EUROBOWL XXIII: SWARCO RAIDERS 30, PARIS FLASH 19

An Austrian record crowd witnessed the SWARCO Raiders defend their EuroBowl title.

The SWARCO Raiders employed a complete team performance in defeating the Paris Flash 31-19 before an Austrian record 6,500 spectators at Tivoli Stadium on Saturday night to claim their second consecutive EuroBowl crown.  SWARCO Raiders running back Florian Grein took home MVP honors with 182 all-purpose yards and 3 TDs, 19-year old kicker Trinkl Emanuel booted  3 clutch field goals, while the efficient passing attack of quarterback Jason Johnson (22-28, 79%) helped control the tempo of the game.  Defensively, the SWARCO Raiders limited the powerful rushing attack of the Flash to just 3 total yards, while putting constant pressure on quarterback Jeffrey Welsh.

Santos Carrillo is now 1-for-1 in Eurobowl titles as a Head Coach. 

The game opened with the unthinkable for the Silver and Black as “do it all” receiver/returner Matt Epperson suffered a broken leg on just the second drive of the game.  This temporarily slowed the SWARCO Raiders offense, but they still managed to score on two consecutive field goals (28, 40) by Trinkl Emanuel for a 6-0 lead. Later in the second, Florian Grein punched the ball in from the 1-yard line for a 13-0 lead with 2:14 remaining.  The Flash countered on the ensuing kickoff with a 77-yard return for a touchdown by Antione Salliant to cut the lead to 7.  But the home team remained calm, as quarterback Jason Johnson engineered a two-minute drive capped by a 2-yard TD run by Florian Grein with just 4 seconds remaining.  This gave the SWARCO Raiders a 20-6 advantage at the half.

 

Andy Pröller knifes upfield with the ball. 

"Touchdown" Steve fights for the pylon.

Florian Grein dives into the endzone for one of three scores on the night, earning him the MVP.

In the third quarter, the teams played to a stalemate before Flash quarterback Jeffrey Walsh found Artchill Monney for a 24-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 20-13.  The momentum didn’t last long, as two plays later Florian Grein proved why he is known as a “big game” player, taking a misdirection play up the middle untouched for a 58-yard touchdown.  The run proved to be the back-breaker, giving the SWARCO Raiders a 27-13 lead.  Kicker Trinkl Emanuel converted on his third field goal of the night midway through the fourth to add to the lead, 30-13.  A late Flash touchdown pass from Welsh to Marc-Angelo Soumah provided the final score, 30-19.       

 

Andy Pröller fights for extra yards during the 4th quarter of the EuroBowl.  Pröller would lead all receivers with 8 catches for 96 yards.

The Silver and Black "D" was all over the field, creating much havoc in the Flash backfield.

Manu Eisenfuehrer's interception was the nail in the coffin for the SWARCO Raiders.  

Mario Rinner, Gonzalo Segovia, and Philip Margreiter each notched sacks for the SWARCO Raiders defense, which held the Flash to just 224 total yards on the night.  The victory gave head coach Santos Carrillo his first EuroBowl in just his first season at the helm, while marking the 6^th consecutive year that Europe’s most coveted American Football trophy has remained on Austrian soil. 

Matt & Emmy Injury Update

The 4 M's:  Matt, Gold Medal, Milka, and of course, MORPHINE!!!

For those of you who weren't watching the Eurobowl on the internet, our victory was bittersweet because a few of our teammates weren't able to celebrate with us.

In the first quarter, Matt Epperson took a fly sweep to the left and tried to fake out a number of tacklers.  Somehow he rolled up on, and he broke his leg.  THANK GOODNESS we were in Austria and he was immediately rushed to a private hospital where our great team doctor performed an immediate 4 hour surgery.  The prognosis was a broken fibula, torn ligaments, and a dislocated ankle.  However, surgery was a success, and he was surprisingly upbeat when we visited him at 4 am.  There was even a reply of the game on ORF Austria television and he was able to watch the rest of the game!

Unfortunately, Matt wasn't the only one who was injured in the victory, as fullback Emanuel "Emmy" Marksteiner suffered the SAME EXACT injury - broken leg - in the second quarter!  We saw Emmy this morning as we visited the hospital, and he was also in good spirits.  Obviously disappointed, but happy nonetheless.

I can tell everyone back at home -- especially those in Texas -- that our guys are getting AMAZING care from the doctors, and have already had almost the ENTIRE TEAM stop by today to see them!  I was at the hospital around 1pm today and there were 25 people in the room!  I'll give more updates as they get out of the hospital which should be tomorrow.

~ J. Twice

Eurobowl Postgame Celebration

#1 in Europe!!!

Here's a few pictures from our post-game celebration!

The coaching staff did a TREMENDOUS job this year!

Good times!!!

The moment we were given the SWAROVSKI trophy.  Kinda nice to win it when your team builds the trophy...

Nick, the OLine, and the RBs... they were INCREDIBLE tonight!  Flo took home MVP honors with 29 rushes for 168 yards and 3 TDs, and the OLine opened the holes that made it possible.

Back to Back...

Sebastian "Sea-Bass" Stolz making his inaugural appearance on RPP.  He made this point known to me last night after the game... which is a shame.  Sorry Sea-Bass!

Duke celebrates the victory.

