Movin on

With sadness I write this blog to let all my followers know that I am not playing football for the Vienna Vikings in 2012, or any one else. I'm "hangin em up" as they say. Hopefully I can make a big deal about it and draw a lot of attention to myself in the coming months and years by returning to play on and off and entering into contract negotiations so that I don't have to come to the realization that I'm done... only joking, this is it for me, God has blessed both my wife and I with a wonderful career that we got to enjoy together this last season in Sweden and I am grateful for all the opportunity I've been given from Central High to Fresno City to Humboldt to L'Hospitalet, Danube, and Carlstad. To avoid any confusion the main reason that this has occurred is because of an injury that I suffered during training preparation for the season in Austria. When life throws you lemons, you make lemonade. Mary and I have plans to adapt and continue to seek opportunities to help where we're needed. Thanks everyone very much, and I hope to still cover some more of the action of the various leagues in Europe from here in California, so stay tuned.. spanish preview is on the horizon.

2012 Eurobowl is set

The 2012 Eurobowl tournament increases to 14 teams including 8 national championship teams, last year’s EFL silver medalist, two national runner-ups, and Austria’s 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th ranked clubs. The most competitive international competition for 2012 should provide plenty of excitement.

Last season’s highlights were the Swedish Carlstad Crusaders knocking off the German Kiel Baltic Hurricanes in the group stage, and the Swiss Calanda Broncos destroying everyone on their way to the quarterfinal. The Vienna Vikings staved off elimination by a 7 point win over Calanda only to fall short to the eventual champion Innsbruck Raiders by a walk off field goal in the semi-final. The Graz Giants beat the Carlstad Crusaders in the quarterfinal and then gave up a 21-0 lead in Berlin to lose to the Adler. In the final the Raiders controlled the game winning the Eurobowl crown over the team from north Germany.

Group A of this year’s tournament has the defending Austrian and European champion, Innsbruck Raiders, waiting in the quarterfinal round for the winner between the Danube Dragons (AUT) and the Prague Panthers (CZ). The Dragons had this same matchup last season beating the Panthers 38-21 in late April only to lose on the road against the Berlin Adler in the quarterfinal round. With all three teams competing in the Austrian Football League that kicks off in March they will know plenty about one another well before the European matchups take place.

Group B provides an interesting set of clubs that have all different recent history events. The Graz Giants won in the quarterfinal over Swedish Champion Carlstad Crusaders but like their Austrian counterpart, Danube, lost in Berlin in the following round. The Giants, who finished 3^rd in Austria a year ago await the winner between the Calanda Broncos of Switzerland and the Helsinki Wolverines from Finland’s capital. The Broncos and Wolverines were each league champions this past season, the Broncos have won the Swiss league in each of the past three seasons, while the Wolverines won the Finnish league in upset fashion for their first ever title giving them another chance to compete in international competition.

Group C is the first of the tournaments two traditional groups. The Vienna Vikings who lost only to eventual champion Innsbruck in two separate elimination games awaits the group winner of the Badalona Dracs (ESP), the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns (GER), and the Parma Panthers (IT). The Dracs lost two games in last seasons group stage to the then French champion L’Amiens and were the second best team in Spain losing to L’Hospitalet in the final. They do however have success in the EFL, most recently in 2010 exiting the group stage to face the same Vienna Vikings in the quarterfinal. Schwabisch Hall is the other newcomer to the tournament having never faced another team in international play before. Their thrilling stand at the end of the German Championship to beat Kiel secures them the chance to show their might amongst Europe’s best. The Parma Panthers, back to back Italian champions won one game in the EFL last year, yet lost the other disallowing them to move past the group stage. They are back for another shot at reaching the elimination round.

Group D has three champions in the group stage vying to compete against Germany’s 7^th best team from 2011. The setup of the tournament allows for previous season semi-finalists to have automatic berths, therefore despite the Berlin Adler’s performance in their league, their European victories over Austria’s Danube and Graz have them as a quarterfinalist for 2012. The Spanish, French, and England’s champions face off for the chance to head to Germany’s capital. The L’Hospitalet Pioners lost both of their group matchups last season but beat the Badalona Dracs, fellow EFL contender, 24-8 in the LNFA final giving them a shot at redemption this year. The Paris Flash missed out on European competition last season but have regrouped after winning the French final 45-27 against Grenoble and vie to do one better than 2009’s EFL runner-up finish. Finally, the London Blitz return to the Eurobowl after having competed in the EFAF’s B tournament the EFAF Cup the past two seasons. The Blitz won the British championship as well as the EFAF Cup in 2011 as the only other 2 title champ besides the Raiders.

All of these teams except one will kickoff their league competition between January and April prior to this tournament kicking off. The Helsinki Wolverines will have their season opener in this tournament against the Broncos of Calanda due to the season in Finland not starting until later in May. Stay tuned to all the action forthcoming.

Heading to Vienna, again

2012 will be a year in the Austrian Football league for the second time in my career. I am proud to say that I will be a part of one of the most storied franchises in the history of football in Europe. Vienna will be our home, and the Vikings will be our team. Mary and I will head across the pond at the beginning of February and begin preparations to kickoff the season at the end of March. The Vikings will be competing at the highest level of Europe in the Eurobowl as well as playing in one of the toughest leagues on the continent, the Austrian Football League. The Vikings lost in the semi-final of the Eurobowl and in the Austrian final last year, both losses coming to the hands of the rival Innsbruck Raiders. A final ranking of #2 in Europe was a testament to how well the Vikings organization competed in 2011. The goal for 2012 will be to be the best team in Europe and hoist two trophies that will be contested in back to back weekends.. July 21st (Eurobowl final) and July 28th (AFL championship).

The biggest unanswered question is will there be a chance to reproduce the opposite of this picture...


There have been a couple of recent press releases and once more you'll need to download the google toolbar and/or use google language tools to translate the German into English.

