The promise of excitement in the last regular season game of Sportklub Central European Football League Championship vanished quickly as the Kragujevac Wild Boars from Serbia took the wind out of the sails of Hungary’s Budapest Cowbells in the first period and never looked back, whipping them 50-15. With this win, Kragujevac advances to CEFL Bowl XII where they fill face the SWARCO RAIDERS Tirol from Austria.
The Wild Boars blasted off right from the start. Their offense didn’t lose any steam after swapping quarterbacks a couple of weeks ago. Dalton Oliver led his team down the field from the very first drive with passes to sure-handed receivers Filip Nedeljković and Strahinja Stepović. It took just five plays for the Stepović to catch a rocket pass of 33 yards and take it the distance. Petar Goić was good on the try and the scoring session was open.
The Cowbells had Váry Tamás under center who got flushed out of the pocket and answered with a lob into coverage that found its way to his own receiver. Running back Roják Richárd kept the markers moving, but it was the uncovered Szabolcska Balázs who was the recipient of another one of Váry’s spirals, sprinting into the end zone for a 60 yard touchdown. Szentirmai Zoltán was accurate for a singleton, tying the score one last time.
It was all Wild Boars from there. In their following drive, running back Laurent Tshimanga breaks off for 30 yards over the middle and gets taken down by opponents’ safety. His alternate, Mihailo Novaković grabs a screen pass and rumbles to the end zone breaking tackles, chased by the whole defense for a 60-yarder of his own.
Photo: Igor Lazarevic
Visitors start their next offensive series with a short pass that gets intercepted and returned for a 23 yard touchdown by Predrag Šćekić. Goić plays a trick on the defense for a 2-pointer. The Cowbells take the ball again and get pushed ahead by defensive pass interference. Roják runs a couple of times before another Váry’s pass ends up in the hands of the wrong team. Allen Ramsey is the beneficiary this time, returning it to the end zone for 35 yards. That’s the end of the first period and the game is pretty much over before it properly started.
The Cowbells advance the ensuing kickoff to their 38 yard line, their rushes lead nowhere and they punt. Next, Nedeljković gets his gloves full with three catches for 30 yards. His teammate on the right sideline, Stepović peels off from his defender downfield and snags a 25 yard pass for another score.
The Hungarian team is reduced to passing plays at this point. Váry gets the ball, looking to his weak side for a couple of seconds trying to locate his first option, but home team’s rusher strips the ball which luckily ends under one of his linemen. His next passing attempt ends the same way, this time Szabolcska grappling on to a long pass all the way to Wild Boars’ 30 yard line. The ball gets batted from behind but is again recovered by the offense. Roják rushes for 18 yards and his team is stonewalled. After a three and out they cause a couple of false start penalties but go for it anyway, chasing a big differential. Ball is deflected near the end line for a turnover on downs.
Photo: igor Lazarevic
Oliver – Nedeljković is a combo that does go through for a screen pass and gets big yards in the next drive. The same play is repeated with Stepović who gets the road paved by the offensive line if front of him. Ball’s placed on the 9 yard line and Stepović is again in the end zone as the target of another pass for a score. The kick splits the uprights as the last play in the half that ends 43-7.
The sequel is fast forwarded by mercy rule. Cowbells go for it first, with Roják rushing twice for a total of 25 yards, but they grind to a halt and punt. After a 3 and out of their own, the Wild Boars punt themselves. The Hungarian team gets the ball again, but can’t convert and punts to Ramsey who returns it to their 11 yard line. Tshimanga runs straight through the middle for another touchdown.
The Cowbells try to reduce the pain over Váry’s hail mary pass to Zax Norbert who gets wrestled down inside Wild Boars’ red zone. Same duo connects for a 16 yard pass and Fóra Kamilló holds on to one himself on the conversion, for the final score 50-15.