Gorillaz shock Wolves, Steelers beat Cowbells again as Hungarian Football League kicked off
The Hungarian Football League regular season started with two exciting games. HFL’s rookies, the DAK Acél Dunaújváros Gorillaz faced the six-time champion Budapest Wolves, while title holders the Miskolc Steelers hosted the Budapest Cowbells.
Dunaújváros Gorillaz 41 -Budapest Wolves 23
Gorillaz RB Lamarco Crawford Photo: Gábor Kárpáti
In the first half, receiver Márton Mészáros made a memorable HFL debut for the Gorillaz with a 70 yard touchdown. Wolves quarterback Márk Bencsics had a hard time because of the Gorillaz’s effective pass rush. The home team even scored a safety after sacking Bencsics in the end zone. The visiting Wolves could only kick a field goal in the second quarter and the Gorillaz took a 19-3 into the locker room at half time.
The Wolves tried to make changes, but Ferenc Baksa’s two field goals were not enough in the third quarter. New Dunaújváros import Lamarco Crawford had a good debut as well and scored two rushing touchdowns in the second half. The visitors could only make it tight in the fourth quarter, when running back Péter Lenner and wide receiver Ádám Elek finally scored one touchdown each. But running back Dániel Hegedüs wrapped up first HFL win for the Gorillaz at the end.
Márton Mészáros and Lamarco Crawford (two rushing touchdowns, 101 yards) had solid games in the HFL and the Gorillaz defense really made it hard for Wolves’s passing game to emerge.
Miskolc Steelers 36 – Budapest Cowbells 14
Photo: Váradi-Király
Both teams started slow and could not get into the end zone in the first quarter. In addition, the wind made it difficult for the quarterbacks to make progress on the field. The Steelers broke silence with wide receiver A.J. Benson’s touchdown. Although the Cowbells equalized with Bálint Kántor’s catch, Miskolc’s Eaton Demetrius Lamar got back the lead: 14-7.
The Cowbells made a good start in the third quarter. The visiting team could equalize with 2016 player of the year Márton Czirók’s rushing touchdown. However, in the second half they got a lot of penalties in crucial moments which broke their attacks and maybe even their determination. Vasyl Yordan got it going in the second half. He scored his first touchdown of the season and threw two more: a second one for A.J. Benson and another for Troy Rice.
The strong wind did not really bother quarterback Vasyl Yordan. He had a 52 percent completion rate, threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another. Benson benefited mostly from this by scoring two touchdowns and having 98 receiving yards. The Steelers’ defense also improved over last year and finished the game with two fumble recoveries and three sacks.
The Hungarian Football League will continue on April 9 when the Győr Sharks will host the Eger Heroes.