Vikings press release
AFL press release
Football-Austria online magazine

11 postseason nominations for the Crusaders

The 2011 Super Series Season was headlined by two teams, the Champion Carlstad Crusaders and the vice-champs the Tyreso Royal Crowns. The Crusaders prevailed at the end of last month for their second championship ever and in as many years. The Swedish American Football Federation proved this past week that these two teams were at the top of the league from an individual standpoint as well. Each team was honored with 11 nominations and each team had players nominated for 8 out of the 11 possible awards. My biggest congratulations to each of the players who were nominated. The Crusaders nominations are as follows:

Import of the year: Eli Cranor, Joey Stein
RB of the year: Christian Forsman
WR of the year: Fredrik Eklund, Fredrik Isaksson
OL of the year: Thomas Falklind, Carl Romlin
DL of the year: Olof Flemstrom
LB of the year: Johan Bjorn
Rookie of the year: Christian Kuylenstjerna
Coach of the year: Tracey Gere

Defense Leads Crusaders to Title Town

The 2011 Swedish Super Series Final provided the Carlstad Crusaders, the 4th ranked team in Europe, to flex their muscles in front of 1,500 screaming fans in Uppsala on Saturday. After trading wins with the Tyreso Royal Crowns, ranked second in Sweden, and after both squads won easily in the semi-final it seemed that the matchup between these two teams would be highly contested. That wasn't the case in this SM final. The Crusaders Offense scored early while the Defense put a stranglehold on the Crowns offense that allowed them 7 first downs and 74 yards of total offensive output on the whole day.

The game kicked off with plenty of excitement in the air after an honorary coin toss and the event being broadcasted live in Sweden. The Crusaders started at their own 45 yard line after a healthy return. The offense went right to work. The big offensive line dominated the Crowns front early and often creating holes for last year's player of the year, RB Christian Forsman, and this year's import of the year, QB Eli Cranor to blow through the defense. On second down from the Crown 33 Eli Cranor called and executed to perfection a pass play giving 17 year old superstar WR Robin Juhlin a chance to outrace the middle line backer, spin off a tackle from the safety, and outrun two others on his way to the score zone. Juhlin led all receivers in the game with 6 catches for 51 yards and the lone score. The Crusaders defense started just as hot offering the Crowns 6 yards in 3 plays and 34 yard punt return bringing the ball back to the Crusaders 44 yard line. The second 55 yard drive began with an offensive pass interference which would begin the only element that would have a chance to slow the Crusaders on the day, penalties. 12 penalties for 148 yards negated big play after big play in this Championship and kept the Crusaders from riding away with this game on several occasions. The Crusaders came to a 4th down when Eli escaped the pocket and launched a ball up to breakout star of the Super Series WR Fredrik Isaksson. Fred Ice avoided the corner who was in close pursuit and climbed the ladder against the safety earning a highlight for the ages on the grand stage, a 35 yard touchdown catch was the first of many big plays that led him to be voted the Most Valuable Player of the game.

After being up 14-0 the Crusaders went for the jugular. Head Coach Tracey Gere called a surprise onside which was executed to perfection by Kicker Victor Jonsson. The gaping hole in the Crowns kick return was exploited and the Crusaders had the ball again. A coaching staff puts in many hours of preparation for a single game and sometimes the game plan doesn't always work. For this final Tracey Gere, in combination with myself and Eli, developed and installed a thought out and in depth plan for both offense and defense that had this club prepared for any and all situations that could arise. This was evidenced by our team's ability to run the ball at will, rushing for 250 yards, after having thrown for over 300 yards and 6 touchdowns just 7 days before in the semi-final. Rushing was something that we have focused on primarily for the Crowns. Having the ability to run amok on this day proved crucial, because the Crowns pass defense played great.

The drive stalled after a missed call on a Fred Ice catch on 3rd and 9 which was ruled incomplete unbeknownst to Eli who thought it was still 3rd down following the decline of a penalty instead of what the situation actually was, 4th down. As a result, the Champs turned it over on downs. This didn't matter to the Crusaders defense who gave up just 4 yards after 3 plays and a new punt. The stout Carlstad defense that held the German defending Champions to 14 points back in April was in full outfit during the game. Tracey Gere's complex setup of a defense that is constantly in motion, similar to that of the Green Bay Packers, attacking the backfield from unknown angles, and having the ability to bring pressure while deploying a spiderweb of coverage made for a long and frustrating day for the Crowns.

The second quarter went back and forth. The Crowns increased their output to 18 plays and 37 yards for the first half including two more punts and our two way star Fred Ice's interception from the safety position. The Crusaders offense was hounded by mistakes in the second quarter giving up the ball on downs, per a fumble, and to interception in it's three possessions each time after pushing the ball within the Tyreso 30 yard line.

The second half kicked off with the Crusaders utilizing their athletic ability to make plays. A short kickoff failed to be caught by the return squad. The Crusaders pounced on the ball and started the second the same way as the first, on offense. The Offense overcame two holding penalties on the drive with a first down toss to Christian Monclair, and two big Christian Forsman runs bringing the ball to first and goal at the Crown 4 yard line. A personal foul penalty Robin Juhlin backed the Crusaders up keeping them out of the end zone after a Cranor pass was intercepted on 4th and goal from the 21 yard line, made worse by a personal foul after the play was over.

The Crowns took advantage of the opportunity by lining up in a new formation from their own 41 that gave them the chance to easily attack the defense's left or right. The first play was the biggest of the day, the Crowns running back raced for 18 yards bringing the ball across midfield for the first time in the game. Tracey quickly adjusted the defense's strategy immediately suffocating the offense of the Crown, a wise and well timed decision by the head man of the Crusaders. Not only prior to the game, but during the game Tracey had the wherewithal to stump the offense of the Crown and deny their advances. The Crowns converted on one 4th down, but their second attempt fell short turning the ball back over to the home team. The Crusaders found it difficult to move the ball, and a false start penalty on 3rd and 3 made matters worse. The next play had the ability to turn the tide for the Crowns, Eli Cranors attempt to make yet another play was not to be, as the Crown defense intercepted his pass and returned it all the way back to the 2 yard line. Starting from the 2 was the only place that the Crowns found success during the game pounding the ball across in one play with 11:37 left in the game.

Momentum stayed with the Crowns as the next possession ended after 3 plays and an Eli Cranor punt of 40 yards. The defense once again was stifling giving up 1 first down on 2 plays and 4 incomplete passes followed by another Crowns punt. With just over 9 minutes left in the game the Crusaders offense re-energized. Moving the ball on the run early in the drive by Eli and Christian Forsman setup the play action pass. On 3rd and 3 standout WR Fredrik Eklund sprinted past the defense and for the second time in the game was grabbed from behind as the ball headed his way. The interference penalty kept the drive alive and Eli and Forsman took turns once again finishing off runs that brought the ball to first and goal at the 4 of the Crowns. Eli ran the ball 2 times, the second time called a touchdown by the refs shooting the Champions up by 2 scores with 3 minutes left in the game. 2 plays later the MVP Fred Ice tagged his second interception on the day leaving the Crusaders one first down away from title town. Three runs later the Crusaders found themselves ahead of the clock with enough plays to finish with a couple of kneel downs and a subsequent rushing of the field preceded by a well deserved ice water bath for the man both behind and at the front of the Crusaders (Tracey also starts at safety), Head Coach Tracey Gere.

