Prague Black Panthers capture 5th straight Czech Bowl title

| American Football | 07/26/2017

The defending champion Prague Black Panthers won their fifth straight Czech title and seventh overall when they defeated the Ostrava Steelers 28-0 in Under Armour Czech Bowl XXIV Monday night at Viktorie Zizkov Stadium in Prague.

In a steady downpour, the Black Panthers set the tone from the opening whistle against the only team who had come close to beating them the regular season. In fact, Ostrava had played Prague to a tie earlier in the year.

On this night it was not even close.

Game MVP Prague quarterback Jan Dundáček was magnificent, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 41 and another score. Jan Tesař caught both touchdown passes and had three catches for 102 yards while running back Pavel Klemš rushed for the fourth touchdown.

Prague QB Jan Dundáček battling for yardage

Ostrava’s leading rusher Dominik Dvorský was held to just 17 yards rushing and the Steelers had only 47 yards as a team. In fact, Ostrava was only able to muster 101 yards in total offense.

Prague opened the scoring on their second possession after Dundáček first connected with Tesař for a 50 yard completion and then Klemš carried the ball in from the one.

The Steelers threatened early in the second quarter but a 37 yard field goal attempt went wide and Dundáček marched his team on a six play, 80 yard drive, capping it with a 16 yard touchdown pass to Tesař and the score was 14-0 two minutes into the second quarter.

Prague WR Jan Tesař scored 2 TDs

Steelers running back Luke Wildung fumbled on his own 36 yard line on the next series and the Black Panthers made him pay. Dundáček threw a second touchdown strike to Tesař and Prague suddenly had a 21-0 lead which they took into the halftime break.

The second half saw the Black Panthers defense, led by linebacker Karl Augusta, who finished the night with 11 tackles including nine solo, stiffen. Ostrava could not penetrate past the Black Panthers 40 yard line the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Dundáček added another touchdown late in the third quarter on an 18 yard scamper.

With the rain making conditions tough for both teams, Prague controlled the rest of the game and took a knee on the Steelers 35 yard line to end it.

Roger Kelly is an editor and a writer for AFI. A former PR Director the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League for 7 years, he now lives in Sweden writing about and scouting American Football throughout the world.