"Playmakers" - QB & WRs celebrate the victory.  It was a tremendous team effort, playing without Matt, and Jakob playing with a hurt ankle.  Great job guys!

JJ, CC, Lili, and Andy

Thank you Christie for all your support these last two years!

One last look at the field... who knows what the future holds, but it has been one heck of a ride!

~ J. Twice

EUROBOWL CHAMPS!!!

WE WON THE EUROBOWL!!!  

It was a tremendous team effort producing a comfortable 30-19 victory over the Paris Flash before an amazing crowd of 6,500 at Tivoli Stadium on Saturday night.  The victory is the second consecutive EuroBowl title for the SWARCO Raiders Tirol, and proved to be a sweet ending to our season.

Much more to come here from RPP!

~ J. Twice

     

Gameday: EUROBOWL XXIII

Paris Flash at SWARCO Raiders Tirol

Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck

7:45 pm local Austria Time

TV Coverage: ORF. Online: live.raiders.at

Today the SWARCO Raiders will look to defend their Eurobowl title against the Paris Flash at Tivoli Stadium in Innsbruck.  A large, boisterous crowd is expected, and the game should live up to the billing as two athletic, aggressive teams compete to be crowned #1 in Europe.

JJ: This game is one of the reason why I decided to come to Europe this season, and I'm excited to live this experience today.  "Enjoying the challenge" is what football is all about, and what a better event to cap this season.  Thank you to all my family and friends who have supported me - both at home and overseas - during this incredible adventure.  The past two years have changed my life, and I am so thankful for all the countless new friends I have made and the amazing times I have experienced.  Raiders, this has been a long journey, and I am proud to call you my teammates as we take the field today.  LET'S GO!     

For a preview of today's game, log on to raiders.com for a special edition of BEYOND THE FIELD.

~ J. Twice

Tuesday Morning Photographer

Here is my latest article for the Austrian website "Laola1.at" - enjoy! ~ JJ

It's not that hard...

In American football terms, a “Monday Morning Quarterback” is a fan that gives his own opinion about what happened in the game, as if it was easy. They watch all the NFL games on Sunday, and then think they have right to be experts about the game the next day. These MMQB’s have rarely played the games themselves, and often their only form of physical activity is doing a bicep curl with a beer bottle. Typical phrases that come out of his mouth would include, “All they needed to do was…” or “That guy is such an idiot,” or my personal favorite, “I could have thrown that pass.”

Seeing as I am a real spielmacher and not a MMQB, I unfortunately don’t get to play that role. (Not that I am jealous.) Yet there is one thing that has been absolutely bothering me since I began traveling around Europe, and I can hold my breath no longer. I must say something. I must become like those legions of American football fans who offer their advice on how to do what appears to be a simple task. It is now time for me to become a “Tuesday Morning Photographer.”

Before traveling around the continent, I assumed that the average person was capable of taking a photograph. It seems everyone nowadays has a 12-megapixel device strapped to their wrist, and one can barely stand in front of the Eiffel Tower or Coliseum without being trampled by a human centipede of Nikon-toting Japanese tourists. Yet every time I ask someone to take a photo of my wife and I, it turns out horribly wrong. Usually the picture is crooked, out of focus, our heads are cut-off, or a combination of all three. It is as if the moment I hand someone my camera, they suddenly become blind. This is where the Tuesday Morning Photographer can step in.

As a Tuesday Morning Photographer, here is my advice to all fellow tourists “slash” amateur photographers – and if you follow these simple steps, I PROMISE you will take better photos:



1) 1) Try to get both people AND the monument in the photo. You have no idea how simple this is, yet difficult for most photographers to do. If there is a large monument we are all standing in front of, please include it in the background. Once I was standing in front of Big Ben in London, and I asked someone to take my picture, and the man turned his back on the tower! Did he think I just wanted a picture of me?



2) 2) Take two steps forward. Every picture needs a subject, and the vast majority of people are too far away. I don’t want to be the size of an ant in my photo. Next time you are taking a picture, compose the shot like you normally would, then take two large steps forward – it will almost always be better.



3) 3) And for the more advanced user: The best photographs are taken at “magic hour” – which is the first and last hour of sunlight of the day. Use a tripod or hard surface at night to avoid blurry pictures. And if the background (sky) is brighter than people, even during the day, than use your flash! Good luck!

Lord of the Flies

If there is one drawback to living in Austria, specifically Innsbruck, then it has to be the FLIES.  This is something the tourist board doesn't want us to tell you, but I must be honest that ever since the snow melted, those 'pesky buggars' have been EVERYWHERE... on food, in our homes, in our cars... just EVERYWHERE!

During this ongoing battle between all Götzenites and the flies, many ground-breaking techniques have been developed to combat their numbers.  One of the most effective is the "hover clap" - where you clap your hands 3 to 6 inches above a sitting fly.  As the fly goes to escape, he is caught in your clap and either smooshed (technical term) or knocked unconscious.  The other is the "day-timer-of-death" - in which a skinny, flexible object such as an average day-timer can be used to smash the flies against a hard surface.  Christie has mastered this second technique with deadly precision.

Here is footage from today's battle, in which an open door allowed 32 flies to sneak into our apartment within a matter of minutes.  There were no survivors...

   

Christie Johnson: FLY HUNTER

~ J. Twice