The last day of May will be the juncture where the final four teams slug it out in the penultimate round of the CEFL Championship. All semifinalists are the national champions of their countries from last year. None of them have lifted the CEFL Bowl trophy to date, so the two victors will meet in three weeks to crown a brand new champion.
CEFL Championship, Semifinal Game 1
Saturday, 31 May, 17:00 CET
Thonon Black Panthers – Carlstad Crusaders
Live stream: https://fffa.tv/sportitem/683476cf45ed8c10053ad807
The first matchup will take place in Thonon-les-Bains, where the Black Panthers will host Carlstad Crusaders. French team will look to repeat their success from two seasons ago when they went through to the finals. On the other hand, Carlstad Crusaders are playing their premier CEFL Championship season.
The French team was seeded and had a bye in the first round. Their second round duel was an ostensibly easy win against Badalona Dracs, 41-17.
It was an all-around display of skill, as the defense showed up on the scoreboard with a pick-6 by Timon Debiez. They weren’t shy offensively either. Quarterback José Tabora was good for 3 passing TDs: two to import TE Odell Turnbull and one to Benjamin Lolmede. Lucas Davoine rushed for two scores himself.
The thing to watch for in this game is the ineligibility of Turnbull, who was disqualified from the second round game. Other receivers will have to compensate for his performance or his absence might be a huge hindrance for the home team.
Carlstad Crusaders have had a longer journey to the CEFL Championship semis, though not a harder one. Both of their games so far were in front of the home crowd and both were shutouts. In the first round they blanked Eidsvoll 1814’s, scoring 37 points, and the second was the rout of Bristol Aztecs by 35-0.
Their signal caller, Slade Jarman has proven himself as a real dual threat, posting 6 passing and 2 rushing touchdowns in the CEFL Championship so far. His favorite targets were Leo Markusson with two scores in the opener and Anton Jansson who caught one in each of the two previous matchups.
A big disadvantage for the visitors will be a bus trip of over 2000 km to Lake Geneva where Thonon-les-Bains is situated. It remains to be seen if this leaves a massive mark on their players’ execution.
CEFL Championship, Semifinal Game 2
Saturday, 31 May, 18:00 CET
Calanda Broncos – Warsaw Eagles
Live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrcMGrBikEI
The second semifinal game will take place in Chur, Switzerland. Calanda Broncos will welcome Warsaw Eagles, while looking for a third bowl game appearance after 2019 and last season. The contenders are not without their chances either, hunting for another upset victory in their first CEFL Championship.
Being last year’s finalists, the Broncos were seeded and skipped the opening round. In the second, they had a stress-free job versus Kragujevac Wild Boars, vanquishing them with 49-0, the largest points’ difference in the CEFL Championship since 2022.
Quarterback Robin Sennrich connected with Maxwell Gray for two scores that time and carried one in himself. Amel Adjovi posted two rushing touchdowns to boot. Their defensive teammates had a ball as well, recovering two fumbles and recording two interceptions.
Another semifinal will unquestionably follow back home for the Broncos, where they are currently unbeaten at 8-0, with a couple of more games to go.
The Polish team played their first game in Stockholm, beating the Mean Machines by 40-21. Their second round game was in Schwäbisch Hall against the favored Unicorns. They caught the two-time CEFL Bowl champions off guard and outlasted them, 22-16.
The visitors have a number of offensive pillars. Quarterback Jacob Schimenz has put up four scores in the two outings to Krzysztof Nosow and rushed twice on his own accord. Bartosz Gnoza also ran for two touchdowns and Darius Lewis was good for one.
If the visitors win this one, they will echo the feat achieved by Thonon Black Panthers in 2023, when they went 3-0 on the road and played in the final game.