneuve is undefeated while Thonon has lost just one game…to the Flash. La Courneuve has dominated every team they have faced so far, including the Black Panthers in the opening game of the season. But since that early game, Thonon, under new “old” head coach Larry Legault, has steadily improved and sits right behind the Paris squad.
