ELF Recap: Week 8

By Peter Mann

We’re into the business end of the 2025 European League of Football season, and the runners and riders are making themselves known in an exciting race for the play-offs, whilst a handful of European franchises already find themselves well out of the running.

WINLESS TRIO FIRMLY OUT OF THE RUNNING This past weekend was no different, especially when looking at the troubles that have befell the leagues’ three winless franchises, FEHERVAR ENTHRONERS (East Division, 0-7), HELVETIC MERCENARIES (South Division, 0-6), and COLOGNE CENTURIONS (West Division, 0-7).

Where the Hungarian Enthroners are concerned, there’s been little joy during their ELF tenure, the seven losses this season adding to the nineteen already tasted over the previous two campaigns, winning just five.  

A tough campaign for Mark Ridgle’s charges has seen a shut-out loss to visiting Prague Lions, whilst other defeats have seen point-scoring highs against Berlin Thunder (21pts) and Wroclaw Panthers (19pts), whilst their homegrown quarterback, Máté Hegedűs, in the Thunder outing, posted 248yds, 3TDs.

The Swiss Mercenaries only won once in their expansion season, last time around, 16-10 at home to Milano Seaman, the current campaign has again, not been much to write home about, suffering a shut-out thrashing against Paris Musketeers (62-0), although they did put 35pts past Madrid Bravos.

Marcus Herford’s Mercenaries lost 47-35 when in Madrid, their best outing of recent times, with quarterback Isaiah Weed posting 193yds, 3TDs alongside Tyrelle Bovelle’s 98yds, 2TDs (rushing), the second of which was a 27yd dash.

Then there’s the German Centurions, who were actually Division finalists in their debut run, back in 2021, losing out to eventual winners, Frankfurt Galaxy, however, having won just eighteen times over their tenure thus far, the seven from the campaign makes for a grim addition to the other twenty-eight.

Javan Lenhardt’s franchise, in this seasons’ seven reverses, have seen them notch single figures in five of them, their best return coming with the double figures posted against fellow German sides, Berlin Thunder (14pts) and Frankfurt Galaxy (15pts) – Jan Leuker with 221yds, 1TD in the former, and Keegan McCormack-Reamer with 37yds, 1TD (rushing) in the latter.

RAVENS AND BRAVOS PUT ON AN INSTANT CLASSIC Madrid would play host to an 80+ points classic at the weekend as MUNICH RAVENS moved 6-1 after edging hosts MADRID BRAVOS, now 5-3.

Despite being 26-9 behind at the half, a third quarter rally from the Germans, on the back of four, unanswered TDs, saw them finish the third quarter with a 29-26 lead, prior to a back-and-forth, final quarter, both registering a pair of TDs, the Ravens snatching with less than ninety seconds remaining to claim a stunning, 43-40 victory.

Reid Sinnett led the way for the Bravos with 426yds, 4TDs (passing) and 9yds, 1TD (rushing), and still finished on the losing side, the Spaniards putting on a strong showing; in reply though the visitors saw Russell Tabor post 264yds, 3TDs (passing) and 53yds, 1TD (rushing), alongside further rushing scores from running backs Justin Rodney with 88yds, 1TD, and Benedikt Pohler with 7yds, 1TD, whilst WR Malik Stanley had 169yds, 2TDs (receiving) to his name.

VIKINGS CLAIM SIXTH WITH SHUT-OUT SUCCESS Alongside the Munich Ravens, Austrian outfit, and last season’s Championship Game runners-up, VIENNA VIKINGS (6-1), have the second-best record in the league so far this season.

A sixth victory, and first shut-out, veteran Head Coach, Chris Calacay, saw his franchise claim a 34-0 success over the visiting Prague Lions, doing so without really moving through the gears – it was pretty much a routine result for the hosts.

Four TDs, with a pair of FGs sandwiched between, was sufficient enough to tame the Lions, the hosts putting twenty points on the board in the first half following two TD passes from Ben Holmes to first Nils Keimel (14yds), then to Florian Bierbaumer (9yds), and two FGs from Dennis Tasic, 35yds and 28yds respectively.

Holmes added two more TD passes in the second half, hitting Bierbaumer again (14yds), then Reece Horn (6yds), with Holmes posting 317yds, 4TDs (passing) to Bierbaumer 65yds, 2TDs (receiving), Keimel 69ds, 1TD (rec), and Horn 44yds, 1TD (rec), as the Vikings enjoyed another win in front of their fans.

RAIDERS INFLICT MORE MISERY ON THE FIRE It wasn’t until the final quarter that this contest was finally put to bed, RAIDERS TIROL keeping their noses just about in front over the first three, going into the second half 14-9 to the good but the Fire still in with a shout.

That shout continued following a tight third quarter, with the Fire adding another three points to be within two going into that final quarter, when the Raiders flexed their muscles and stormed to victory, notching twenty-one points to claim an impressive, 35-18 victory.

A pair of FGs from the Fire’s Erritros Haggi, 25yds in the second, and 26yds in the fourth, was insufficient for the ailing, German champions as Chad Jeffries only had a return of 363yds, 1TD, and Jonathan Scott saw 62yds, 1TD (rushing), in another, floundering Fire performance.

Firing themselves though, especially in that dominant fourth, the Raiders posted five touchdowns overall, N’Kosi Perry with 120yds, 1TD, and Adrian Platzgummer 35yds, 1TD (passing), alongside Lukas Haslwanter with 100yds, 1TD and Jan Wiesauer’s 41yds, 1TD (rushing) and moved to 5-3 heading into the home straight.

THE STORM CONTINES TO BREW IN SCANDINAVIA All the superlatives for the NORDIC STORM (6-0) have perhaps been used, a thousand times over, as the expansion franchise continue to enjoy their first season in the ELF.

Veteran coach, John Shoop (spells with Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders, between 1995 and 2006) has put together a talented, strong, hungry roster in Scandinavia, and it’s showing as they added a sixth victory to their unbeaten start.

Travelling to Hamburg Sea Devils, who coincidentally Shoop was on the books with in 2022, the Storm showed their battling qualities with a fourth quarter, come-from-behind victory; level at the end of the first quarter, the Storm led 14-7 at the half, before the Sea Devils took over in the third when registering fourteen, unanswered points.

Up 21-14 going into the final quarter, the Sea Devils proceeded to give away complete control to the hosts, who weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and posted thirteen points of their own without reply, turning the contest on its head, to claim an impressive, 27-21 success.

The Storm registered four TDs to the Sea Devils’ three TDs in reply as the hosts’ MVP QB, Jadrian Clark, posted 296yds, 4TDs, Brendan Beaulieu (who else) the main recipient, he taking 175yds, 3TDs (receiving) alongside Adria Botella 56yds, 1TD (rec).

Now, it’s onto WEEK NINE, which begins with the winless Helvetic Mercenaries (0-6) facing an ultra-tough challenge in the visiting Munich Ravens (6-1) on Saturday, whilst Sunday begins with a humdinger of a contest in France as Paris Musketeers (5-2) welcome Vienna Vikings (6-1). The last two games of the upcoming weekend sees the unbeaten Nordic Storm (6-0) host Rhein Fire (4-3), and two 4-3 sides collide as Prague Lions entertain Wroclaw Panthers – now that one should be fun!

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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