EFAF Cup In the EFAF Cup one game from each of the four groups will be showcased this weekend. The Thonon Black Panthers (FRA) are matched up with the Prague Black Hawks (CZH). The Panthers have had a rough start to the season (2-4) and will need to turn things around to make this competitive. The Hawks on the other hand, don’t know what they’ve got having this their first game of the 2011 year. Further north,
fellow French contender the St. Ouen Cougars (FRA) travel to Denmark to meet the reigning Danish champs the Sollerod Gold Diggers (DEN). St. Ouen has competed well in the French league starting out 2-3-1 and competing against the top teams, while the Gold Diggers get their feet wet in this contest being their first game. Lastly, the London Blitz (ENG) toil with the Amsterdam Crusaders (NED). This is the season opener for the Blitz, and as for the Crusaders a first week loss in their league was followed up with 3 wins before this international matchup. Each of these squads is playing in its first tournament game of the season meaning a win sets them apart from the rest of their group. Also in the EFAF Cup, but in a different scenario are the Kragujevac Wild Boars (SRB) who face the Hohenems Blue Devils (AUT) for a one game battle to move on. They play on Sunday the 10th in western Austria. Kragujevac has started out hot this season at 2-0 and defeating what was promised to be their best Serbian competition the Belgarde Vukovi this past weekend. The Blue Devils are in the same boat winning their first 2 games in the Swiss league.
Eurobowl As for the EFL, the tournament is well underway as we already have two squads that have proceeded to the quarterfinal,
while two 
teams were sent packing. The Badalona Dracs (Spain) were not able to match up with the Spartiates L'Amiens (France) losing each contest in a home and home by more than 50 points. In Central Europe the Prague Panthers (Czech Rep.) traveled south to Vienna to play the Austrian Champs, the Danube Dragons. In a more contested affair the Dragons beat up the Panthers 33-16 on the back of national QB Thomas Haider's 4 TD passes in his first ever start at the senior team level. Haider, pictured left, was a standout WR for the Dragons before getting the nod at QB this year. Playing with him in 2009 gave me a glimpse into how much talent he has both on the gridiron as well as on the tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts. He is truly an all around athlete. If he develops quickly this season and gets the ball to the stable of athletes around him, the Dragons will contend for the #1 ranking in Europe. The Dragons will face Berlin on May 7th and the Spartiates will play Innsbruck the same day for the quarterfinal of the Eurobowl. The first game of this tournament for two other teams will be provided on Saturday when the Parma Panthers take the short trip west to Barcelona to face the Pioners de L’Hospitalet.
The Pioners have wreacked havoc starting an unparalleled (8-0) in Spanish play, but playing on the European stage is a whole other beast. The Panthers are off to a 2-1 start in the Italian Football League losing to Catania in the first week, but have won the last two games in convincing fashion including a 62-35 beating of the Ancona Dolphins this past weekend, a team that beat the Catania squad in week 2 suggesting that the Italan league will be quite competitive. 
IFL While we're on the topic of Italy, the Bologna Warriors dominated the Bolzano Giants 64-35. You'll remember the Warriors from QB Eric Marty's Player Profile here on For the Love of the Game. The Warriors are now the only unbeated team in the country with their QB leading the way. The game was close at halftime, but the Giants could not keep up with the better team from Bologna.
