Sunday, November 24, 2019
Finally, it was GAME DAY in Vienna!
The Austrian American Football Federation's
2019 Next Generation Bowl
The U18 Europe Warriors had journeyed to Vienna to take part in the Next Generation Bowl against Team Austria's U18 club.
This would be the fourth edition of the Europe Warriors who were co-founded by Jesùs Sanchez (Osos Rivas, Spain) and Bart Iaccarino (Pioners L’Hospitalet, Spain) in 2017.
The Warriors assembling in the
Hotel Jufa's lobby Sunday morning
On the bus heading to the game field
Previous Europe Warriors action saw the Senior team lose to the UNAM Pumas 35-32 in Mexico City’s Olympic Stadium in August of 2017. Four months later in December of 2017, the U19 Warriors team would lose to Team Mexico 57-7 at the University of Chapingo in Texcoco, Mexico. Finally, in August of 2018, the Warriors’ Senior team notched the program’s first victory, 19-10 over the University of Chihuahua Águilas in Chihuahua, Mexico.
The 2019 Europe Warriors U18 team would be taking part in the Austrian Federation’s tripleheader Next Generation Bowl event that opened up with a U13 game between Austria’s Team White and Austria’s Team Red that Team Red won 46-40. The Team Austria vs. Europe Warriors U18 game followed the U13 game. The final contest of the day saw Team Austria defeat Team Hungary in a U15 game by a final score of 55-6.
The U13 Austrian Team Red vs. U13 Austrian Team White game was in progress when the Warriors arrived at the stadium
The U18 Warriors team was composed of 52 players from ten different countries. The squad included the first ever female Warrior, Linebacker Cristina Gómez Pérez (Las Rozas Black Demons, Spain).
Almost time to tee it up
Head Coach Bart Iaccarino and his coaching staff that represented six different countries had the difficult job of preparing this diverse group of athletes to take on a strong Austrian team with just five practices in the three days before the game’s kickoff. In addition to the usual language barrier problems with an international team of this type, the Warriors also had the challenge of communicating with an excellent player who is deaf. Fortunately, all of these potential communication issues were handled with the utmost efficiency by the players and the coaches.
Entering the locker rooms
The mandatory official coach's Sideline Pass
Offensive Linemen warming up
Getting ready to . . .
. . . STORM THE FIELD!
Lining up for the National Anthems
Europe Warrior Coaches during
the anthems
In case you are wondering, the Europe Warriors use the anthem of the European Union, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy".
Italian Pride
Captains Out!
#77 DL/OL Manuel Lortzing (Spain)
#58 LB Tomasz Kiszka (Poland)
#15 QB Mateusz Wojakiewicz (Poland)
#83 WR Andrew Carr (United Kingdom)
Doping is strictly VERBOTEN!
The U18 game was played on a chilly but sunny day with the two teams feeling each other out in the First Quarter. The only score in the opening stanza was a short Field Goal by the Austrians on their first possession to take a 3-0 lead. Warriors’ LB Paul Morilla (Pioners L’Hospitalet, Spain) pass interception and RB Dawid Brzozowski (Bielawa Owls, Poland) tough runs on Sweep plays were the highlights of the First Quarter for the Warriors. The Warriors offense turned the ball over on downs twice in this period. The First Quarter ended with Austria leading 3-0.
Out of this tight Bunch Formation . . .
. . . RB Dawid Brzozowski ran some
excellent Toss Sweeps
QB Mateusz Wojakiewicz lets one fly
Defensive SWARM!
LB Cristina Gómez Pérez, DB Morten Krispin
and LB Paul Morilla closing in on
the Austrian ball carrier
The Second Quarter opened up with an Austrian TD pass that covered seven yards followed by a successful PAT kick to up Austria’s lead to 10-0. The Warriors had trouble moving the ball and threw two interceptions in this quarter. The highlight for the Warriors in this quarter of action was a second interception, this time by LB Gonzalo Haro Blasco (Jabatos Madrid, Spain) that he returned 18 yards. Team Austria would score once again on a nine yard TD run late in the Half, the PAT was good and the Austrians led 17-0 at the Half.
FS Manuel Bulgheroni
running to the ball
CB Ali Saad competing
RB Dawid Brzozowski at it again!
