CEFL BOWL XIX
Saturday, 21 June, 18:00 CET
Calanda Broncos – Thonon Black Panthers
Live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1llmjhGPM4
The game of the year in the CEFL Championship 2025 is coming up this Saturday. CEFL Bowl XIX will be played at the Obere Au stadium in Chur, where Calanda Broncos will lay out the red carpet for Thonon Black Panthers. It will be the third time that the big game is hosted in this Alpine town.
Both teams have joined the CEFL Championship in 2019 and neither has won it so far. The closest the Broncos have come to it was a thriller in the CEFL Bowl XIV in 2019, when they were defeated with a 4 point difference by Tirol Raiders, 46–42.
Past two finals were also contested by these two programs. The Black Panthers have appeared in the CEFL Bowl XVII in 2023, losing it to La Courneve Flash, 21–26. Last year the Broncos reached their second final when the Danube Dragons downed them with a score of 27–14.
For such a lasting history in the CEFL Championship it’s surprising to note that the Broncos have only met the Black Panthers once before. Their matchup in the second round of the 2023 season was also played in Switzerland and the French side took home a narrow victory, 38–35.
This season, both of these rivals have returned to the tournament as the champions of their respective countries. This meant they were seeded, skipping the first round. In the second, the Black Panthers bested Badalona Dracs by 41–17 and the Broncos decimated Kragujevac Wild Boars 49–0.
The semifinal matchups presented a bigger challenge. Carlstad Crusaders came to Thonon with big plans and the game was only decided by a couple of their unconverted PATs, 28–26. At the same time, the Broncos hosted the newcomer of the year, Warsaw Eagles, which deposed Stockholm Mean Machines and Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns previously. It was a defensive battle which the Broncos won 17–7.
There were multiple players of note for the Broncos this season. Quarterback Robin Sennrich posted 2 passing and 1 rushing touchdown, all in the second round. Maxwell Gray has been as efficient with 1 passing and 2 receiving total scores. Likewise, running backs Amel Adjovi and Noah Bachofen each rushed for 2 TDs. Broncos’ defense recorded 3 INTs and recovered 2 fumbles of their own.
Black Panthers’ quarterback, José Tabora passed for 6 TDs, equally spread in each if the two outings. Odell Turnbull and Benjamin Lolmede were on the receiving end of 4 of them, 2 each. Turnbull will now return to action after missing the semifinals. Tailback Lucas Davoine added 2 scores over the ground. Timon Debiez recorded an interception and returned it for a touchdown versus the Dracs.
It’s crunch time for both these teams in their national leagues too. The Broncos were unbeatable in the Swiss championship, 10–0, and they’ll play the semifinals next week. In the French league the Black Panthers have already won their semifinal game. The championship is played the following weekend and their opponent is Cannes Iron Mask which edged the Flash by 1 point in the semis.
Ten teams have won the CEFL Bowl so far. The fresh laureate will open a new chapter in the CEFL Championship’s existence with the celebratory 20th season just around the corner. Will it be the lucky third for the Broncos or second nature of the Black Panthers? Join us on Saturday and find out. The showdown is sure to be a great one.