[tps_title]2015 Spanish Mid-season Review[/tps_title]
If the fifth week of the Liga Nacional de Futbol Americano (LNFA) Series A’s season is any indication of what is to come, be ready for a wild unpredictable ride. The final week of the first half of the season was set to solidify the standings, but it did anything but that. In fact it muddied the playoff picture, and showed that the two teams, currently, out of the hunt still have not given up.
Saturday, in the LNFA game of the week, the Badalona Dracs (3-2) were in the suburbs of Madrid planning to solidify their standing as the second best team in Series A, but the, then, third place Osos Rivas (3-2) were fighting to ensure they stayed in the playoff conversation. A task they accomplished with a 17-14 victory, at home, which garnered them a tie for second place with the Dracs.
Meanwhile, in Valencia, the first place Valencia Firebats (5-0) have to overcome two separate two touchdown deficits (14-0 & 21-8) to head into the locker room up by one point (22-21) over the fifth place L’Hospitalet Pioners (1-4). The Firebats were able to regroup at halftime, and despite the Pioners coming out of the locker room just as aggressive, the Firebats were able to maintain their undefeated record with a 44-28 victory.
Sunday’s game seemed like an easy path for the, host, Valencia Giants (3-2) to enter into a three way tie for second place, with a victory over sixth place Mallorca Voltors (0-5), but after the first half that victory was anything but guaranteed. Heading into the locker room the Giants found themselves still in a game, ahead only up by 13. Much like Saturday’s game in Valencia, the second half was much better for the home team. The halftime adjustments made by the Giants, coupled with the lack of depth on the Voltors’ sideline, ensured a 47-0 victory for the home team.
Full results and schedules can be found at the Federación Española de Fútbol Americano (FEFA) site.
[tps_title]2015 Spanish Mid-season Review[/tps_title]
[tps_header]Valencia Firebats[/tps_header]
The Valencia Firebats’ first 5 – 0 start in club history has them sitting squarely in first place.
The offense, led by Chris Debowski’s league leading 18 touchdown passes, has a 43.8 points per game average, top in the LNFA Series A. The potent offense, coupled with a run stop defense few teams have been able to best, has led to teams having to attack through the air, allowing Nayim Chaib to capitalize and lead the league with seven interceptions, including two for touchdowns.
As the Firebats begin the second half of the season, they find themselves in a position where two wins will clench a playoff berth, three would guarantee home field in the semis, and four secures them home field for the finals, regardless of what happens elsewhere in the league.
[tps_title]2015 Spanish Mid-season Review[/tps_title]
[tps_header]Badalona Dracs[/tps_header]
Having a combined record of 17 wins 2 losses & 1 tie in the 2013 & 2014 regular seasons, the defending champions, Badalona Dracs (3-2), find themselves in an unfamiliar situation. Despite Curtis Canon leading the league in points (78) and touchdowns (13), Marcos Carmona leading the league in PATs (11), and having the second best offense (35.4 ppg) and defense (16.2 ppg), the Dracs find themselves out of the top spot for the first time since the 2012 season.
A season ending injury to, second year import, Nate Prioux, early in the second game, has affected the Dracs on the field performance. In the second half of the season, the Dracs intend to show the LNFA that they are back to their old form, by avenging their loses to the Firebats and Osos, but in addition to going undefeated, will need some help reclaiming the top spot from the Firebats.
Dracs home games can be live streamed at: https://www.livestream.com/dracstv
[tps_title]2015 Spanish Mid-season Review[/tps_title]
[tps_header]Valencia Giants[/tps_header]
After winning a promotion game in 2012 from Series B, making the Series A playoffs with a sub .500 record in 2013 and staving off relegation with a victory in the 2014 promotion/relegation game, the Valencia Giants (3-2) are attempting to make the statement that they are contenders in Series A. One of the cornerstones of this statement is their league leading defensive average of 15.6ppg.
Due to a visa situation, the Giants were forced to play the first two games without, Mexican QB, Ricardo Quintana, who in his three games finds himself in second place with 11 TD passes. The Giants hope this late addition will improve their offense’s 24.4 ppg average, and will allow them to avenge their 40-20, season opening, loss to crosstown rival Firebats and their 25-22, last minute, loss to the Dracs, three days after his arrival in Spain.
[tps_title]2015 Spanish Mid-season Review[/tps_title]
[tps_header]Osos Rivas[/tps_header]
The Osos Rivas (3-2), came into week five looking at the very real possibility of relying on tie-breakers to decide if they would be in the playoff or in the relegation game, if they were to lose to the Dracs and a Pios’ upset of the Firebats, but the Osos decided to take charge of their own fate by handing the Dracs their second loss of the season, in a defensive battle that saw the home team emerge victorious by a score of 17-14.
The Osos are hoping that the late additions of Ernest Hall Jr. (DB) and Johnathan White (LB/RB), who played together in high school, will improve their league third best defense (20.4 ppg), with the intention of rectifying their losses in Valencia to the Giants (14-6) and at home to the Firebats (29-48).
Osos home games can be live streamed at: https://www.livestream.com/ososrivastelevision
[tps_title]2015 Spanish Mid-season Review[/tps_title]
[tps_header]L’Hospitalet Pioners[/tps_header]
In Barcelona, the Pioners of L’Hospitalet (1-4), have fallen from their long held reign of the LNFA’s Series A, but they are not going down without a fight. Aside from their season opening loss to, crosstown rival, Dracs (54-14) and second week win against the Mallorca Voltors (27-0), they have been in each of the other three games. Losing, only, by an average of 13.7 points.
If their 5th week performance against the Firebats is any indication, the Pioners have no intention of writing off a run at the playoffs, but this difficult task would, in addition to going undefeated, rely heavily on getting a helping hand from some other teams.
Pioners home games can be live streamed at: https://www.pioners.org/
[tps_title]2015 Spanish Mid-season Review[/tps_title]
[tps_header]Mallorca Voltors[/tps_header]
The Mallorca Voltors, the 2014 LNFA’s Series B champions, have had an inhospitable welcome to Series A.
As has been seen many times in Europe, the Voltors have fallen victim to retention, with many of their players deciding to hang up the helmet after an undefeated championship season. Despite being down 13-0, or less, in four of their five games at half time, the Voltors have fallen victim to low roster numbers and a rash of injuries in weeks one and two, surrendering 27.4 of their 44.8 ppg in the second half of their games.
As they head into the second half of the season, having failed to score since the first game, a 32- 6 loss to the Osos, the Voltors are hoping their games don’t mimic their individual game performance. Even if they go undefeated, the Voltors will need some help to stave off being automatically relegated to Series B, and a playoff berth, while not mathematically impossible, seems to be an unlikely idea.