The penalties and the turnovers were overcome by an offense that had the resolve to continue to fight despite the mistakes. The mark of this 2011 Championship squad was that it could stare adversity in the face and laugh, as was the case this past Saturday. The Crusaders rushed for 250 yards as a team, 143 from Forsman, and 106 by Eli. The 2 touchdown passes in the first quarter was enough for the Crusaders defense to sit behind and barricade a win. 74 total yards allowed is one of the most astounding performances by a defense in a championship victory that I have ever heard of. The day belonged to the whole bunch of Crusaders and their supporters. This classy bunch of deserving individuals have been a pleasure for my wife Mary and I to have met, and we are most grateful for every second that we have enjoyed being a part of this wonderful family, and Back to Back Champs, the Carlstad Crusaders.

Full game statistics can be found by following this link: Crusaders v. Crowns, and an online replay of the game provided by tv10 may be to follow, check back soon.

Super Series Final Preview

The Swedish Super Series has been chalked full of great matchups throughout the summer season. Each team played a home and away schedule and the top two teams had set themselves apart from the competition by 2 weeks prior to the regular season finishing. The semi-final was no different as each of the top teams scored over half a hundred and held their opponents to much less. Now we are set with the top ranked Carlstad Crusaders and the second ranked Tyreso Royal Crowns meeting up for the title in Uppsala, Sweden on Saturday for the second time in as many seasons. The neutral site at Studenternas IP will be electric with plenty of media attention closely following this matchup including a live national broadcast that can be viewed in Sweden.

Neither team is new to this game being the 9th final for the Crusaders and the 4th for the Crowns, but both clubs have had a history of disappointment on championship Saturday. The Carlstad Crusaders won the game against the Crowns last season by a score of 37-15 which was the first championship in the history of the club. They had lost 7 finals in 8 seasons prior to that "monkey off the back" win in Karlstad. Repeating as champions has been a goal of this club since the beginning of the season and since being beaten out of the EFL tournament in early May it has been the sole focus. For the Royal Crown, they also boast a solo championship victory in this league having won on the last play of the game in 2001 beating the Stockholm Mean Machine 30-25. They have lost in this game 2 times including last season.

As for the teams playing in this year's final there is not much parity to speak of. The teams split the regular season matchups each winning at home. The Crusaders by 6 in the season opener, and the Crown by 9 in the season finale. As mentioned previously both teams stormed into the final by blowing away the competition in the semi-final. Both teams offer exciting offenses with many big time players at all the skill positions. The Crusaders are led by 2011 Import of the year Eli Cranor at QB and he is surrounded by league leaders in receiving and scoring in WR Fredrik Eklund and RB Christian Forsman. WR Fredrik Isaksson has developed tremendously over the summer to become a true threat in this Super Series proved by his 178 yards and 3 TDs in the semi-final. The Crusaders also have the most physical and skilled offensive line in the league only helping this bunch of athletes display their power. The Crowns, in the same vein, have Canadian Terry Smith at the helm who took over in the second half of the season and his team hasn't lost a game since. His precision and presence as a passer makes him very difficult to defend. WR Carl Kamm has been a terror on the outside all season and recently returned from injury WR Johan Ingerman helps the Crown offense, possibly the most quick strike offense in the league, to have a double deep threat. The most dynamic running back in the series Hampus Hellermark will attempt to get loose on the Crusaders defense, if he can reach the second level his speed is as good if not better than anybody in the Carlstad secondary. The defense of the Crusaders relies heavily on the massive attack brought by the front 6 players who have been disaster for offenses both in Sweden and the two clubs that faced them in Germany and Austria. The secondary has been diminished by injury, but having two defensive coaches has kept this unit afloat as each have played in the secondary and taught others to fill in roles surrounding the missing players. The Crown defense has a very dynamic and athletic group of players in the backfield. They have had the ability to bring pressure in many instances and play matchup coverage that keeps opposing offenses at bay. They will need to find ways to make plays from tight coverage, or provide pressure with minimal pass rush in order to slow the juggernaut that is the Crusader offense.

This game will be highly contested and will provide for a very entertaining afternoon with kickoff set for high noon on Saturday. All those in Sweden should make their way to Uppsala or tune in to the live broadcast on TV10 this weekend.

Media awards in Sweden

As the championship game quickly approaches it's that time of year to honor those who have worked so hard and played so well throughout the 2011 season. The Catch, an online magazine devoted to Swedish Football has come up with their version of all-Sweden. Then entire list can be viewed by following the link at the right side titled, Super Series News.

The Carlstad Crusaders headlined the list garnering 8 all-Sweden awards including:

Import - Eli Cranor
Running Back - Christian Forsman
Receiver - Fredrik Eklund
Offensive Line - Crusaders O-Line
Def. Lineman - Olof Flemstrom
Linebacker - Johan Bjorn
Rookie - Robin Juhlin
Coach - Tracey Gere

Individually statistically speaking the crusaders led in the offensive categories of:

Passing - Eli Cranor
Rushing - Eli Cranor
Scoring - Christian Forsman
Receiving - Fredrik Eklund

Coach Profile: BD Kennedy

The tiny town of Blanchard, Oklahoma (~7,700 population) has produced a person that has had such a positive influence on American Football in Europe that the story must be told. Billy (BD) Kennedy has coached for the Arlanda Jets a contender in the Swedish Super Series, the highest division in Sweden since 2005. BD has been coaching for 24 years throughout the United States and most recently in Sweden after finishing his playing career at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Before coaching for the Jets, BD coached for the Carlstad Crusaders in Karlstad, Sweden. The Crusader teams that he coached reached 3 Super Series finals as well as winning the 2003 EFAF Cup championship over the Innsbruck Raiders after a 24+ hour bus ride one way to Austria. On top of these club roles, he has held various positions with the junior and senior Swedish national teams over the years. Before coming to Sweden Coach Kennedy was a Graduate Assistant at Baylor University for two seasons, OL coach at Hutchinsson Community College for 2 seasons, and OL coach at Washburn University for 11 seasons.

The Jets this season had a tough onset, but after a resilient second half of the season the Jets finished by winning their final 3 games, outscoring their opponents 58-29. BD mentioned that, "It was kind of fun to see some things come together that Rik (co-coach Rik Parker) and I have been working on since the start of the season." BD believes in building a program from the bottom up, proved by their junior team finishing atop the league during the regular season with a 9-1 record. In a recent interview he commented about how the future is with the youth when desiring to build a long lasting football program.

