Panthers down Lowlanders in Poland; Still Have Chance For First

With the regular season in the Topliga in Poland drawing to a close, the battle for playoff positioning is in its final stages. Top spot in the league is still up for grabs.

Wrocław Panthers 37 – Białystok Lowlanders 14 (in Wrocław)

The Wrocław Panthers beat the Lowlanders for the second time in 15 days on Saturday, knocking Białystok out of contention for the top two seeds in the Topliga “second season” round robin tournament with a 37-14 victory in Wrocław. The result means that the winner of next week’s game between the Panthers and the Gdynia Seahawks will earn the top seed in the Topliga playoffs, while the loser will host the Lowlanders in the semifinals.

The Panthers dominated the first quarter, jumping out to a 21-0 lead. Steven White led off the onslaught with a 20-yard touchdown run, and Ricky Stevens followed him into the end zone a few minutes later with a 16-yarder. White then tossed a 45-yard touchdown pass to Tomasz Dziedzic, and it looked like the rout was on. The Lowlanders held Wrocław off the board in the second quarter, however, and got to within two scores on a 37-yard Ronald Long touchdown catch that came after a White interception near the end of the half.

Things got even more interesting in the third quarter when Jabari Harris made it 21-14 with a 10-yard touchdown run. That score would persist all the way into the fourth quarter, when the Panthers finally put the game away. The Białystok defense continued to hold, but a Josh Alaeze pick six and a 48-yard Deante Battle punt return for a score gave the Panthers a comfortable cushion upon which they could run out the clock.

UP NEXT:
Panthers (6-1): at Gdynia Seahawks (7-0), June 18 (Topliga top-three round robin)
Lowlanders (4-4): at Gdynia Seahawks (7-0) or Wrocław Panthers (6-1), July 2 or 3 (Topliga semifinals)

TOPLIGA WILD CARD ROUND SCHEDULE:
Saturday, June 18, Time TBA: Warsaw Eagles (4-3) vs. Husaria Szczecin (3-4)
Saturday, June 19, Time TBA: Warsaw Sharks (1-6) vs. Kozły Poznań (0-7)
TOPLIGA SECOND ROUND SCHEDULE:
Saturday, June 18, 2:00 PM: Gdynia Seahawks (7-0) vs. Wrocław Panthers (6-1)