Playoff races and playoffs raging!
The Braunschweig New Yorker Lions (Europe #1), are like a freight train and no one can stop it. The Berlin Adler (Europe #9) were the latest victims as the Lions rolled over them 35-3.The Dresden Monarchs (Europe #3) had a tough time but finally outlasted the Cologne Falcons (Europe #14), 39-25. The playoff race is tightening up. The top three spots in the north are sewn up but fourth will be a race between the Adler and Cologne. In the south the Munich Cowboys are battling to stay alive but Saarland could overtake them and in the event of a tie the Hurricanes have the edge in the two meetings between the teams.
The playoffs in Sweden start this weekend as the league-leading Carlstad Crusaders (Europe #11) host the Kristianstad Predators while the Tyreso Royal Crowns will be at home to the Orebro Black Knights. The British quarter finals offered no surprises as all the top teams won. The Finnish playoffs are scheduled for September 6-7. In Denmark the playoffs don’t start until late in September as is the case in Germany as well. And finally in Russia, the four semifinalists were decided.
Three weeks ago the Belfast Trojans captured the Irish championship downing Trinity College Dublin 7-0 in the Shamrock Bowl for their third straight title. Read the story here.
We have added a section on Russia this week.
Here then is what happened around the rest of the continent last weekend.
Austria
The Austrian final last month, Austrian Bowl XXX, was a thriller for the ages as the Vienna Vikings (Europe #2) and the Swarco Raiders (Europe #4) battled to a 17-17 tie in regulation time. Vienna scored the only touchdown in overtime to win its third straight Austrian title 24-17. Read the game recap here.
Belgium
Belgian Bowl XXVII saw a new champion crowned in July as the Ghent Gators made no mistake handing the defending champion the Brussels Tigers a 38-0 pummeling. This was the first ever title win for the Gators and they did it on their first try. Read the game recap HERE!
CEFL (Central European Football League)
Vukvoi Belgrade (Europe #10) capped a grueling yet highly successful season earlier in July, by beating the Ljubjana Silverhawks 27-17 to win their second title of the year. Vukovi reached three championship finals winning two of them. A remarkable achievement.
Czech Republic
The Czech championship ended, as expected last month, with the Prague Black Panthers (Europe #8) taking the title beating the Pnbram Bobcats 40-0. With that, Prague finished a great season with a record of 13-6. They played more games than any other team in Europe.
Denmark
In Denmark four games were on top. In Group 1 action the Aarhus Tigers demolished the Amager Demons 54-7 at home. Aarhus now leads the league in scoring offense with 317 points in eight games. Also in Group 1, the Esbjerg Hurricanes dismantled the Odense Swans 54-6. In Group 2, Sollerod blanked the Aab 89ers 19-0 and Herlev beat the Holbaeck Red Devils 14-0.
The Copenhagen Towers (Europe #18) still lead the league at 7-0 and have scored 299 points in seven games while allowing only 32 against. Aarhus is second in Group 1 at 6-2 with Amager third (3-5). The Triangle Razorbacks who were idle, still lead Group 2 at 7-1, followed by Sollerod in second (5-3) and Herlev third, also at 5-3.
Finland
In Finland, the Helsinki Roosters (Europe #12), opened up a 23-0 halftime lead and then cruised past the Butchers 47-20. The Turku Trojans did all their scoring in the second quarter and then hung on to beat TAFT 16-0. The Senaijoki Crocodiles had to battle but finally outlasted the Helsinki 69ers 13-6, eliminating the 69ers officially from the playoffs. In the fourth match-up, the Helsinki Wolverines enjoyed a rare victory in beating the Kuovola Indians 43-28. The Roosters remain first in the Maple League with 16 points and the Turku Trojans are second also with 16. The Roosters defeated Turku 48-41 earlier in the season, but the two teams face each other this weekend in the final regular season game and the outcome will determine first and second. The Crocodiles are third at 7-2 and TAFT is fourth with a 4-5 record. The Butchers are right behind TAFT with the same record and will play them for the final playoff spot this weekend. Two huge games in Finland this weekend.
France
The Thonon Black Panthers (Europe #15) won the French league in thrilling fashion a month ago. But they lost lost in the semi-finals of the inaugural IFAF Europe Champions League tournament to Vukovi Belgrade 19-7.
Germany
North: The Braunschweig New Yorker Lions are overwhelming the rest of the league as they took care of the Berlin Adler 35-3. The Adler had -18 yards rushing and a mere 125 yards passing. Braunschweig quarterback Casey Therriault was efficient in throwing for 293 yards and a touchdown with seven different receivers catching the football. The Dresden Monarchs dispatched the Cologne Falcons 39-25 behind the running of Trevar Deed who rushed for 178 yards and four touchdowns. The game was tied 18-18 at halftime. The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes beat Berlin Rebels 40-17.
