The Central European Football League Western Conference season winds up Saturday when the Triangle Razorbacks, Danish defending champions, and Poland’s top team the Wrocław Panthers face each other at Vejle Athletics Stadium in Denmark.
Both teams suffered losses to Austria’s Swarco Raiders which leaves this game a game of pride, as neither team has a shot at the CEFL final.
However, the teams are still perfect in home leagues and have a lot to say about their legacy. The Razorbacks will operate their offense with a new American quarterback, Shazzon Mumphrey. In his arsenal is wide reciever Oliver Romer Holmlund, who proved to be elusive to Raiders’ defenders, catching 6 passes for 84 yards. On the offensive side, the Poles will no doubt try to get an early lift over quarterback Timothy Morovick and running back Adam Skakowski, who were impressive in their outing against the Austrians.
“We were also in pool with them in the IFAF Europe Champions League last year, and we ran into an eighteen in Poland. We are looking for revenge and I’m sure the audience can expect a very good match between European champions and the now twice defending Danish champions,” said vice president of Triangle Razorback’s Michael Panayotis.
The Panthers have won all of their six matches in the Polish Topliga this season, all by at least 20 points. The team’s last match was a 56-3 victory over Husaria Szczecin.
American football is still relatively new in Poland, but Panthers has been developing in recent years and is one of the strongest teams outside of Germany and Austria.
“We played a good game against the Austrian champions, but we were just missing the last to beat such an experienced team. We are faced with a new important battle to prove that we belong to the top of Europe,” says the Panthers club president Jakub Głogowski.
The Poles are led by three American imports. Quarterback Morovick who, after a career in a very small school in Kansas, played with the Albershausen Crusaders in the GFL2, before ending with the Panthers. Morovick’s favorite target is the Polish receiver Wiktor Zieba, who average 70 yards receiving per game.
Panthers also have U.S. import Rickey Stevens and 32-year-old European veteran defensive back Deante Battle, who is in his fifth season in Poland. Battle has four interceptions in five matches this season.
A month ago, there were 1,300 spectators in the match between Triangle Razorbacks and Aarhus Tigers, and the club has made every effort to bring even more on Saturday.
“There were 1,300 spectators for the season’s first home game against Aarhus Tigers, and we would like to beat that number. The atmosphere and atmosphere surrounding American football is quite special and there are many who use it as a social event, for they can, for example, use the breaks to talk and enjoy. And of course we have grill and stalls,”promises Panayotis.
If you can’t make it to the stadium in Denmark, watch live online here.
LIVE STREAM: CEFL – Wrocław Panthers v. Triangle Razorbacks (6:30p CEST, 12:30 EDT)