As a result of the Jets' strong finish in the senior season they have re-qualified to compete in the Super Series once again in 2012, an opportunity for this young team to continue to build a program that rivals the top clubs in Sweden. When asked about the turnaround BD said, "The biggest difference is that we executed the things we wanted to do better. Coach Parker and I work on the fundamentals football on a continual basis. The better we get at the fundamentals, the better we will play. The better we play, the better chance we have to win." His insight and focus made a big difference in his teams big second half.

On top of his coaching duties, BD runs a football class in Arlanda that offers its students the opportunity to dive into theory and practice of football, further developing the sport he loves in Sweden. His dedication and level of involvement rivals that of any other ambassador of the game in Europe and that should be honored.

I recently had the pleasure to ask a few of BD's former players and fellow coaches about their impression of BD and the results were entertaining to say the least proving that BD has had an ability to provide laughter and enjoyment in the lives of many. A former player said, "I've played a lot of sports and have never been around a coach that inspired me more than BD. There is no question about that BD is the best coach I have ever played for. No coach has ever made me feel more special as a person and as a player." I've gathered that BD is somewhat of a story teller from asking about him. One individual said, "Few people have made me laugh like BD. He is a really funny guy to be around and he has tons of stories to tell." Another said, "He has an uncanny ability to remember details and names from things that have happened to him at any age."

I was told by Rikard Borg who played for and coached with BD throughout their careers that BD was such a knowledgeable individual, especially regarding offensive football. He said that one season BD helped play on the developmental team for the Crusaders and that from the center position would stand up and call audibles based on the defense. Rik Parker who coaches with BD in Arlanda also said that, "I would matchup BD with anyone armed with a marker and whiteboard in a battle of O-Line scheming." Other comments that stood out about BD are, "very passionate, very knowledgeable, has an ability to encourage and get people involved, great family man, very sincere and genuine, makes players feel needed, haven’t seen same qualities with other Swedish coaches, the best coach I’ve played for, there is nothing phony about BD Kennedy." The comments were so positive that I really got a sense of how much influence this one person has made while here in Europe.

BD keeps a blog that talks some about living and coaching in Sweden, and one of his former players has said that, "I am trying to follow his blog, which isn't too hard since he is updating it once every millennium. But when there is a new post up there his character shines through and it is really funny to read the stuff he writes. If you have the time, enjoy getting a glimpse into how this remarkable coach has infiltrated a deserving group of football players' lives. The Lineman's Dream.

When prompted about what is in the future for this ambassador, BD stated that, "the future for me is to use my job with the NIU program in American football here, to develop the best players I can. Also, most importantly it holds the birth of my wife & my second child who is due January 31st...and that is the most important thing!! it will also hold a quick trip home to see the family here in a few weeks and I will be attending the OU vs Texas game on October 8 in Dallas Texas. Will be the first time I see it live...so I have to say BOOMER SOONER!!!

I'll leave this wonderful story with one of the numerous entertaining stories that can be told about BD Kennedy. Kalle Flognman a former player of BD's with the Carlstad Crusaders talked about one experience with BD, "Everyone who played for the Carlstad Crusaders during the 2003 season remembers a specific halftime when we played against the Stockholm Mean Machines. I don't remember the exact score at halftime, but I remember that our defense had jumped offsides three times on short yardage situations which allowed Stockholm to score a touchdown late in the first half. We had separate locker rooms for our offense and defense and BD told the offense to go to our locker room and he followed to defense into theirs. Everyone knew that BD would explode in the defense's locker room. And boy...did he begin. Even though there are two showers, a sauna, and two doors that separate our locker rooms it was like BD was in our locker room yelling and it all ended with a huge BANG which didn't sound like a door slamming. It wasn't, it was a massage table that had gone up to the roof and back down. A minute later BD stepped into the offense locker room and I wasn't sure if he was gonna yell at us too. But his first line was "Good job offense." We stepped out on the field in 2nd half, the defense shut Stockholm down and we won the game 22-9."

Congratulations to Coach Kennedy, a great coach and a great man, for the vast influence he has made in the lives of countless individuals both on and off the field.

What does intimidation look like?

If you had the opportunity to schedule a playoff game at a date and time that would knowingly keep 2 two-way athletes and the coaches from having the ability to show up to the game to play against you, would you jump at that opportunity, or would you take the high road and schedule the game when all of those entities could be involved even though you would have a decreased chance of winning the game? Well, if you are the Tyreso Royal Crowns of the Swedish Super Series you would choose the low road. At least that’s what they did when they altered their Stockholm home game’s kickoff time for their under 19 semi-final competing against the Carlstad Crusaders so that it matched perfectly with that of the already scheduled Crusaders senior semi-final match in Carlstad, 4 hours away. What’s more, they were unwilling to change after having had multiple offers to play this game on another day or time in order to resolve the situation.

One could imagine the fear that must have been the groundwork of making that decision. Coaches Eli Cranor and myself along with the best U19 player in the Super Series in WR Robin Juhlin, and recently voted All-Europe MLB Christian Kuylenstjerna stayed in Carlstad to ensure the victory of the Senior team while the rest of our teammates who had devoted countless hours of physical and mental preparation that spanned the whole summer, from May until this month, headed to Stockholm and fought valiantly in a 25-6 defeat. What difference would 2 players and 2 coaches make… maybe none, maybe a lot, what will forever be unknown cannot be dwelled upon. However, when making decisions that could possibly add an asterisk onto a victory, or worse an asterisk onto a championship; I for one would like to avoid that at all cost.

Carlstad Offense explodes in 54-7 playoff victory

A heap of nervous energy previewed the ball game yesterday in Karlstad, Sweden. Energy that was about to unload on the incoming Orebro Black Knights. The Knights had made the Super Series playoffs for the first time in club history, and were rolling off of 2 straight victories that had propelled them into the final 4. They were not prepared for the onslaught that Eli Cranor and company had brewing, nor were they prepared for the defensive wall that was put up against their offense. The lone touchdown in the second quarter on a Cody Ladutko pass was one of the only bright spots for the visitors. The Crusaders jumped at the opportunity to display their firepower to a home crowd for the final time in 2011. Eli threw for 329 yards on 22-33 and 6 TD's passing to 4 different receivers. Fredrik Isaksson was the standout on the day hauling in 8 Cranor passes for 174 yards and 3 scores. Despite having similar time of possession statistics, the Crusaders outgained the Knights 32-10 in first downs, and 483 to 145 in total yards.

