Polish Regular Season Wraps Up As Panthers Whip Lowlanders
The Polish League of American Football regular season wrapped up with the Wroclaw Panthers handing the Primacol Białystok Lowlanders an embarrassing loss in clinching second place behind the Gdynia Seahawks.
The three top teams in the league will now face each other in a round robin tournament which will determine the seedings for the playoffs. Those three teams – the Gdynia Seahawks (#1), Wroclaw Panthers (#2) and Primacol Białystok Lowlanders (#3) will decide the top three spots.
The numbers 4 through 7 finishers play a knockout tournament with the first-round winners playing for the 4th semifinal berth and the losers playing to avoid relegation in 2017.
Wrocław Panthers (5-1) 61 – Primacol Białystok Lowlanders (4-2) 21 (in Wrocław)
EJ White & Tomasz Dziedzic in action Photo: Wroclaw Panthers
The Primacol Białystok Lowlanders came to Wrocław on Saturday looking to stamp themselves as legitimate contenders for Poland’s championship, finishing the regular season against one of the country’s perennial powers, the Panthers. The Lowlanders put up a good fight in the first half, but the Panthers dominated after the break with 28 unanswered points on their way to a 61-21 rout, leaving Białystok with more work to do to get ready for the postseason.
A 60-yard reception by Tomasz Dziedzic set the Panthers up for a score on their opening possession, a chance that Rickey Stevens did the honor of converting from 7 yards out. The teams then traded possessions before a blocked punt led to Białystok’s first points, which came on a 7-yard touchdown reception by Ronald Long. Dziedzic gave Wrocław the lead again with a 30-yard touchdown reception, and EJ White’s 13-yard rushing score made it 21-7 at the end of a quarter.
Jabari Harris again found Long, this time on a play that started at midfield, for a touchdown reception that brought the Lowlanders back to within a single score. The teams then traded touchdowns to make it 27-21, but Stevens scored again just before the half to make it 33-21. Wrocław got second-half touchdowns from White, Stevens, Konrad Starczewski and a defensive score from Josh Alaeze to pad the final margin of victory.
Wrocław and Białystok finished second and third in the Topliga regular season standings, respectively, meaning that both teams will join the Gdynia Seahawks in the three-team round robin tournament that will determine the final playoff seedings. The pair will meet again on June 11, in the second game of the round robin, although the Lowlanders will also be in action a week from now, hosting the undefeated Gdynia Seahawks in the round robin opener.
UP NEXT:
Panthers (5-1): vs. Primacol Białystok Lowlanders (4-2), June 11 (Topliga top-three round robin)
Lowlanders (4-2): vs. Gdynia Seahawks (6-0), June 5 (Topliga top-three round robin)
TOPLIGA WILD CARD ROUND SCHEDULE:
Saturday, June 4, Time TBA: Warsaw Eagles (3-3) vs. Kozły Poznań (0-6)
Saturday, June 4, 12:00 PM: Husaria Szczecin (2-4) vs. Warsaw Sharks (1-5)
Saturday, June 18, Time TBA: Eagles-Kozły winner vs. Husaria-Sharks winner
Saturday, June 19, Time TBA: Eagles-Kozły loser vs. Husaria-Sharks loser
TOPLIGA SECOND ROUND SCHEDULE:
Sunday, June 5, Time TBA: Primacol Białystok Lowlanders (4-2) vs. Gdynia Seahawks (6-0)
Saturday, June 11, Time TBA: Wrocław Panthers (5-1) vs. Primacol Białystok Lowlanders (4-2)
Saturday, June 18, Time TBA: Gdynia Seahawks (6-0) vs. Wrocław Panthers (5-1)
