The defending champion and undefeated Kragujevac Wild Boars will be looking to three-peat Sunday, July 8 when the take on the SBB Vukovi Belgrade at Stadium “Čika Dača” in Serbian Bowl XIV .
These arch rivals have each won the title seven times (not including the controversial 2005 championship). The last time the two teams faced each other in the championship game was in 2016 when Kragujevac won Serbian Bowl XII over Vukovi, 53-29.
Looking at the history of these two teams, the domination of one or the other club has shifted and in the past couple of years, the Wild Boars have had the edge. In fact the last time Vukovi defeated Kragujevac was during the 2016 regular season. The Wild Boars took their revenge that year by beating Vukovi in the final.
Photo: Stefan Ugljevarević
Kragujevac have dominated the Serbian league in 2018 running through the seven game regular season and playoffs without a defeat, racking up 359 points in eight games while allowing 15.5 per game.
The offense is led by quarterback Dalton Oliver, who is playing in his second championship game. His favorite receiver is Strahinja Stepović who was named league MVP. Running back Joshua Quezada is the top rusher in Serbia and gives Oliver a potent weapon.
Dalton Oliver:
“Sunday will mark my second Serbian Bowl in the past two years. Although we won the championship last season, offensively we did not perform well and I felt like we had more to prove. It has been a goal of mine all year to return to the finals and perform offensively to the potential i know this team has.
Both teams have shown growth and slightly different rosters. In the first meeting, there were plenty of miscues from both teams. With that being each team’s first game of the season, it was expected. I believe it will be a high scoring game and i look forward to showing and comparing our growth throughout the year”
Vukovi finished the regular season with a 6-1 record with the only loss coming at the hands of Kragujevac, who beat them 38-21 in the first game of the season.
Khari Vercher is the starting quarterback for Vukovi and the Los Angeles native is the key to an offense that scored 332 points in eight games including a 49-7 semifinal win. Nikola Simović is the leading receiver for the Belgrade team.
Vukovi head coach Malik Jackson is no stranger to championship games. Three years ago, he led Sweden’s Carlstad Crusaders to the Champions League title, beating Vukovi in the final. He guided the Crusaders to the Swedish crown that same year.