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Closer to the playoffs

Goran Košutić

Branimir Milovanović

The Budapest Wolves went to Belgrade last week with an incomplete team and suffered their first loss of the season. This week, they’ll attempt to get back on track with a game against the Silverhawks on Saturday.

“Hopefully we’re going to have back a few players who were not able to play in Belgrade, but even if we don’t, we expect to win our next game”, says Péter Cseperkáló, the team’s fullback.

Since Belgrade’s and Ljubljana’s records are mirror images at the time when Budapest faced or will face those teams, that is what’s expected. Of the players they will have back this week, among them won’t be their starting quarterback this year Vasyl Yordan. The Ukrainian playing for the Hungarian team decided to take a break and returned home to get married. He had a sensational year for SELAF standards, passing for nine touchdowns without an interception in four games, and his absence was visible in Belgrade. The third quarterback Bálint Michaletzky attempted eight passes and completed only two.

“We’re not sure if Yordan will come back to us, losing him is a definite big blow, but we trust in Attila Lendvai. He’s a talented quarterback, and he should be able to lead us if we lose Vasyl. So our goal doesn’t change, whatever happens, we want to win SELAF”, adds Cseperkáló, who had a season high 11 carries in the loss against the Vukovi.

With their 37-16 win over the Silverhawks earlier and the playoffs already secured, besides winning, their goal will be to make their offense work with Attila Lendvai. He also missed the start in Belgrade and has this season played only when Yordan was benched with a big lead, such was the one against the Silverhawks in the spring.

As for the Silverhawks, with just one win it’s a surprise they still haven’t been eliminated. Even if their win is not likely, it’s questionable how important it is for them to win in Budapest, since their game against the Gladiators on September the 30th will be decisive in determining who makes it as the second team from the North.

Most of the Americans the Silverhawks licensed in the first part of the season are now gone, but they found replacements, and not just any. Gerald Regenfelder (LB), Matthias Schicher (OL), Hans Seppele (DL), Peter Petek (DL) and Marcus Rieger (CB), members of the Austrian League Carinthian Black Lions will play for Ljubljana the rest of the year.

The game will be played on Saturday, September the 15th, 7PM at BVSC Stadium in Budapest.