Around The Continent: Week 6 – Rivalries Edition
[tps_title]Around the Continent[/tps_title]
CEFL
In the second weekend of play in the Central European Football League only one game was on tap. The Serbian Novi Sad Dukes hosted Austria’s Hohenem’s Blue Devils and defeated them 34-18.
The league takes a month-long hiatus until May 23 when Novi Sad plays host to defending champion Vukovi Belgrade.
Vukovi has reached the final every year since the league began in 2006 and won five times while losing four. The Silverhawks have made the final three times and won it once, in 2012. This is the third time since the league’s inception that the Blue Devils will participate. They reached the championship in 2009 but lost to Vukovi.
Croatia
The Croatian league kicks off in the fall.
Czech Republic
In the third weekend of play in the Czech Republic the Prague Lions pulled off a surprise by knocking off last year’s finalists the Pribram Bobcats 32-21 after trailing 14-6 at the half. Then the Trnava Bulldogs blanked the Brno Alligators 26-0.
Denmark
In the only game played in the Danish American Football League the Triangle Razorbacks and Aarhus Tigers turned a defensive battle for three quarters into an all-out sprint as Triangle scored 22 fourth quarter points to defeat the Tigers 29-20. Razorback’s running back Mathias Kragh rushed for 211 yards and two touchdowns to lead Triangle to the victory.
In IFAF Europe Champions League North action the Copenhagen Towers travel to Helsinki, Finland to take on defending champion, the Helsinki Roosters.
Finland
The Maple League starts in early June. The schedule is pending.
France
It was a busy weekend in the French league and created a logjam in the standings. In Nice, the Nimes Centurions pulled off the upset of the week in Europe as they traveled to Nice and trounced the Dauphins 42-2. The Centurions had been winless entering the contest. Then the La Courneuve Flash handed the Elancourt Templiers a 37-6 pounding. In the game of the week, in a thriller the Aix-en-Provence Argonautes scored a last minute touchdown in a see saw fourth quarter battle to beat the Thonon Black Panthers 37-34. The game saw multiple lead changes and the Black Panthers poised to score again from the 20 yard line when the final whistle blew.
Finally, league leading the Saint-Ouen Cougars downed the Asnieres Molosses 27-14. With that the Cougars should finish first in France although the Argonautes have a game in hand and with three victories would take over top spot. But third and fourth are wide open as the Dauphins, Black Panthers and Flash are all tied at 4-4 each with a victory over one of the other two. With two games remaining, this will be a thrilling finish to the French regular season.
The Cougars lead the league with a 7-0-1 record followed by the Argonautes in second at 5-2 and the Dauphins in third at 4-4. The Flash sit in fifth spot at 4-4 trailed by the Black Panthers at 4-4.
The Thonon Black Panthers will head to Milan, Italy this weekend to face the Seamen in IFAF Europe Champions League Central play.
