EFAF Eurobowl XV

Vienna Vikings (white) on offense against Stockholm in the semi-final
Photo courtesy of Vienna Vikings

Bergamo Lions 28-11 Chrysler Vienna Vikings

The Lions won their second Eurobowl Title by beating a well-coached Vienna Vikings team before a sell-out crowd last Saturday July the 7th. The game was very exciting from the very beginning and both teams made fantastic plays that kept the fans on the edge of their seats. Eurobowl XV was not decided until the fourth quarter when the Lions scored twice via Matteo Soresini to secure victory with a final score of 11-28.

The Vikings did a wonderful job of studying the Lions tendencies on offense and defense and they started very strong, getting ahead on the scoreboard via a great 52-yard field goal by their excellent kicker Peter Kramberger.

The Lions reacted immediately and they drove the ball down field on two different occasions.Unfortunately the drives did not bring about any points due to execution mistakes by the Lions offensive unit that stopped both possessions short of the end zone.

Penalties, nervousness, a loud crowd and lack of concentration were the main factors that impeded the Lions to score during the first quarter. We could say that the game was dominated by the two defenses that pretty much keep both attacks under control during this first period of the game.

The second quarter brought about the first points for the Lions. A good mix of plays on offense got Bergamo close to the end zone and after a great effort of Tyrone Rush, who left the ball on the 1-yard line, Rush himself carried the football for the first touchdown of the game. Lafata converted the PAT to give the Lions the lead 3-7.

Defensively, the Lions did a wonderful job and contained the explosive Viking attack during the entire game. However, the elusiveness of the Vienna skilled players put Bergamo in trouble in more than one occasion.Vienna drove the ball adequately enough throughout the game and right before the end of the second quarter, Vikings star halfback Rudy Lehrer turned a shovel pass play into a 35-yard touchdown run. Unfortunately for Vienna a "Chop Block" penalty was called on their offensive line and the touchdown was called back. The Lions stopped the drive and got the ball back.

The offense led by Dino Bucciol responded immediately and started to move the ball towards the Viking end zone. The running and passing game started to work better for the Lions and little by little Bergamo got and edge on the field position battle. However, a great play by Viking free safety Steven Otth stopped the Lions drive with an interception when Bergamo was already on the Vienna 25-yard line.

The end of the first half was quite exciting and kept all the fans that attended the game out of their seats. Vienna got the ball back and tried once again to score the touchdown that would give them back the lead in the game. Vienna QB Chris Calaycay found on several occasions a wide-open Tige Cadet (WR #18) for important completions that got the Vikings closer to the Bergamo end zone. But once again, the Lions defense stepped up and forced a fumble when Roberto Castellano sacked Calaycay and Paul Luoma recovered the ball on the Bergamo 45-yard line, giving a final shot to Bucciol and the Lions attack with 2:30 before the end of the half.

The Lions moved the ball adequately and got into field goal range with :25 seconds in the game clock. They took a couple of shots at the end zone without any success (a dropped football on the 5-yard line and an overthrown pass). The field goal attempt by Lafata fell short and the scoreboard stood at 3-7 at halftime.

The adjustments made by the Lions at halftime paid off immediately. On their first possession of the second half they drove the ball 65-yards for their second touchdown of the afternoon. It only took 5 plays for the Lions and Tyrone Rush to carry the football into the end zone. Rush´s second touchdown of the afternoon gave the Lions a 3-14 lead and a big confidence boost.

The Lions on offense in EuroBowl XV
Photo courtesy of Carmen Barocio (www.bergamolions.it)

On the other hand, the Vikings started to feel the pressure of such an intense game and little by little got more nervous and tense. This uneasiness was translated into mistakes by the Viking offense that for acouple of drives could not hang on to the football. The Lions defense did a marvellous job forcing one fumble (forced by Omar Rimlawi and recovered by Luca Bellora) and intercepting a pass (Giusseppe Bonaventura) that gave excellent field position to the Bergamo attack and an opportunity to seal the game right there. However, the Lions made things really complicated and did not take advantage of these two chances.

After the first turnover, Bucciol went to the air right away and found Matteo Soresini for a 40-yard completion and a first and goal on the Vienna 8-yard line. On the following play Viking FS Steven Otth had his second interception of the game when a deflected ball floated into his arms. The second turnover of the third quarter did not bring about any points for the Lions either.

A very intense wind swept the stadium for the remainder of the game so field goals were not really an option and the Lions decided to go for a 4th and 7 on the Vikings 25-yard line. The pass to Tyrone Rush fell short of the first down and the Vikings got the ball back. Even though Vienna was making a lot of mistakes they were not out of the game yet. After a couple of first downs, QB Chris Calaycay turned a broken play into a 55-yard touchdown run that set the stands of Hohe Warte stadium on fire and brought the Vikings back to life and back into the game. The Vikings went for the two-point conversion and a gutsy run by Calaycay made it possible for the Vikings to have a 3-point game with a full quarter to be played (11-14).

Despite all the excitement that Calaycay´s run injected to the game and the deafening noise made by the crowd, the Lions showed why they are the number
one team in Europe. They showed a lot of poise and composure and got things done. With the game still 11-14 and Vienna driving downfield the defense stepped up once again. This time Omar Rimlawi intercepted a pass at midfield giving the Lions one more opportunity to increase their lead. On this occasion the Lions offense was not about to let the Vikings live any longer. It took 4 plays for Bucciol and the Bergamo offense to get into the end zone. A 15-yard touchdown pass from Bucciol to Soresini made things really complicated for the Vikings and increased the Lions lead 11-21. The Vikings fought back but they just could not move the ball on a strong and motivated Lions defense that was not allowing any yards. The Vikings were forced to punt and on the very following drive Bucciol again looked for Soresini who scored his second touchdown of the afternoon on a 55-yard pass. Lafata converted the PAT for the final 11-28.

In the end, and after stopping the last Viking attack, the Lions offense just had to kill the clock by running the ball a few times. It was a very exciting game and the Vikings were a great opponent, well-coached, well-prepared and tenacious.

As far as the Lions go, we could say that the second Eurobowl Championship Title is the result of hard work and dedication. It has been a long, very long season (and it is not over yet!!!), but all the sacrifices made to accomplish the objectives of the team have been worth the satisfaction and happiness of winning this second Championship. Congratulations to all theplayers, coaches, staff, fans and people that follow, support, work, live, suffer and enjoy with the Lions for the Second European Championship Title in a row.

Report and photo courtesy of Carmen Barocio (www.bergamolions.it)

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