ELF: Cologne Centurions hang on to defeat Hamburg Sea Devils
In a matchup of two teams that won’t make the European League of Football playoffs, the Cologne Centurions defeated the Hamburg Sea Devils 30-23 in one of the closest games of the weekend.
The Centurions got possession first and quickly moved down the field, and quarterback Isaiah Weed eventually ran 12 yards for a touchdown to cap an 11 play drive. Hamburg responded with a field goal, and later scored a touchdown on their own quarterback rush, as D’Angelo Fulford scampered in for a 4 yard score. Weed then threw an interception to Brandon Richard, but the Sea Devils offense could not take advantage and put points on the board.
In the second quarter, Weed got his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon to reclaim the lead for Cologne on an impressive 46 yard play. Later on, Weed found Jannik Loercks for a touchdown through the air from 13 yards out, but Hamburg responded with a touchdown of their own on a pass from Fulford to Klaas Sengstacke. Cologne took a 20-17 lead going into halftime.
In the third quarter, Cologne put together another good drive before settling for a field goal, which would be the only score of the frame. Early in the fourth quarter, the Centurions found the end zone again on a rushing touchdown by Emil Fuchs. Hamburg responded with a touchdown pass from Fulford to Jakob Neugebauer, cutting the lead to 30-23.
On the next Cologne drive, Fuchs fumbled and the Sea Devils recovered, giving the home team a chance to tie the game. But their final drive was thwarted by a sack on 4th down, and the Centurions were able to run out the clock from there.
Though the game was meaningless for the playoff picture, it was nice to see the two teams put together a competitive game in a week that saw many blowouts. The Centurions will face the Fehervar Enthroners in Hungary next week in their final game, while the Sea Devils conclude their season in Croatia against the Madrid Bravos.
