Raiders roll 35-7 over Braunschweig

Jacob Dieplinger gets ready to make a catch during the first quarter of the EuroBowl Quarterfinal at Tivoli Stadium.

GAME REPORT: SWARCO RAIDERS 35, Braunschweig Lions 7

The SWARCO Raiders took the first step towards defending its EuroBowl crown with a decisive 35-7 home victory over the German champion Braunschweig Lions in front of a raucous crowd at Tivoli Stadium Saturday night.  The victory was a culmination of all three facets of the game working together: a dominating offensive line that opened holes in the running game and allowed the silver & black offense to hold the ball for over 34 minutes of possession, a defense that forced 3 interceptions, and an electrifying 79-yard kickoff return by Matt Epperson to swing momentum in the SWARCO Raiders favor.

On their first offensive possession, the SWARCO Raiders mixed the run and pass to move efficiently down the field, setting up a 7-yard touchdown run by tailback Florian Grein.  The Lions would answer with a 19-yard touchdown to former SWARCO Raider receiver Ryan Voss, but on the ensuing kick-off Matt Epperson raced down the right sidelines 79 yards to paydirt and a 14-7 lead.  The SWARCO Raiders would add two more touchdowns in the half, a 2-yard scamper by Grein and a 6-yard TD reception by Jacob Dieplinger from Jason Johnson, for a 28-7 lead at the break.

 

            Throughout the game the SWARCO Raiders defense continued its stellar play, with Philip Margreiter leading the way with 5 tackles and a sack.  Markus Krauser, Alex Hoad, and Florian Hueter all notched interceptions – and a swarming attack kept Lions running back James Johnson under 100 yards rushing and held prolific receiver Ryan Voss to just 3 catches for 29 yards.  It was the fourth consecutive game the defense limited its opponent to single digit points.

 

In the second half, the SWARCO Raiders physically took over the game and allowed a variety of ball carriers to run down both the clock and the Lions’ chance for a comeback.  Fullback Emanuel Marksteiner finished the scoring with a bruising one yard run up the middle in the 4^th quarter.  In all, the offense would amass 23 first downs, 34 minutes of total possession, and converted on 9 of 11 3^rd downs.  Florian Grein would lead all rushers with 97 yards on 18 carries, while Johnson completed 82% of his passes (18-22).

 

            The SWARCO Raiders have now won four straight games, outscoring opponents an impressive 156-23 over that span.  The win advances the SWARCO Raiders to the Semi-Finals of the EuroBowl Champions League competition, where they will face the Porvoo Butchers of Finland.  

Here come the RAIDERS!!!

JASON SAYS:

On a more personal note, it was an incredible experience to play in my first EuroBowl game.  The crowd of around 4,000 people were electric, using a variety of drums, whistles, and god-knows-what contraptions to make it sound like 40,000.  Our team is really starting to hit on all cylinders, and as I told the team after the game: It is one thing to win, it is another to physically take it to another team and that's what we did tonight.  I'm so proud of the work put in by our players and coaches - there is truly a special feeling developing here and I'm excited to be a part of it!  Check out some pics below!     

Now that's what I call splitting the D!

Raiders Cheerleaders work to get the crowd excited!

An incredible night of weather for football!  The 7:45 pm kickoff meant that dusk was falling just as we were beginning play on a warm spring evening.

I've got a FEVER... and the only remedy is MORE COWBELL!!!  Mom and Christie get ready to cheer in the stands.

Receiver Andi Proller had his own cheering section!  (That's his girlfriend Lili as the "A"!)

Coach Santos got to celebrate his first Euro Bowl playoff victory with the traditional Gatorade (well, really water) bath.

Austrians love beating Germans at ANYTHING... but ESPECIALLY football!  There was much national pride in the air as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

The Fabulous Four

Matt and I posing with our offensive coaches Nick and Menyada.  (I think Duke was busy running around the stadium giving everyone high fives.)  Nick and Menyada put in LONG hours so that my job is easy on Saturdays.  Thanks for everything COACHES!

Yeah... we're big in Europe!  (I just like to say that, LOL!)  These two young Raiders fans made Matt and I a poster... and it was SWEET!  Thanks guys!

A very SPECIAL THANKS to my #1 fans since I was old enough to throw a ball.  It was so special having my mom and dad in the stands, and it means so much that they would travel halfway around the world to watch me play.  I love you guys!  Attaway! 

~ J. Twice