ELF: Berlin Thunder keep playoff hopes alive, take down Istanbul Rams on the road

The Berlin Thunder kept their playoff hopes alive in the European League of Football on Saturday with a 38-14 victory over the Istanbul Rams. 

Berlin moved to 7-4 with the win (and are now tied with three other teams for fourth place), while the Rams fell to 1-10.

After Berlin muffed a punt after stopping Istanbul’s first drive, the Rams struck first with a touchdown connection between quarterback Isaiah Green and receiver Terryon Johnson.  However, it was pretty much all downhill from there for Istanbul, as the Thunder scored 23 consecutive points to end the first half.  An early touchdown in the third quarter made the score 30-7 and essentially put the game out of reach.  The teams would trade touchdowns in the fourth quarter before the game came to a close.

Berlin quarterback Joe Germinerio was impressive in the victory, as he completed 19 of 31 passes for 256 yards and five touchdowns.  Each one of his touchdown passes went to a different receiver, as he kept the Istanbul defense off balance by spreading the ball around the field.  Kelian Moulium and Robin Wilzeck each only caught one pass, but they made the most of their receptions, as they scored touchdowns of 58 and 37 yards, respectively.  In fact, Moulium led all Berlin receivers with 58 yards from just one catch.  Running back Jocques Crawford had a solid day, as he rushed the ball 18 times for 87 yards.  For the Rams, Isaiah Green finished his day completing just 7 of 31 passing for 152 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  The dual threat quarterback also carried the ball 13 times for 53 yards.  The Rams‘ offense was not in rhythm for most of the day, as they punted the ball nine times.

Next week, Berlin plays host to the 7-4 Tirol Raiders in a game that has huge implications for both teams, as well as two other 7-4 teams in the Rhein Fire and Frankfurt Galaxy.  Istanbul closes their season at home with a winnable game against the 2-9 Cologne Centurions.