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Champs again

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Goran Košutić

photo: Nenad Akšić

The big preseason favorites Blue Devils saved the worst for last, as the Vukovi clearly wanted to win CEFL Bowl IV much more. And they did, in a surprisingly lopsided game; the Vukovi led from the first drive to the last, never losing grip on an opponent that rushed from one mistake to another.

Of course, it’s also true the Vukovi saved their best from last, as a year under this season’s coach John Harper turned this team around from being just an above average team. Prime example, their quarterback Jordan Green, who completed just 3 passes in the season opener, 5 in their next game, but got better as the season went on, being the best in the most important game. He passed for 4 touchdowns in the Vukovi’s win, even caught one and received the CEFL Bowl IV MVP award, becoming in just two years one of the league’s most awarded players.

But also, the Vukovi’s defense went from a group that was humiliated in Novi Sad in their second game, to a group that stopped the league’s best offense, and the league’s best offensive player in 2009, intercepting him twice, even though the whole league managed that just once for the whole season.

The Vukovi scored on three plays of their opening drive, with Green finding Vojin Milić for a 31 yard touchdown; he repeated it on the next drive, passing to Dejan Cerovac. A trick play, Green's toss to Brandon McDowell, who passed back to him in the end zone put the Devils in a big hole.

It might have been different after the Blue Devils scored on a 13 yard pass to Bryan Overton from Bradley Guidry, but one of their best players, Christian Steffani was ejected on the ensuing kickoff return, and McDowell picked up where Green left off, going 60 yards for a score in the first play of the drive.

William Blocker was the first who intercepted Guidry, and the Vukovi got their biggest lead of the game on another touchdown pass from Green to McDowell for an incredible 33-7 at halftime.

The Blue Devils tried for the rest of the game, but the Vukovi were simply a better team. They scored twice more, but also couldn’t stop the Vukovi’s offense -- though they didn’t score except once, on another pass from Green to McDowell, that clinched the win, they did enough to prevent their opponent getting the ball too often.

Another journey to the CEFL Bowl starts next year -- until then, the Vukovi are champs again.