The Swiss Bowl returns to the Calanda Broncos
The Calanda Broncos returned to familiar territory Saturday by winning the Swiss Bowl for the sixth time in seven years, upending the Bern Grizzlies 49-21.
Josh Dean diving for another score
Not many had picked the Broncos to win the Swiss championship at the beginning of the year after they had lost the 2014 title game to the Basel Gladiators and had undergone a number of offseason changes.
On this day, Calanda proved all the doubters how wrong they were. They jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the third quarter before Bern could finally get on the board. Quarterback Josh Dean completed 16 of 24 passes for 201 yards and three and had 16 carries for 113 yards and another two touchdowns on the ground in the rout. Receiver Adrian Sünderhauf caught two touchdown passes.
After Calanda came out in the second half with a 21-0 lead, the two teams combined for 49 points in the final two quarters.
Darius Willis scored 3 TDs for Bern
Knowing the odds were against them, the Grizzlies needed to make a statement early on and they did as Sünderhauf was hit so hard it could be heard in the stands, sending a murmur through the crowd. Nevertheless, the Broncos opened the scoring as Josh Dean took the ball in from the one yard line midway through the first quarter. Then in the second, Dean found Sünderhauf for a 30 yard touchdown completion.
Game MVP Adrian Sünderhauf
Dean added to his total with a seven yard scamper just before the break.
With running back converted to quarterback Darius Willis behind center, Bern started to move the ball in the third quarter, but the Broncos got on the board again as Dean hit Lukas Lütscher with a five yard scoring pass. Then Willis finally gave the Grizzlies some hope scoring the first of three touchdowns to close the gap to 28-7. But Josh Dean answered with another rushing touchdown of his own. As the quarter ended Willis scored again to make it 35-14.
The Dean-Sünderhauf combination was again successful early in the fourth from 38 yards out. Then Tino Muggwyler finished up the Broncos scoring with a two yard run. Darius Willis scored a final touchdown for Bern.
With his seven catches for 112 yards and four carries for 16 yards and his two touchdowns Adrian Sünderhauf was named the game MVP
The victory ties the Broncos with the Zurich Renegades for the most Swiss Bowl titles in history. The two teams have won seven each.