It’s playoff season in the Spanish League of American Football and in the first semifinal, the Las Rozas Black Demons (7-1) will host the Mallorca Voltors (5-3) on Saturday May 1.
These two teams have made it to the playoffs by building an exciting brand of football that matches up well against each other. The Black Demons finished first in the West Division while Mallorca were second place finishers in the East.
The Black Demons enter the playoffs as true contenders for the title. They earned a piece of Spanish American football history earlier in the season when they defeated the Badalona Dracs 29-7, ending their 47-game winning streak against Spanish teams.
The strength of this team has been their versatile offense. Las Rozas’s passing game is crisp with quarterback Chris Merchant distributing the ball to weapons like former Florida State tight end Mavin Saunders and former German Football League receiver David Giron who racked up yards. They have also been able to get it done on the ground with Marcos De La Mata running behind an offensive line that has played extremely well this season.
Mallorca Voltors @ Las Rozas Black Demons, May 1, 17:00 CET (5 pm, 11:00 am ET)
Merchant on the teams mindset going into the playoffs:
We couldn’t be more excited as a team to start playoffs. This is what we’ve worked towards all season long and we are looking forwards to taking advantage of the opportunity.
Defensively, the Black Demons have suffered a blow with the loss of linebacker William Lloyd and cornerback Darius Robinson. These two were key players during the regular season so Spaniards Pablo de Deigo and Felix Velasco will have to step up their game to make up for the loss of the experienced Americans.
The visiting Voltors go into this game after a roller coaster 5-3 season. The Voltors offense was humming before quarterback Tanner Young went down with an injury in March. His status for the game is still up in the air but if he can’t go, 19-year old passer Diego Lliteras will step up. He has filled in admirably in Young’s absence helping lead the Voltors to a victory in their regular season finale. Wide receiver/defensive back/kick returner Jaylon Hibbs has been the team’s best player making highlight catches on offense and defense for Mallorca. Still, Hibbs will need to have a monster game this week to send his Voltors to the championship.
Hibbs on the team’s mindset going into the playoffs:
The championship has been the goal all along, but our current objective is tonight’s training session. We are going to focus on the mental reps in order to have a successful outcome in this weekend’s game.
The Black Demons look like the league favorite to win the title at the moment, but when healthy, the Voltors have been an exciting and dangerous team this season and could surprise.
Watch the game live here. Mallorca Voltors @ Las Rozas Black Demons, May 1, 17:00 CET (5 pm, 11:00 am ET)
Las Rozas Black Demons roster (Click to enlarge)
Mallorca Voltors roster (Click to enlarge)
