Fédération Française de Football Américain heading into week 4, La Courneuve Flash on top

AFI | American Football | 03/11/2017

The French American Football Association –Fédération Française de Football Américain, FFFA – heads into its fourth week of play with a surprising new “old” leader at the top of the standings.

The La Courneuve Flash sit alone in first place in the North division after three games with a perfect 3-0 record which tops the country.

The Flash opened the season with a victory over the defending champion St. Ouen Cougars and followed that up by beating La Queue-en-Brie Gladiateurs in week 2. Then last weekend the Nice Dauphins fell to La Courneuve in a thriller 14-13.

This week’s opponents for the Flash, the Rouen Leopards are newcomers to the top league this season and have been the surprise so far. The 2-1 Leopards have beaten both the Gladiateurs and the other newcomers, the Bron-Villeurbanne Falcons. They also battled the Cougars and only lost 21-19. They could give La Courneuve more than they bargained for.

The Cougars sit in second in the North at 2-1 ahead of Rouen with the Gladiateurs last without a win.

The South division is tighter with the Aix-en-Provence Argonautes in first at 2-1 after defeating both the Thonon Black Panthers and Nice Dauphins, two favorites to win the French title this year. Their sole loss came at the hands of the Cougars. The Argonautes face the winless Falcons in a game which should improve their record to 3-1.

The Thonon Black Panthers have rebounded from a dismal 2016 season which saw them miss the playoffs. They have opened with a 2-1 record beating both the Falcons and Gladiateurs by lopsided scores while dropping a close decision to the Argonautes. Thonon has the best offense in France so far having scored 123 points in three games. The Black Panthers take on the Nice Dauphins this weekend.

The St. Ouen Cougars also look to improve their record to 3-1 this weekend as they face the Gladiateurs who have struggled and have the worst offense and defense in the league so far. Nice, who were unbeaten through the first six games of 2016, have already lost two, to the Flash and Argonautes. They will be in tough against the Black Panthers.