Vienna Vikings open season with fireworks

The 2024 ELF-season is underway! In the opening game, the Vienna Vikings travelled to Hungary to play the Fehérvár Enthroners in First Field in Székesfehérvár. Hundreds of fans watched an offensive-minded clash between last year's semi finalist and the Hungarian side. The Vikings managed to win 43-18.

After a couple of minutes, running back Karri Pajarinen found the end zone for the Vikings and marked the first score of the season. The shifty ball carrier went on to score three times in the game. After a rocky start, the Enthroners shook off the dust and managed to score two touchdowns within a couple of plays. First, cornerback Roedion Henrique managed to return an interception for a pick six, then wide receiver Nathaniel Robitaille caught a pass for a touchdown. 

In the second half, the Vikings continued to march down the field with their high-powered offense. The Enthroners' defense managed a couple of run stops and pass breakups, but ultimately could not keep up. The Vikings celebrated their first victory of the season and lived up to their high expectations. With a balanced offense and a feisty defense, they certainly sent a message to the rest of the league.

Meanwhile the Enthroners showed, that they have a good foundation and multiple difference makers to build upon. In the first game in their second season, Fehérvár produced a couple of good moments for the home crowd. 
  

Quarterback Carlton Aiken falls short in "revenge game"

In their first-ever game in the ELF, the Helvetic Mercenaries suffered a gut-wrenching 19-23 defeat to the Barcelona Dragons. 

In a feisty game, both defensives showed out in the first quarter, allowing zero points in total (the Dragons missed a field goal in the last couple of seconds) and setting the tone for the remainder of the game. 

For Mercenaries' quarterback Carlton Aiken it was a special game, as he was on the Dragons’ roster just last season. There was no love lost, as he took multiple big hits and six sacks from the defense, but also showed his mobility and play-making abilites. 

Aiken opened the score, when he found wide receiver Anthony Brown (who showed great chemistry with Aiken throughout the game) over the middle of the field midway through the second quarter and giving Helvetic the lead. And he was not done yet! A couple of plays later, Aiken showed his speed and rushing qualities as he ran pasted multiple defenders for a stunning 66-yard touchdown. 

On the other side, it was a difficult first half for Dragons’ quarterback Levi Lewis. The 25-year-old, who was under contract with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, was put under constant duress by the defense. Still, he managed to showcase his talent, especially as a runner. But his offense failed to convert crucial downs and therefore struggled to put points on the board, multiple drops by the receivers certainly did not help. Just before halftime, they cut down the lead to 3-12.

After halftime, both defenses continued to make it tough for the opposing offense. After a couple of drives, it was the Dragons' defense, which came up clutch, intercepting Aiken and thus setting up an offensive touchdown. However, Aiken answered with a beautiful touchdown pass to Anthony Brown. The Dragons continued to fight back, as quarterback Levis got more comfortable and rushed for a touchdown after a good drive. With the score at 17-19 going into the fourth quarter, both teams knew, that the margin of error would be small. 

With his second touchdown of the day, wide receiver Ivan Iordanov put the Dragons up front. The Dragons' defense managed to shut down Aiken and the offense. In an entertaining game, the Barcelona defense never backed down and secured the win for their team. Lewis and the Dragon's offense have some cleanup to do, but showed their talent in the second half. 

Raiders Tirol take care of Milano Seamen

 

It only took three minutes and three seconds until Raiders Tirol found the endzone against the Milano Seamen. Wide receiver Darion Chafin opened the score for the Austrian side. However, the Milano defense put up a fight, collecting multiple sacks and tackles for loss. Unfortunately for the Seamen, the offense could not capitalize and was held in check by the Raiders' defense. 

Running back Tobias Bonatti put himself on the score sheet, as he rushed into the endzone for the second touchdown of the game near the end of the first quarter. The Raiders enjoyed their fair share of luck, being able to recover multiple fumbles. 

After a fast start, the game slowed down mightily, as no points were scored in the second and third quarter. Both punters were busy, both defenses stood stout and both offenses made too many easy mistakes, failing to convert crucial downs and producing too many turnovers. Credit to both defenses, for bringing the heat on every drive and capitalizing on mistakes. 

Wide receiver Philipp Haun put the nail in the coffin in the fourth quarter, as he caught a touchdown to make it 23:0. A couple of plays later, a trick-play, which ended up in the hands of Adrian Platzgummer, made it 29:0. A field goal marked the end of the scoring, making it 32:0. 

The Milano Seamen have a lot of problems to work out, their defense gave it their best, but the offense could not really get going. For Raiders Tirol, it was a comfortbale saturday evening.