Poland’s PLFA TopLiga Finish Week 8; Wrocław, Gdynia Lead the Way
[tps_title]PLFA TopLiga Week 8[/tps_title]
The eighth weekend of Poland’s Topliga was not kind to the home fans, as all four visiting teams came away with wins over their rivals. Two of those teams, the Wrocław Panthers and the Gdynia Seahawks, clinched home games for the Topliga semifinals, while a third, the Primacol Białystok Lowlanders, virtually assured themselves of a spot in the postseason tournament.
At the top the PLFA (Polska Liga Futbolu Amerykańskiego), the Wrocław Panthers remain undefeated, and appear certain of taking the top seed by virtue of a 33-point win over the second-place Seahawks earlier in the year. The Lowlanders need only one win in their remaining two games to clinch a playoff berth and, with both of those games coming against opponents with just a single win apiece in 2015, Białystok should be on their way to a first-ever top-division postseason appearance.
All eyes in Week 9 will be on the winner-take-all matchup for fourth place between Husaria Szczecin and the Warsaw Eagles. The teams are tied for the final playoff spot at 4-4, and the Week 9 meeting will be their only one of the season, thereby assuring the winner of the tiebreaker. The Eagles have never missed the playoffs, starting with the PLFA’s inception in 2006.
At the bottom of the table, three teams are vying to avoid a cellar finish and the battle for relegation that goes with it. Kozły Poznań currently have a hold on last, with a 1-7 record, while the Warsaw Sharks and Zagłębie Steelers Interpromex each sit slightly ahead of them at 1-6. The Steelers and Sharks play each other twice within their final three games, and a split of those games could freeze out Kozły, who have only a pair of games against top-quality opponents remaining.
Upcoming Games (Week 9):
Saturday, June 6, Time TBA: Wrocław Panthers (8-0) vs. Gdynia Seahawks (7-1)
Saturday, June 6, 5:00 PM: Husaria Szczecin (4-4) vs. Warsaw Eagles (4-4)
Sunday, June 7, Time TBA: Zagłębie Steelers Interpromex (1-6) vs. Warsaw Sharks (1-6)
Sunday, June 7, 3:00 PM: Kozły Poznań (1-7) vs. Primacol Białystok Lowlanders (5-3)
Week 8 Recaps
Wrocław Panthers 45, Warsaw Eagles 14
The Panthers continued their dominance over the Topliga on Sunday in Warsaw, smothering the Eagles 45-14 for their 8th consecutive victory to open the 2015 season. Kyle Israel threw three first-half touchdowns for Wrocław, who have averaged nearly 48 points a game this season.
The Panthers, whose smallest margin of victory in 2015 came in a 23-point win over the Eagles in April, led 38-0 at halftime. Patryk Matkowski caught a pair of Israel’s scoring throws, while Grzegorz Mazur had the other on a play that went for 82 yards. Marcus Sims added two more touchdowns for Wrocław to give him 16 for the season, one behind Angelo Pease of the Gdynia Seahawks for the league lead.
[tps_footer]Next: Gdynia Seahawks v. Kozły Poznań[/tps_footer]