The Kragujevac Wild Boars captured their fourth consecutive Serbian championship and ninth overall in beating the SBB Vukovi Belgrade 60-55 in a shootout at the “Čika Dača” field in Serbian Bowl XV.
The Wild Boars jumped out to a 40-27 halftime lead and boosted it to 46-27 before Vukovi mounted a furious fourth quarter comeback.
Defense? What defense? The teams combined for 115 points, scoring 42 points in the fourth quarter alone.
Wild Boars running back Nick LaSane romped for five touchdowns to lead his team while quarterback Jake Sisson tossed three touchdown passes and ran another one in himself. Stefan Đurić, Petar Goić and Miloš Petrović all had touchdown receptions. Goić kicked six extra points.
Photo: Igor Lazarevic
For Vukovi, running back Joe Ferguson rushed for three touchdowns while quarterback Levi Plante threw three touchdown passes and rushed for one more. Slavoljub Dukovski scored on a seven yard run while wide receiver Nikola Simović hauled in two touchdown passes and Miloš Kolibar caught one. Željko Stegnjaja kicked six extra points.
Belgrade opened the scoring on a 16 yard Ferguson run but LaSane answered for Kragujevac capping a drive with a three yard plunge. Sisson broke off tackle and sprinted 70 yards to extend the lead to 13-6 for the Wild Boars but Ferguson came right back with an 80 scoring run to tie the score at 13-13, still in the first quarter. The Wild Boars offense was crisp, with Sisson marching them down to the 17 yard line. LaSane finished it off, bursting for 17 yards and breaking the tie to make it 19-13 Kragujevac as the teams went into the second quarter.
Sisson increased the lead to 26-13 with a 32 yard pass to Duric but Vukovi began chipping away again. Ferguson found a hole and galloped 47 yards to narrow the lead to 26-20.
The Kragujevac offense found another gear scoring two touchdowns in succession with Sisson finding Goic on a 52 yard touchdown pass and then hitting Petrovic for a 48 yard touchdown and the Wild Boars opened up a 20 point lead, 40-20, late in the first half.
Plante came back with a 17 yard scoring pass to Kolibar to close the gap to 40-27 going into the break.
A thunder storm halted play in the third quarter and when the teams resumed, under ominous black skies, defenses finally took charge with the only scoring coming from LaSane on a one yard run.
Photo: Igor Lazarevic
Holding a comfortable 46-27 lead entering the fourth quarter, Kragujevac looked to close out the game. But Plante had other ideas connecting with Simović on a 17 yard strike to narrow the lead to 46-34. Then Dukovski scored from seven yards out and suddenly, midway through the fourth period, Belgrade was within five, 46-41.
LaSane responded, ripping off a 30 yard run to extend the lead to 12, 53-41. But Plante came back, finding a seam and scampering 54 yards to narrow the lead again, this time to 53-48.
Like a pair of heavyweights trading blows, these two teams traded touchdowns. LaSane scored his fifth touchdown of the game, muscling his way out to a 55 yard scoring run to again extend the lead to 12, 60-48. But Plante was not done. With little time left, he moved Belgrade down to the Wild Boars 17 yard line and then called his own number, running the ball in to reduce the lead to five, 60-55.
But time ran out with Kragujevac holding on for the win. LaSane was named Game MVP.
Source: Igor Lazarevic