As a result the Crusaders have earned a spot in the final 2 teams in the Super Series. The Championship game will be played Saturday, September 24th in Uppsala, Sweden a northern area of Stockholm. The competitor is yet to be determined as the 2nd ranked Tyreso Royal Crowns (8-2) face off with the 3rd ranked Stockholm Mean Machine (4-6) today at 5pm in southern Stockholm. Look forward to a preview of the Swedish final sometime later this week. Another place to grab up to date information on football in Sweden is the online magazine, The Catch.

Super Series Semi-Final upon Karlstad, Sweden

This weekend the Orebro Black Knights in their first year of the top division in Sweden, the Super Series, have the largest task in the history of their organization. Travel to Karlstad and take on the defending national champions and top 10 ranked team in all of Europe, the Carlstad Crusaders. Sounds daunting, but the Black Knights have something going for them. Three weeks ago they sat on the brink of extermination, needing to win two games against the two teams that were directly ahead of them in the standings. All they did is rattle off 2 victories, the first against the Stockholm Mean Machine in a thriller 37-26, then in a playoff to get into the playoffs they beat the STU Northside Bulls this past weekend 28-6. Being a first year team to the top division has it's perks. They have had less expectations than any other team in the league. The way they have finished the season has definitely put them into the zone of having a successful season. Now they have the chance to reach the finals in their first season. Standing in their way, is a team that has beaten them two times this season 30-8 in Orebro and more recently 35-6 in early August at Tingvalla Stadium in downtown Karlstad. The Crusaders scored 399 points in the regular season (39.9 per game) and allowed just 103 (10.3 per game). They boast the leading passer (Eli Cranor), the top two leading rushers (Eli Cranor, Christian Forsman), and the leading receiver (Fredrik Eklund) in the Super Series. The game this weekend will display the top ranked Crusader squad as well as import QB Cody Ladutko spinning the ball to the Black Knight star Johan Stal who played for this very Crusader team just last season during their homerun season winning their first ever league championship. Newly acquired defensive end Kwame Jordan hailing from Louisiana Tech has been a spark for this Black Knight squad, helping bring them to this high point in their organization.

The game this weekend, kicking off at 2pm CET should provide the folks of Karlstad another huge game in the history of football in Sweden. The Crusaders have reloaded their attack after coming off of their first loss in a Super Series game since 2009, due in part to the various injuries suffered just prior to that game. Tune in to the twitter account linked at the right edge of this blog, titled Crusaders live updates, to keep pace with the contest.

A preview of the Swedish Playoffs has been created by www.thecatch.se which is an online magazine devoted to covering Swedish football. A portion of this article have been translated here into English:

Carlstad favorites of another finals

The semifinal between the Crusaders and Carlstad Örebro Black Knights on Tingvalla IP in Karlstad. Crusaders have been the dominant figure in this year's series. But last weekend went Crusaders their first loss in Swedish soil since 2009 when perhaps somewhat surprisingly defeated by Tyresö.

A contributing factor to the loss was no doubt that it lacked two of its best players on offense. Running back # 3 Christian Forsman has rested in recent matches because of a knee injury, while wide receiver # 9 Fredrik Eklund resisted because of a concussion. Forsman's and Eklund's absence meant that Carlstad missing two of the Super Series definitely talented skill players. Forsman has closed its way for 639 yards in this year's basic series and Eklund's Super Series-leading receiver with 777 yards on 43 receptions. Together, the pair Forsman and Eklund made the whole 23 touchdowns. Having them in the game to Saturday is of course a huge addition for Crusaders.

Apart from the matches against Tyresö, both of which were regular stories, has Carlstad been uncompromising in years and have had nothing but secure victories. It has been Sweden's best lines on both offense and defense, quarterback imports # 11 Eli Cranor has played phenomenal all season and the defense looks including # 19 Olof Flemström and # 50 John Bear that no one is let through in the middle just like that. At the back it has experienced foxes # 30 Anders Hjerpseth, # 20 Olof Eriksson and understood multiathlete # 12 Joey Stein. Stein has been with injury problems during parts of the season but showed good form against Tyresö, not least by taking a punt return all the way to touchdown. Nor should we forget about # 23 Calle Morin has done a very nice rookie season in the Crusaders secondary.

Statistically Carlstad has been in a class by itself. Offensive has produced nearly 1,000 yards more than any other team and the defense gives you only up 3.5 yards per play, also a figure no other team can match. They have poured in points during the season despite sporting enough aired all players and playing more conservatively once they decided the matches.

Örebro on a roll

Orebro Black Knights set an ambitious target for the season. The team would go to the finals and although it looked bad for just a few weeks ago the team managed to reach the goal. A very convincing victory against the Stockholm Mean Machines and a clear benefit to the STU in the last round means that Black Knights go into the playoffs with a lot of confidence.

Although Örebro are newcomers in the Super Series, there are plenty of routine in the team. And it was also the team's most experienced players who showed the way to the playoffs. Running back # 46 Anton Källvik was strong in the match against the STU and # 86 John Steel, one of the best receivers in modern times, showed much leadership in Stockholm where he had a great match with several crucial games. Steel played initially in the season a lot on defense but has in recent matches has taken an increasing role in passningsspelet. Other receivers, among them # 5 Gustav Andersson and # 3 Tobias Wahlström has also played well during the year which means that the quarterback # 6 Cody Ladutko has several targets to choose from.

Just Ladutko is another player who is playing better at the end. Ladutko came to Sweden with the high expectations that are always put at quarterback imports but received some criticism for initially not up to expectations. In the last four games have Ladutko however, played much better. For example, he had a completion rate of 59% after a strong summer, compared with more moderate 45% in six games this spring. Ladutko has just thrown one interception after the summer break, a significant improvement compared to the eight he had in the spring.

Defensively, Örebro played well all year and you actually have the series' third-best defense after Carlstad and Tyresö. Defensive line is strong with names that talented # 93 Claes Uneståhl, deserving imports # 7 Kwame Jordan, and especially young forever # 99 Abdel Seidou at 39 yearsold, despite continuing to be a super athlete. Behind the line is # 44 Niklas Persson Gyhlfe had a huge season with 50 tackles.

The problem for the Black Knights is that you must succeed in stopping Carlstad both on land and in the air. In the first meeting dealt Örebro passing plays well and held Carlstad to a season low 145 yards in the air. Crusaders switched on when the running game where they took all of 257 yards. In the second game, the meeting focused on the Black Knights to stop Carlstad running game. They managed and Carlstad took just 77 yards on the ground, but in return the Crusaders found gaps in Örebro pass defense and could be fit for 349 yards. It remains to see how head coach Peter Ericson and other coaching staff intend to solve the task on Saturday.

Bogey in Carlstad?

