Egypt: League’s most feared team set to defend title

By Maram Ahmad

The most feared team in the Egyptian National Football League is coming back this season with the main purpose of keeping their title. Will the defending champions be able to keep their winning streak?

The Cairo Hell Hounds was established in 2013 among the first teams affiliated with the Egyptian Federation of American Football. They were one of the biggest teams in the league from the very beginning specially with having many experienced players. During their first season the Hounds came in second being defeated only by the Eagles’ streak at that time. The following season they made it to the Egyptian Bowl and once again came in second.

During ENFL III, the Hounds had a slight downfall and weren’t able to make it to the Egyptian Bowl and for the first time the Hounds weren’t in the finals. Not only that but they’ve lost enough games to rank them close to last in the league. So what happened? The Hounds had some of their star players injured throughout the season which had definitely affected their overall performance. They also believe that the team had many distractions within which affected the players’ focus.

Right after the season the Hounds promised a season to remember. they started practice early on and had an import QB, Mathew Kershey and an American head coach, John Burleson.

Mathew helped carry his team and was the seasons’ MVP. It is definite that Kershey contributed to changing the level of the game which led to having 6 out of the 8 teams import QBs for the upcoming season.

The Hounds came into last season organized and prepared both on and off field. With their players focused and their marketing on point. With their president at the time Ali Rafeek, taking care of the team’s management the players were able to focus on their only goal; the championship. Their goals were achieved as they not only became the season’s champions, but also managed to do so undefeated.

With the remarkable increase in the level of competition for ENFL V, it’s go big or go home. So the Hounds have decided to go big and hire two coaches; Jon Wilderman as their head coach and defensive coordinator who’s been coaching since 1985 and Sean Brennum as their offensive coordinator.

They’ve also decided to stick to having an import QB, for this year it’ll be young Brandon Ramon who played American college football for Oklahoma Panhandle State University (NAIA).

The Hounds offense will definitely leave a great mark on the field every game with their new import QB and key receivers like Youssef Zaiton previous season’s leading receiver who also played among the Pharaohs team. They also have important receivers like Ziad Ammar and Louay Wael and the Tiger’s transfer player Omar Hashem aka Galaxy. We must not forget the Pharaoh’s center Murad Wagdy aka Mimi and other offensive linemen like Ahmed Tarek and Bassem El Masry. And last but not least the Remarkable running back Ali Samir.

Their defense has a familiar face coming back, veteran QB Youssef Hamed who will be a linebacker this season. While they lost one of their biggest players Ashraf Mohamed, they are confident in their line of fresh blood. Its a must say that the Hounds’ performance is something we’re all eagerly waiting to watch.

Among the many talented names it was very hard to select only three to watch out for. But here’s our best effort, first is Youssef Zaiton, who’s been a stats leader before. Second is Ali Samir, the unstoppable running back with both talent and speed. And third, the Pharaoh’s safety Elhassan Elhussein aka Bob.

The Hounds will play their first game against the Cairo Bears who are coming back focused and determined for ENFL V. Its safe to say that this game will be the most heated and is the most anticipated this season.

The defending champions are coming back strong to their season determined to keep their title and their winning streak alive. Will they be able to fulfill these goals?

Read original article from Egyptian Federation of American Football.