Hungary: Nyíregyháza Tigers ready for historic game, Miskolc Steelers aiming for 1st win

The split third round of the Hungarian Football League (HFL) continues this weekend with two games. The Nyíregyháza Tigers will host the TD Store Eagles on Saturday, while the Miskolc Steelers are travelling to Győr to meet the Sharks on Sunday.

Nyíregyháza Tigers (1-0) – TD Store Eagles (1-1) April 28.

Photo: -Celesztina-Szabó

 The Tigers are preparing for an outstanding game in the third round of the HFL. This will be the first time the team will host an opponent in the Stadium of Nyíregyháza which has a capacity of 11 500 people. The players are excited as the game approaches. However, they had a lot of work to do in the past three weeks because head coach Thomas Smythe was not fully satisfied with the team’s performance in the win against the Fehérvár Enthroners. Nevertheless, new quarterback Brian Gessel shone in the first game. His performance may be decisive on Saturday. In addition, the defense also has to be confident as well.

Photo: Szigetköz-Photo-Studio

The TD Store Eagles showed confidence in the last game against the Győr Sharks. But most importantly, improvement in offense and defense. This mentality should be kept up against the Tigers to take up the pace with ‘The Beast from the East.’ The Eagles will miss its most experienced player, András Storcz (WR), who was banned for one game. This might be the time for receiver A.J. Benson to step up and lead his team to victory since he could not score a touchdown in the first two games with his new squad.

Győr Sharks (1-1) – Miskolc Steelers (0-1) April 29.

Photo: Szigetköz-Photo-Studio

 The Győr Sharks still had a lot of work to do over the past three weeks. Head coach Troy Baker emphasized that they need to avoid making silly mistakes in the red zone. Not just on defense, but on offense as well. Although the offense showed improvement in the last game against the Eagles, quarterback Cody Enman has to work more on his coherence with the receivers. The greatest advantage for the Sharks heading into Sunday’s game is that they have not lost against the Miskolc Steelers at home yet.

Photo: Váradi-Király

The Steelers surprised everyone with its running game in the 25-24 loss to the Cowbells. Andre Whyte seems to be a good chess piece for the 2017 runner-ups offense since the team was not famous for its running game. However, we missed those Vasyl Yordan passes which were game changers last year. Head coach Eaton Demetrius Lamar only had to make small adjustments in the defense, which seems to be as solid as last season.

László Makranczi is a radio reporter, announcer and American Football journalist in Hungary. He lives in Debrecen and works for the Hungarian American Football Federation. Studied at the University of Debrecen, got a master’s degree in American