Given that Carlstad won the previous two games by a total of 65-14 and given the Carlstad fantastic games during the season gets Crusaders understood mega favorites on Saturday. What still makes it, after all, can be match is the mental part. For this Carlstad team it is an unfamiliar feeling to lose and it has happened more than once in the Super Series history to win habit teams end up out of sorts after an unexpected loss.

Orebro, on the other hand, goes to Tingvalla with a confidence that is called to do. They got going, and succeeded against all odds to get to the playoffs. A team of prosperity is always dangerous and the Black Knights would get a good start with early points while successfully stopping Carlstad's powerful offensive, there may be gaps, even in the most experienced and skilled team of Crusaders.

Those who get to Tingvalla IP in Karlstad at 17:00 on Saturday night will see if Orebro can cause a real playoff bang.

4th ranked Crusaders of Sweden fall in regular season finale

The game this past weekend was the first time since early May that the Crusaders tasted defeat by an opponent. 21-12 was the final score in a contest that the up and coming Tyreso Royal Crown have waited for for more than 10 years. Beating the 4th ranked team in Europe most definitely will be a shining accomplishment on their season. The game was hard fought and the Crowns needed to come from behind after the Crusaders scored on a 76 yard punt return on the first drive and Eli had a dazzling scramble making what seemed to be the whole Tyreso defense miss for our second touchdown. Both PAT's were missed giving us the early 12-0 lead that we took into half time. The second half showed some miscues offensively, and rightly so when Sweden's second leading rusher and 3 of the top 12 receivers in Sweden all 4 were on the bench due to injury. The game did not have an effect on the outcome of the season for either team, as each team had already clinched home games for the semi-final. This did not change the mentality of either team as both vied for this coveted victory. Tyreso found some holes in the pass defense finding big plays a couple of times on Crusader missed assignments, then they used a power running attack to reach the endzone. They scored in the 3rd quarter, and took the lead late in the 4th quarter. The Crusaders always had a chance to take the lead until the 3rd TD of the game came with a minute left. The Crown defense had a great gameplan for the offense that they faced by bringing pressure to the running attack and pass protection of the Crusaders and playing a very physical style of pass coverage. The game provided some interest I'm sure for viewers around the league, which will most definitely prove beneficial heading into the semi-final weekend, and the finals next weekend.

What is football in Europe?

I recently came across this video done by endzonetv, it is a description of european football and how it has progressed.

Game of the week gives 2 teams a shot at playoffs

Everything in the Super Series has gone according to just about what could be expected this season. All up until this past weekend. The playoffs were all but set, the 4th ranked STU Bulls just needed to sign on the dotted line and seal their fate, but as was the case last weekend, "on paper" and "on the field" are two completely separate things. The 5th ranked Orebro Black Knights needed many things to occur in order for them to reach the playoffs in their first ever season in the top division. The 6th ranked Arlanda Jets beat the STU Bulls, 10-8, for their first win of the season, and Orebro exploded from their 12 points per game average and beat the 3rd ranked Stockholm Mean Machine 37-26. Both of these games had their own level of excitement and each were not decided until late in the game. The Jets scored in the first quarter against the Bulls, after the Bulls scored with less than 5 minutes in the game to take an 8-7 lead the Jets marched down the field in a 13 play drive culminating in a field goal and a huge upset victory. In Orebro, the Knights on their last leg to reach the playoffs battled back and forth with the Machine. The Mean Machine had the ball with 10 minutes remaining and the lead, 26-23 at which point the Knights intercepted a John Russell pass and returned it for the score. They added another score with 4 minutes left and put the game out of reach. The interception was the lone dull spot on an otherwise impressive Super Series debut for SMM quarterback John Russell. Russell threw for 324 yards and 4 touchdowns in his first game wearing Red and Blue. The Knights had not had the chance to triumph in the hard work that they had put forth all season. With close loss after close loss this win finally puts a mark on their season that is so positive and well timed, it may just spark them into the playoffs.

SMM vs. Orebro Highlights

With these results all is prepared for a showdown between Orebro and STU this Saturday for the right to enter the playoffs and travel to top ranked Karlstad. With the top 2 teams in the league, Carlstad and Tyreso, facing each other in southern Stockholm it's hard to believe that could possibly not be the game of the week. However, with the recent turn of events, Orebro will wait at home for the Bulls with kickoff set for 4pm local time. In this week's game of the week, the Black Knights and the STU Bulls each control their own destinies. The newly energized knights led by QB Cody Ladutko and do-everything WR/FS Johan Stal face off with Swedish national team QB Anders Hermodsson and import RB/WR Noah Sandersson.

Stay tuned to find out who will come out of this on top and head to Carlstad to face Europe's 4th ranked Crusaders.

Humboldt State live on TV against Central Washington, and Italy for the weekend

Another break in the season gave Mary and I the blessed chance to explore more of this extravagant land they call Europe. We had a weekend off before our 3 week chase for the crown of Sweden, and with the weather heading towards winter here in southern Sweden we chose Italy. We flew into Pisa and stayed the night indulging in some of the tastiest pizza and gelato that this world offers. We took an early morning train to Cinque Terra and stayed two days in one of the most glorious and non-commercialized corners of planet earth. Mary and I were offered clear blue water swims and seaside snacks of seafood and pasta, combined with hiking the natural trails weaving their way through Italian mountain vineyards. After enough fun in the sun we turned for Pisa one last time and spent the evening searching the stars underneath the leaning tower. Now we are back in Sweden and prepping ourselves for a regular season final against the #2 team from Sweden, followed by a well deserved home semifinal-game that is the result of 9 straight wins in a recently more competitive league. Tune in later this week for more information on the Super Series.

In other unrelated news my Alma mater, Humboldt State University will be putting on display one of the most unique and simply stunning venues in college football this Thursday night when CBS Sports broadcasts live their contest with Central Washington University from Northern California's gem, the Redwood Bowl. The Bowl is situated amongst the giant redwood trees alongside the California Coast in beautiful Arcata, California. All one can see while entering the stadium at night is the light streaming through the tip tops of these massive evergreens. The Lumberjacks of Humboldt are 1-0 on this early season and beat this same CWU team last season for the first time in 15 years. If you have some free time, tune in at 5pm Pacific Standard Time translating to 2am Central European Time at your local CBS Sports channel or by following this link for online viewers: HSU vs. CWU live

Crusaders 9th win grants them regular season championship

A torrential downpour in the lake town of Karlstad yesterday and an increasingly competitive STU Bulls team were the latest barriers that stood in the way of the Crusader wave that is rolling through Sweden. For 3 hours prior to kickoff the skies shattered on Tingvalla offering the two teams a 30 minute kickoff delay. The rain ceased long enough for the game to get underway by 5:30. With the playoffs on the horizon, the sense of urgency was heightened. The Crusaders were fighting for the top rank and the opportunity to have the 4th ranked team travel to Karlstad for the semi-final, while the Bulls had the focus of passing the Mean Machine for 3rd place in the league.

