Spain’s National League of American Football heads into the 2022 semifinals this weekend with both games up in the air.
The unbeaten Osos Rivas from Madrid, who won the Conference West with relative ease will tangle with the Conference East number two team, the Badalona Dracs. Meanwhile, the surprising Barbera Rookies, who won the Conference East, will take on the Conference West number two, the Las Rozas Black Demons.
Badalona Dracs (6-2) @ Osos Rivas (8-0)
The Madrid based Osos Rivas breezed through the eight-game Spanish regular season racking up 276 points while giving up a league-low 76 points. Of the six, only two were within 10 points, a 16-13 win over the Black Demons and a 30-25 victory over the Murcia Cobras in the last game before the playoffs, a game in which Osos rested a number of starters. Badalona, the defending Spanish champions, dropped two games, to the Rookies, the first time since 2015 they had lost two games to a Spanish team during the regular season.
These two teams faced each other in the semifinals a year ago with Badalona coming out on top 21-0.
Las Rozas Black Demons (5-3) @ Barbera Rookies (7-1)
The Barbera Rookies waltzed through most of the Conference East regular season with relative ease apart from a hiccup when they dropped a game to the Mallorca Voltors 26-19. The offense led the league averaging 37 points a game. Despite being newcomers to the top division in Spain, Barbera knocked off the reigning champions, the Dracs, twice during the season. Thus, they enter this game against the Conference West #2 team as favorites. Las Rozas, 2021 finalists, lost three games, two to Osos Rivas, and one inexplicably to the Murcia Cobras to open the season. Although they won their last two games easily, they will be in tough against a Rookies team that could very well win the whole thing this year.