Ireland: Rebels & Vikings – Undefeated! Week 13 Round Up

By Jimmy English

The first weekend of June brought some amazing weather as well as a “Super Sunday” of Irish American Football. Four of the remaining undefeated teams were scheduled to square off in a race for top seeding, as the playoffs begin to loom. The Admirals played host to the Rebels in Cork, where the winner was sure to be top dog heading into the final few weeks of the season while up north in the wee county a depleted Louth Mavericks side attempted to fend off a clan of marauding Vikings from the University of Limerick! Read on four our week 13 American Football Ireland round up!

UL Vikings 12 – Louth Mavericks 6

It was a defensive, run dominated battle in Dundalk with both sides vying to remain undefeated in Division One. The Vikings struggled to move the ball early on, giving Louth excellent field position for their first possession of the game. Dan Finley scored early in what would be the home sides only points of the game. Both defenses put in strong performances; the Mavericks D Line in particular putting up a number of sacks and tackle’s for loss. UL’s Adam O’Mahony rushed for a score to tie it up in the third quarter, before Quarterback Fin O’Donavan extended the lead late in the fourth. These sides are all but sure of meeting again in the final and we can expect just as intense a game as we witnessed today.

This was not the scoreline we were expecting. The Rebels went on the road and dominated Cork in their own back yard to all but seal the Premier Division with an emphatic 46 – 0 display. 6 total TD’s were scored by the Dublin side, as Ty Henry added to his MVP season with 4 through the air and one on the ground. Mike Massari snagged a pick six as well for good measure, one of three interceptions he had on the day. Cork had no answers for the opposing defense, turning the ball over 5 times and giving up 5 sacks as Jordan Rhaheem, Joe Krause, Kenny McCarty & Conrad Cook all got to the QB. Cork will need to regroup quickly as the go on the road next week to face a tricky Minotaur team while nothing can seem to stop the Rebels on their quest for a perfect season.

UCD 38 – South Dublin Panthers 0

A week after a narrow loss, UCD were out for revenge. And that’s what they got. Arun Mooney hit Tom Donovan for a hat trick of touchdowns, and on the ground standout Running Back Sean McVeigh had two more. McVeigh added a 2 point conversion on one score as well for good measure.  The Panthers on the other hand had nothing but woes on Offense, scoring no points and turning the ball over three times to the tune of two interceptions ( Rory O’Dwyer) and a fumble recovery (Brandon Atwell). The win keeps UCD in playoff contention, while the Panthers have an even tougher test ahead in two weeks when they travel up north to face the Trojans in Dermaore Park.

Courtesy of Charisse Mae

Courtesy of Nature By Greg

Cill Dara Crusaders 12 – Dublin Rhinos 7

Heartbreak once more for the Rhinos as they lose another close game in the last minute. The Flying Farrell brothers combined for two touchdowns to complete the series sweep in Newbridge on Sunday with the second score coming in the last minute of the game to seal victory. The Rhinos gave an excellent account of themselves on both sides of the ball. Dylan Gladney caught a touchdown pass from Adam Jenkins while on Defense, Pat Gahan and Padraig Lalor both had big turnover plays. The Crusaders sit at 5-2 after today’s win and will be trouble for whomever they face in the playoffs. West Dublin on the other hand must be commended for their valiant effort after losing their starting QB a few weeks ago, but are coming dangerously close to the relegation zone.

Donegal/Derry Vipers 39 – Antrim Jets 0

The Jets are in obvious turmoil and we were genuinely surprised that this fixture even went ahead after last week’s forfeit and head coach dismissal. In some ways they would have been better to fold out the season and start fresh next year, but instead they took a walloping at the hands of the Vipers. Josh Reed, Danny Mullan & Sean Graham scored the Vipers touchdowns and Gary Melly added a field goal as well in a powerful performance that all but ensures the Jets crash landing ( sorry) back to division 2 next in 2024.