The battle started with the Crusader's offense attempting to find alternate ways to move the ball besides its high powered downfield passing game. Running the ball from the shotgun provided minimal yards and completing passes was a challenge in that climate. The Bulls had similar issues, but on top of these issues, they faced the top defense in Sweden (9.1 points per game allowed) led by back to back defensive player of the week in Sweden, Olof Flemstrom. With 18.5 tackles, 7 of which for loss in the past two weeks Flemstrom is playing at an unbelievably high level. Johan Bear, the Crusaders middle linebacker was all over the field on Saturday night. He played a huge role in defending the tricky Bulls offense that comes out with unbalanced formations and reverse schemes.

Both teams endured sloppy offensive play with an overabundance of dropped passes, missed footing, and fumbles. The first legitimate Crusaders' chance at points was negated by an interception in the end zone, but a 3 and out did not harm the home team's winning chances. The empty score was lifted when the star of the game Fredrik Isaksson caught an Eli Cranor pass down the home sideline and outraced the defense for over half the field and the game's first score. Both teams traded punts throughout the first quarter and the early second quarter. The Bulls continued to attack and found themselves near the Crusaders endzone following a couple of big plays. A break in the coverage offered the Bulls a free shot at the endzone which they converted bringing the score to 7-6. The next few minutes showed the Crusaders offense hitting straight at the center of the Bulls defense getting them a first and goal at the Bulls 9 yard line. 4 plays offered no points and the Crusaders had to turn the ball over. 2 plays later the Bulls ball carrier found himself on the ground in his own endzone giving the defense a safety and upping the ante, 9-6. The Crusaders received the ball again with just under 5 minutes in the first half. A good running attack gained a couple of first downs just crossing the Bulls 40 yard line. A well timed play action fake gave Fred Ice a chance to sneak behind the defense and again catch a long Cranor throw. The score gave the Crusaders a bit of breathing room at the break, 15-6.

The beginning of the second half came with some misfortune when 2010 player of the year, and Crusaders RB Christian Forsman left the field with what is preliminarily diagnosed as a knee ligament injury. As a result, younger players showed up and stepped up in a big way. The first big play after Forsman's departure was made by rookie WR Josef Nguzo. As the Crusaders were driving Eli tried the left side from approximately the 25 yard line. Josef slipped behind the corner and after the ball was misjudged by the defender and uncontested Josef whipped his body around just in time to snag the pass and slip 2 feet in bounds at the side of the endzone for a highlight that will not be soon forgotten. Backup running back Nabard Palani, at 20 years old, had a coming out party with 119 yards on 19 carries and 2 TDs all in the second half, an outstanding performance from one of the most humble men you will ever meet. The third quarter was his as he broke off 2 touchdown runs, the first of which he patiently waited behind the big Crusaders line, widened the defense with an outside move and made a vertical cut with extraordinary quickness that put him yards behind the defense. He bolted past the secondary and outraced the rest of the Bulls for the score. The first three drives of the second half, sparked by the running game, provided touchdowns to the home side and pushed the Crusaders out of reach of the Bulls. The 4th quarter gave an opportunity to many of the Crusaders youth players, who have been practicing alongside the A-team, a chance in a Super Series game. The Bulls pushed across one final score with under a minute to play ending the game at 39-12.

The Crusaders finished the game outrushing the Bulls 159-75 with similar carry attempts. The offensive line created the space after some adjustments and the Crusaders backs made the plays happen. Eli finished 10-19 with 162 yards and 3 TD strikes most likely keeping him atop the league passing charts. The Bulls lost the turnover battle 3-1 which made it all the more difficult to win in Karlstad. Converting 3rd downs was abnormally hard on this Saturday as neither team was over 33% in gaining first downs in this scenario.

The win allows the Crusaders the opportunity to host a semi-final match. The regular season finale in Tyreso in two weeks will have no bearing whatsoever, whether win or lose, as to the future of the 2011 season. This will provide some interesting dynamic as to whether or not the Crusaders arrive with their entire starting squad. The bye week ahead along with the unimportant final game will give the Crusaders the much needed opportunity to regroup given the injury plagued season that has been. One thing that must be said about this resilient group of players is that the depth and ability for players to move around has kept this team atop a league that is bringing it's best game week in and week out for the current champs. Depth is something that often brings down good European teams, and this 4th ranked team in Europe has had the ability to battle on.

Tyreso won their game this weekend against the 6th place Arlanda Jets 48-7. The win puts them out of reach of the other teams in the Super Series and they too will host a playoff semi-final match. They will get the 3rd ranked team from the regular season. Tyreso takes a week off this weekend, and will have that regular season finale to sort things out and measure up their new second half roster against the 2011 Super Series Regular Season Champions that they came within a touchdown against back in May.

Game of the Week, GFL

The Game of the week comes to us from Germany and faces two of the top 12 teams in Europe against one another. As the GFL nears it's playoff selection (3 games remaning), garnering 8 spots to the top 4 teams from each of the two divisions, games become ever more important. A classic matchup between the historically powerful southern Marburg Mercenaries, coached by the highly respected Joe Roman, who have had international wins in years past and have been the top team from the south in recent years and their opponent in this affair are most recently crowned as German Champions, with an undefeated first 11 games of the German season, and ranked 5th on the continent of Europe are the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes. Their only negative mark on the season is the early departure from the EFL in a 20-22 overtime loss to Europe's 4th ranked Carlstad Crusaders of Sweden. Marburg at 10-1 and ranked 12th in Europe this season have only lost to the undefeated Schwabisch Hall Unicorns.

This matchup most recently went to the team from the south, when in the first week of the 2010 season the Mercenaries traveled up to the Baltic and beat the Canes at home 22-19. In this season both teams have statistically performed as well as any team in the league in various areas. The Hurricanes are 2nd in scoring offense (35p/g) and top the league in scoring defense (14p/g), while the Mercenaries are 3rd in Germany in both categories (30, 17p/g). The biggest question mark in this game will be in the ground game. The Hurricanes bash for a league second best 179 rushing yards a game. Behind a big German offensive line runs import running back Michael Andrew (England) who is second in the league in yards per game on the ground. From the Mercenary point of attack they have allowed a miniscule 46 yards per game which is by far the fewest of any German team thus far. Something has to give, and it will for one of these elements this weekend. The multi threat Kiel offense also has an established passing game that is 3rd in the league at 222 yards/game. Import Quarterback Jeff Welsh (Western Michigan) and import wideout Aaron Love (FCS, U of Delaware) have connected tremendously as has German ball catcher Julien Dohrendorf. Marburg's offense fires well also, at 5th in passing and 4th in rushing in the GFL this season. The only rusher to outlast Kiel's Andrew is import ball carrier Joe Clark (Div. II, Augustana) for the Mercenaries who leads the league with 147 yards per game. German QB Joachim Ullrich has reached 4th in the league in both passing efficiency and yards per game.

