The Central European Football League semifinal game Saturday, June 4, between the home team Calanda Broncos from Chur, Switzerland and Italy’s visiting Parma Panthers promises to be an excellent matchup between two evenly matched teams.
The Broncos, defending Swiss champions, defeated Hungary’s Budapest Wolves two weeks ago in their CEFL quarterfinal game, downing them 35-27 in what turned into a closer contest than many predicted. Parma took control of their quarterfinal against Austria’s Danube Dragons early on, building up a 21-3 halftime lead and then hanging on to win 21-10.
The Broncos reached the CEFL semifinal stage in 2021 but lost 35-20 to the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns who went on to win the title.
Calanda quarterback Chase Andries threw two touchdown passes in the victory over Budapest while running back Brecht Deboosere also had two scores. Both will be key factors today. The Broncos offense has been averaging almost 37 points a game in both Swiss and CEFL play this year. The backfield also features running backs Steffen Haenelt and Erik Rageth while wideout Melvin Sassi has excellent speed and is always dangerous. Defensively, Max Gray leads a secondary that can cause problems for the Parma passing game.
For Parma, quarterback Brook Bolles, who is the fourth leading passer in the Italian top league with 1,261 yards and 10 touchdowns, needs to find consistency. He has had excellent games this season but has struggled at times. However, he seems to have found his groove and against Danube, the top team in the Austrian Football League, he was excellent and with his leading receiver, Simone Alinovi, available, he can find holes in the Calanda secondary. Linebacker/running back Dauson Dales is a player to watch for the Broncos front seven. He has turned into a punishing runner and averages 7.2 yards a carry.
The Parma defense will need to get control of the Broncos explosive offense early on to have a chance to hand Calanda what would be only their second loss in eight years on the home field.
Parma Panthers @ Calanda Broncos, June 4, 18:00 CET (6 pm, 12 noon ET)
