The Swarco Raiders (1-1) will host the Prague Black Panthers (0-1) in the only game in the Austrian Football League this weekend.
The Swarco Raiders are eager to get back in the win column after the overtime loss to their rival Dacia Vienna Vikings last week. On the other hand, the Black Panthers are searching for their identity after narrowly losing their season opener last week.
Prague lost 21-14 to the SsangYong Danube Dragons in their highly anticipated season debut in the Austrian Football League. Prague has been plagued with issues practicing the scheduling games due to the Czech Republic’s COVID restrictions. In last week’s opening game loss, Black Panthers quarterback Zac Greenlee hooked up with receiver Jakub Wolesky for both touchdowns in their first game together, so we can expect that duo to develop more chemistry and put up points as the season wears on. This week, Greenlee will have a tough defense lining up across from him led by his former teammate with the Dresden Monarchs, AJ Wentland.
Prague Black Panthers @ Swarco Raiders, May 1, 15:00 (3 pm, 09:00 am ET)
Greenlee on finally getting to play after months of uncertainty.
It felt great to get out there and compete with our guys. Excited to learn from the game and keep moving forward, we’re ready to build on it.
The Swarco Raiders were inches short of beating the Vikings last week as they were stopped just short of converting a fourth down in overtime. Look for the Raiders to run the ball more this week as dynamic running back Tobias Bonatti had 94 total yards on only 10 touches. Defensively, the Raiders unit played well last week forcing two turnovers. Swarco linebacker AJ Wentland will face a quarterback he knows well in former teammate Zack Greenlee.
Wentland on the matchup with Greenlee and Prague.
I’m really excited going into this game against Prague. It will be great to see Zack again, him and I really became good friends playing together in Dresden. It will also be really good to see Mirek and Zbynek. Those two are brothers who are also great guys and are on their offensive line and played in Dresden with us as well. It’s always fun to play against friends and ex-teammates, at the end of the day we all know we will compete in between the whistles. But in between plays and when the game is finished we know it’s nothing but love!
Look for this game to be a great test of how this Raiders team responds to adversity. After turnovers plagued them last week, their offense should come into this game with renewed focus. For the Black Panthers, this early season game will show how ready they are to compete against the best in Austria after all but normal preseason.
Watch the game live here. Prague Black Panthers @ Swarco Raiders, May 1, 15:00 (3 pm, 09:00 am ET)
Swarco Raiders roster (Click to enlarge)
Prague Black Panthers roster (Click to enlarge)