While both teams have performed well enough to have clinched playoff berths they are both fighting for playoff position and this game will have definite implications for the rankings. Marburg faces the toughest challenge of any German team having to face undefeated teams in each of its last three matchups. This week and next against this Hurricane squad due to a rescheduled game earlier this season, and the regular season finale against the undefeated Unicorns. At 4pm local time the Baltic Canes bring their top 5 team down to Marburg to face last year's south German champs.

Finally, the GFL website has done an incredible job of updating both news and statistics, making writing more enjoyable. All other leagues should use the GFL website as a template.

Europe's 4th ranked Crusaders at home on Saturday

This weekend the #4 ranked team in Europe have their last home game for the regular season. This game offers the top team in Sweden the chance to clinch the regular season championship and 1st place ranking for the playoffs with still one game remaining on the schedule. The opponent the STU Northside Stockholm Bulls. The Bulls have been on an up and down journey this season. After beating the Stockholm Mean Machine on the road just before summer break, they returned from break having lost their leading deep threat wide receiver to college and their top receiver to a season ending injury. As a result they called upon the help of an import running back in Noah Sanderson. In STU's first game with this offensive system they came up one score short of the Stockholm Mean Machine just two weeks ago. A week off last week gave this Bulls team, known for arriving late in the season and the playoffs with awkward and tricky formations that are often unpracticed by the opposing team a chance to formulate a more in depth plan of attack for the defending champs. With these truths, the game this weekend has the ability to be another challenge for the team on the top, the Crusaders. The Crusaders showed a bit of offensive vulnerability in Stockholm last weekend and are looking for a strong performance, such as the last time they faced this STU team, in order to get back on track. That last performance was about as flawless on offense as can be. 70 points scored by the offensive unit, with a plethora of players getting into the endzone and a rushing attack that offered huge, seemingly effortless gains time and again.

Kickoff is set for 5pm local time this Saturday, simultaneously 8am on the west coast and at 10 in Arkansas for those listeners. Score updates are going to be provided through the Crusaders official twitter account, which is linked to the right of this blog titled Crusaders Game Updates.

A big win over the Mean Machine, most winningest club in Swedish history

We showed up to Stockholm ready to perform against the most respected club in Sweden when it comes to title defense. Title defense is something that the Crusaders have new experience with having won the Swedish title for the first time in 2010. Title defense is going particularly well with 8 wins and no losses to speak of thus far in league play. This weekend a 28-0 beating of the most jeweled club in Sweden was not as easily earned as it may sound. The game this past weekend was quite different than games past for the Crusaders. The main difference, mistakes with penalties and turnovers kept the Swedish giant at bay for the majority of the first half. Two lost fumbles and many called offensive penalties allowed the Crusaders to only earn 8 points at the break. The defense for the Crusaders was anything but slowed. With recently departed QB Cody Hawkins back home in Colorado the Mean Machine turned to a wing-t offense that while it was unpredictable at times, did not have the firepower to part the Crusader defensive unit. A few first downs was all that the Blue and Red mustered on the day due mainly to the stout front that the Crusaders brought. Time and again there were off white jerseys splitting the offense and making big hits on the left out to dry Mean Machine ball carriers. The one pass that was thrown during the game was intercepted by Fredrik Isaksson, the 7th Crusader defender to mark an interception on the season. Fred Ice also noted after the game that he did indeed intercept 100% of the passes thrown in the contest, but I digress.

The offense highlighted it's second half with a run play by Christian Forsman from the 1 yard line in which he took the ball and bounced to the sideline just dodging two would be tacklers and utilizing a great block by Fredrik Eklund he bolted into and beyond the SMM secondary and rolled down the sideline for a 96 yard TD. 97 yards was endzone to endzone at the Zinken in donwtown Stockholm. Backed up by a stellar SMM punt, the offense created this highlight for the ages most exciting because he scampered all the way down the sideline with his left tackle Thomas Falkelind leading the charge. At 6'5, 270lbs. this large Swede sprinting down the field made for one heck of a blockade. The win was the 22nd in a row in Swedish play for the Crusaders dating back to the championship game of 2009. Beating such a long lasting force in the Super Series at their home stadium is the type of victory that should be one of the most treasured for a club that is on the rise, and it is definitely one of the sweetest victories that I have ever been a part of in Europe.

In the other game the Tyreso Royal Crowns defeated the Orebro Black Knights 20-7. The game was a toss up until the final two minutes when the Crown scored their third touchdown and put the game out of reach. At 1-6-1 the first year club from Orebro has been eliminated from playoff contention. With the TRC win and the SMM loss the Royal Crown have surged forward in their course to have a home playoff game the weekend of September 3rd. At 6-2 they are still 2 games behind the 4th highest team in Europe, the Carlstad Crusaders, and pending a Crusader defeat this coming weekend they may be set up for a share of the regular season title.

Crusaders take to the road in sight of 8th straight Swedish win

The Carlstad Crusaders, the 4th best team in Europe according to europlayers.com, travels this Saturday to play a 3pm ball game against their adversary, the Stockholm Mean Machines. While the Machine is the most storied club in Sweden this season has provided meager opportunities to celebrate. The Machine are set at 3rd place in Sweden coming off of a hard fought 34-28 victory last weekend against the STU Northside Bulls. At 4-3 the Machine have the inside route to the #3 position in the 4 team playoffs to start mid-September.

The Crusaders on the other hand have been rolling through the Super Series with the only close victory coming in the first week of the season against the Tyreso Royal Crown. With a point differential of 320-70 there are no teams close to winning as well as the Crusaders do. The last time these two teams faced off was in Karlstad before summer break. The Crusaders prevailed in that affair 55-13, working with maximum efficiency having run 43 plays as compared to SMM's 70 in that contest. Nevertheless, this game will be played in Stockholm, a place that has seen more championship victories than any other in the Super Series.

Kickoff is set for 3pm local time, 6am on the west coast and can be followed online by following the link to the right hand side of the blog titled, Crusaders game updates.