QB Mateusz Wojakiewicz starting a
scramble with LT Saffet Huyseinoglu
blocking on the left
QB Adrian Moreno on the move
The Austrian team came out on fire to start the Second Half. On the first play from scrimmage they threw a 70 yard TD bomb, the PAT kick was again perfect and the Austrian lead was now up to 24-0. On the ensuing Kickoff, a perfectly placed Austrian pooch kick was eventually recovered by the home team. This Austrian drive would end with a two yard TD run followed by another successful PAT kick and Team Austria was now in full control leading 31-0. The highlights of this quarter for the Warriors were two more pass interceptions, the first by DB Ali Saad (Frogs Legnano, Italy) that he returned 25 yards and the second by Ignacio Busquet Camps (Pioners L’Hospitalet, Spain) that he returned 30 yards. After three quarters of play, Team Austria led 31-0.
QB Ali Saad competing again!
GREAT pressure on the QB!
The ballet in the secondary continues
LB Stefano Lusuriello on the tackle
QB Mateusz "Big Ben" Wojakiewicz
launches another bomb
The Fourth Quarter saw a lot of punting by both teams. The highlights for the Warriors were a fumble recovery by Steven Andersen (Midwest Musketeers, Denmark) and an 80 yard TD pass at the end of the game from QB Mateusz Wojakiewicz (Wroclaw Panthers, Poland) to WR Gregorio Calonego (Calanda Broncos, Switzerland). QB Mateusz Wojakiewicz was successful on a Two-Point run to make it 31-8 Team Austria with only seconds remaining in the game. Team Austria took a knee to end the game and bring home the victory by a final tally of 31-8.
Lining up for the post-game
Awards Ceremony
RB Dawid Brzozowski
The Europe Warriors MVP was RB Dawid Brzozowski (Bielwa Owls, Poland).
Though the game was played cleanly by both sides, it did feature ten turnovers, five by each team, that is characteristic of all-star games with limited practices. In the final analysis, it was Team Austria’s ability to convert turnovers into points while stopping the Warriors from doing the same that was the difference in the game.
The game over, it was time for one last round of photo ops.
The Offensive Line
These Warriors from Italy, Turkey,
Switzerland and Spain bonded
in just a few days
Friendships Without Borders
RB Niklas Stelzig and friends
DC/LB Coach Gianluca Spinelli
with his Linebacking Crew
OC Kyle Callahan with
WR Fillipo Petrillo
#55 Center Adrian Gartman and
#5 QB Gonzalo Nova holding
each other's helmet for some reason
#29 WR Gregorio Calonego and
#16 WR Pawel Łyszczarz
The Italian Squad
The Pride of the Zurich Renegades
#31 DB Morten Krispin and
#68 OL Zdravko Subotic
DL/OL Alejandro Fernandez
and OL Saffet Huyseinoglu
#55 CenterAdriano Gartmann and
#15 QB Mateusz Wojakiewicz
Switzerland's Calanda Broncos
were In the House
With LB Cristina Gómez Pérez
She is one TOUGH player!
More Offensive Line Hijinks
So two Spaniards, an Italian and
a German meet on an
American Football field . . .
QBs Mateusz Wojakiewicz
and Adrian Moreno
WR Filippo Petrillo and
QB Mateusz Wojakiewicz
Warrior DB Pelayo Barredo Martinez
sharing a friendly moment with
an Austrian player
The Varese Skorpions held a
large number of roster spots
Unfortunately two of these Skorpions could not compete due to being in the midst of concussion protocol when they arrived at our camp. Another pictured Skorpion missed the workouts and game due to a knee injury last month.
With DB Coach Nacho Cordero
Unfortunately, we did have one player injured near the end of the game, Offensive Lineman Kaan Kilinic from Turkey's Istanbul Janissaries.
He suffered a severe ankle sprain but, though hobbled, we still had to get him to the airport right after the game to catch his scheduled Turkish Air flight home.
When we arrived at the airport we had to get him from the bus, down a 150 yard ground floor hallway and up an elevator to the airport's check-in area. We found out that we could not get him a wheel chair until we got him up to the check-in area.
Desperate times call for desperate measures . . .
We got Kaan to the Turkish Airlines
ticketing area via a luggage cart
Turkish Air took care of Kaan
with a proper wheel chair in quick order
Thus ended another great week of Europe Warriors American Football, we had a good group of knowledgable coaches and willing players with good attitudes. What more could you ask for from a team?
Up next for the Europe Warriors program will be a Women’s Senior Team game against the Mexican Women’s National Team in Mexico City on December 7, 2019.
Stay tuned . . .