Braunschweig leads the North still with an 10-0 record. Dresden (Europe #3) is second at 7-3 while Kiel (Europe #6) remains in third at 7-4 and Cologne (Europe #14) in fourth at 5-5. But the Adler, who are in fifth at 4-5, have two games remaining, one against Cologne and the other Dusseldorf.
South: The Franken Knights put a scare into the Marburg Mercenaries (Europe #16) taking a 32-24 lead at halftime only to finally fall 41-38. The Munich Cowboys clung to the final playoff spot in the south in destroying the Rhein-Neckar Bandits 49-14. Munich quarterback Blake Bolles threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns. Finally, the Allgau Comets upset the Saarland Hurricanes 31-14, preventing the Hurricanes from moving into playoff position.
Stuttgart (Europe #7) still leads the South at 11-1, with the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns (Europe #5) breathing right down their necks in second at 11-2. The Marburg Mercenaries (Europe #16) remain third at 9-3 while Munich now moves into fourth with a 6-6 record. Saarland dropped back into fifth at 5-7.
The Schwabisch Hall Unicorns boast the highest scoring offense in the league with 604 points total while Braunschweig has the stingiest defense allowing only 116 points against in 10 games. Saarland Hurricane running back Giovannie Dixon is averaging 172 yards per game to lead the entire German league.
GFL TV Highlights
Great Britain
It was playoff time in Great Britain as eight teams took the field in the BAFANL quarter finals. The number one team in Premiership North, the East Kilbride Pirates were merciless in pounding the London Olympians (South #4) 52-18. Then the London Blitz (South #2) delivered the same fate to the Lancashire Wolverines (North #3) beating them 53-6. The London Warriors (South #1) (Europe #20), punished the Coventry Jets (North #4) 52-6. Then the Tamworth Phoenix (North #2) had to battle but finally defeated the Bristol Aztecs (North #3) 20-10.
So this coming Sunday, the East Kilbride Pirates will host the London Blitz in one semi-final in Scotland while the Tamworth Phoenix will travel to London to play the Warriors in the other matchup.
Holland
In July, the Alphen Eagles won Tulip Bowl XXX in a nail biter, beating arch rival the Amsterdam Crusaders 14-12. This was the third Tulip Bowl victory in a row for the Eagles.
Ireland
In a Shamrock Bowl that will be remembered as much for the rain as for the defenses, the Belfast Trojans outlasted Trinity College Dublin 7-0 to win their third Irish championship in a row. Read the recap HERE.
Italy
The Milano Seamen (Europe #19) won their first-ever Italian championship – Super Bowl XXXIV in July beating four-time champion the Parma Panthers handily 33-3.
Norway
The Norwegian championship was decided last month as the Kristiansand Gladiators beat heavy favorite the Eidsvoll 1814s 22-21 on a last second hail mary pass.
Poland
The Polish Super Final saw the Gdynia Seahawks defeat the Wroclaw Panthers 41-32 to win their second Polish title in three years. Read the game recap HERE.
Russia
In the first quarter-final matchup in the Russian league, the St. Petersburg Griffins took an 8-6 lead over Moscow United and held on through the second half to win 8-6. Defending champions, the Moscow Patriots had an easier time of it beating the St. Petersburg Vikings 30-9. In the third quarter-final the Voronezh Mighty Ducks held on in a thriller against the Astrakhan Gladiators to finally win 32-25. The fourth quarter final between the Nizhny Novgorod Raiders and Simferopol Taurus from Crimea was forfeited by the Taurus as they were unable to travel due to political unrest in the region. Read the full recap here.
So the semifinals this weekend look like this. The St. Petersburg Griffins will host the Moscow Patriots, while the Nizhny Novgorod Raiders are going to travel to the Caspian Sea to play the Astrakhan Gladiators.
Serbia
Earlier this month, Vukovi Belgrade (Europe #10) made no mistake in the Serbian championship game beating rivals the Kragujevac Wild Boars 27-17, to cap a highly successful season. The Serbian squad also reached the finals of the the IFAF Europe Champions League tournament losing in a close one to Helsinki 36-27.
Spain
The season in June with the Badalona Dracs as new champions.
Sweden
The playoffs are just days away in Sweden now. In the final regular season round the Carlstad Crusaders (Europe #11) easily handled the Orebro Black Knights 48-20.In a game with no importance other than pride, the STU Northside Bulls upset the Uppsala 86ers 55-35. The Tyreso Royal Crowns had a tough time handling the last-place Limmhamn Griffins 37-22 while the Kristianstad Predators beat the Stockholm Mean Machines 50-20.
In the semi-finals this weekend, Carlstad will host the Kristianstad Predators at 5 PM local time Saturday while the Orebro Black Knights will travel to Stockholm to play the Tyreso Royal Crowns. Both games will be streamed and we will have the details on AFI.
Switzerland
The Basel Gladiators (Europe #17) won the Swiss Bowl in July for the first time in their history.
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