Graz Giants crush Prague Black Panthers to reach Austrian Bowl XLI

The Graz Giants are headed to the Austrian Bowl for the first time in a decade after forcing five turnovers and rolling past the Prague Black Panthers 41-6 in the Austrian Football League semifinals Saturday in Prague.

The victory sends the Giants into the win2day Austrian Bowl XLI against the top-seeded Danube Dragons and gives the club a chance to capture its first AFL championship since 2008.

Panthers strike first

The Black Panthers made an aggressive start and were rewarded on their opening drive.

Nineteen-year-old quarterback Amos Feranec kept the drive alive with a successful fourth-down conversion before finding Jan Vrňata for the game’s first touchdown. The extra point was blocked, leaving Prague with a 6-0 lead.

That proved to be the high point of the afternoon for the home team.

The Giants answered after Edwin Morales III intercepted Feranec deep in Prague territory. Dean Opara capped the short drive with a touchdown run, and Leo Lipták’s extra point gave Graz a 7-6 lead.

Lipták later added a field goal before another Feranec interception, this time by Benjamin Hellett, set up Opara’s second rushing touchdown as the Giants took a 17-6 advantage into halftime.

Defense takes over

Although Prague moved into scoring position late in the second quarter, the Giants defense came up with another huge stand inside the five-yard line to preserve its 11-point lead.

The second half quickly turned into a defensive showcase for Graz.

Fritz Bleckmann powered in for a touchdown to extend the lead to 24-6 before Martin Wallensteiner delivered the decisive play of the afternoon, intercepting Feranec and returning the ball for a touchdown.

By that point, the Giants had turned turnovers into 21 points and had complete control of the semifinal.

Giants finish strong

The mistakes continued to pile up for the Black Panthers. A failed trick play on fourth down handed Graz another short field, and Lipták increased the lead with another field goal.

Wallensteiner later intercepted Feranec for a second time as the Giants continued to dominate every phase of the game.

For Graz, it was a complete team performance built on opportunistic defense, efficient offense and mistake-free football. The Giants will now face the Danube Dragons with an Austrian championship on the line, while Prague’s impressive season came to an abrupt end on its home field.