EFL Recap: Week 11

By Peter Mann

Well, that was an interesting weekend of action, and, with the bye week upcoming we now know three of the four, divisional champions, after the South, and East, were both wrapped up; on top of that the league’s final, unbeaten record, fell by the wayside after the Nordic Stom suffered a shock loss in Germany, against the hosting, Frankfurt Galaxy – and that’s where we’ll begin, in Frankfurt.

GALAXY CLAIM THE LEAGUE’S LAST, UNBEATEN RECORD, AS STORM ARE BEATEN Well that was a little unexpected; Nordic Storm (9-1) had brushed aside every opponent they’d faced this season, and rolled into Germany as divisional champions.
The FRANKFURT GALAXY though, they tied up their season at 5-5 following a 35-20 victory, the visiting Storm restricted to, mainly, two late scores, with the visitors notching four TDs and three FGs en-route to success.

Ryan Rimmler, sitting third in the Kicking Points leaderboard, notched from 54yds, 48yds, and 33yds respectively, taking his tally to 60pts for the season, three behind second place Alvaro Penas (Madrid Bravos) with Galaxy holding commanding leads throughout – it was 34-6 at the end of the third quarter.

Jameson Wang was on-hand to register 273yds 1TD (pass) and 100yds 1TD (rush) for the hosts, the latter being from 10yds late in the second quarter; Jadrian Clark meanwhile posted 331yds, 2TDs (pass) and Alexander Chaanhing 35yds 1TD (rush), his score coming from close-range late in the first quarter.

Clark, having been intercepted twice earlier in the contest, did hit Edvin Almeida (39yds) and Brendan Beaulieu (60yds) in the fourth quarter to finish the contest within fifteen of their conquerors.

RAVENS OUTSCORE PANTHERS TO CLAIM THE SOUTH In clinching the South Division, MUNICH RAVENS moved 9-1 following a 20-point margin success at home to the erratic, Wroclaw Panthers (5-5).

Outscoring their visitors 5TDs to 2TDs, the Ravens registered two, shutout quarters, turning up the gas in the fourth to ensure success; the only score of the opening quarter being a close rushing TD from Etuale Lui, before Russell Tabor upped the ante from the second quarter onwards.

Tabor would finish with stats of 150yds, 1TD (pass) and 69yds, 2TDs (rush), with Rodney also adding a rushing score from 72yds, 1TD (rush) himself; Rodney’s was a third quarter. 24yd score, whilst Tabor added two of his own (26yds and 1yd) in the fourth.

Replying Demarcus Irons was on-hand to post 214yds, 1TD (pass) and 85yds, 1TD (rush) for the visiting Panthers, the latter from close, and the former, connecting Darrell Stewart, also from close.

CRUICKSHANK CLAIMS RECEIVING TD RECORD IN ANOTHER, BRAVOS WIN The plaudits continue to fall at the feet of Madrid Bravos star ARON CRUICKSHANK, who claimed his 18th TD of the season in the win over Raiders Tirol (5-5).

The landmark score for the Bravos wide receiver would set a new, ELF, single season Receiving TD record, and was his sides’ sixth of seven TDs registered in the 54-28 win as the Bravos moved to 7-3.

That receiving TD, from QB Reid Sinnett, late in the third quarter, was from close-range, whilst Cruickshank’s second score of the game, midway through the fourth quarter, was a 7yd rushing TD, posting stats of 7yds, 1TD (rush) and 93yds, 1TD (rec).

At just 24-years-old Cruickshank has had spells training in the NFL with Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, having turned out for Rutgers University Scarlet Knights and breaks the record in what is his first season in the league, and with two regular season games still to play.

HORN CLAIMS FIFTIETH CAREER RECEIVING TD AS VIKINGS TAKE THE EAST As Cruickshank claimed one record in Spain, wide receiver REECE HORN was claiming one for himself in Hungary, leading his Vienna Vikings (9-1) to the East Division title, with a 53-16 road success over Fehervar Enthroners (0-10).

The weekend’s opening contest would see the Vikings notch eight TDs as the Austrians won in Hungary, the visiting QB, Ben Holmes, posting stats of 308yds, 6TDs (pass); Horn’s record 50th career receiving TD meanwhile was the Vikings’ fifth of the evening.

In posting 47yds, 1TD (rec), Horn’s score arrived after his quarterback, Holmes, connected from the right from 31yds, the 31-yearold American, previously with Frankfurt Galaxy, currently on 505yds, 13TDs for the current campaign – 45TDs in the regular season, and 5TDs in the play-offs, over the past four seasons.

GERMAN DUO STORM TO HOME SUCCESSES IN WEEKENDS’ CLOSING MATCHES Both STUTTGART SURGE (8-2) and RHEIN FIRE (6-4) closed out the weekend with barn-storming successes against fellow German franchises.

Hamburg Sea Devils (2-8) visited the Surge and were promptly shut-out in a 48-0 drubbing, whilst Berlin Thunder was firmly put to the sword against Fire, they easing themselves to a 69-7 success.

In Stuttgart the hosts registered seven TDs without reply as Lars Heidrich posted 291yds, 3TDs, alongside rushing scores for both Tomiwa Oyewo and Leon Helm; of his three passing scores Heidrich connected with Michael Harley Jnr (34yds), and Louis Geyer (49yds and 50yds), whilst Lasse Engel stunned the visitors at the death, intercepting Jaylen Tregle and returning for an 82yd TD score inside the closing minutes.

Meanwhile Rhein Fire, after shutouts in the first three quarters, and registering thirty-three points without reply in the second, racked up ten TDs and a FG in their demolition of the visiting Sea Devils; the FG came courtesy of Eritros Haggi (41yds) with the third quarters only points.

Chad Jeffries finished the game with 306yds, 8TDs (pass) and Rohat Dagdalen 87yds, 1TD (pass), whilst Harlan Kwofie was on-hand to claim six scores himself, finishing on 154yds, 6TDs (rec), as well as Clemens Schuldt 112yds, 2TDs (rec) and Mark Pope 44yds, 1TD (rec).

The Thunder’s only score came in the fourth quarter, when 62pts adrift, after a Maximilian Eisenhut punt was returned some 88yds by Tyler Foster for a TD score.

We’re now onto a bye week in the ELF, with action returning on 9 August as BERLIN THUNDER (3-7) open away to FEHERVAR ENTHRONERS (0-10) and STUTTGART SURGE (8-2) at COLOGNE CENTURIONS (0-10), whilst on the 10 August MADRID BRAVOS (7-3) travel to MUNICH RAVENS (9-1) in what promises to be a barnstormer of a clash, before the weekend closes with two 5-5 franchises on the road at two 6-4s as PRAGUE LIONS and RHEIN FIRE welcome FRANKFURT GALAXY and RAIDERS TIROL, respectively.

PETER MANN

NFL ANALYST

PETER IS A LIFELONG SPORTS FAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR BASED IN COUNTY DURHAM. HE HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL AND THE RAIDERS SINCE THE 1980s, AND LOVES BOTH SPORTS AND FAMILY HISTORY. PETER HAS A DEGREE IN SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, AND CAN BE FOUND ON TWITTER @petermannwriter

 
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