03.11.2009 - SWARCO Raiders Youth teams fight for the Austrian Championships
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All 4 youth teams of the SWARCO Raiders Tirol found their way to the Austrian Finals and will be battling for titles this coming weekend in the most important games of the year. The SWARCO Raiders Minis and Jugend won home field advantage and will face the Raiffeisen Vikings Satruday at the Innsbrucker Wiesengasse C. On Sunday the SWARCO Raiders Schüler and the Juniors will be setting up shop at the Vienna Raveline where the Schüler will take on the Raiffeisen Vikings and then the Juniors will face off with the Danube Dragons. |
MINI BOWL IX - SWARCO Raiders Minis vs Raiffeisen Vikings ? Sat. 7.11. 12.00, Wiesengasse C
The SWARCO Raiders Minis, after a somewhat weak start, have really been able to improve greatly from week to week and have completed a 3-1 record which won them home field advantage for MINI BOWL IX. During the regular season they split with their opponents the Vienna Vikings. Due to a higher point difference in the Raiders victory MINI BOWL IX will take place in Vienna. The SWARCO Raiders Minis have won the title 3 out of the last 4 years. The Vikings have also won 3 in a row, accomplishing this feat in 2003, 2004, and 2005; winning four in a row would be a new record. The Vikings bring a very dangerous team to the Wiesengasse. Head Coach, Florian Grein, is aware of the situation: 'The Raiffeisen Vikings have a very tough Mini team this year. In Vienna we had a great start and the Vikings couldn?t pull themselves out of an early hole.'
JUGEND BOWL XVI - SWARCO Raiders Jugend vs Raiffeisen Vikings ? Sat. 7.11. 15.00, Wiesengasse C
The SWARCO Raiders Jegend won all four of their regular season games as well as the playoff game against the Turek Graz Giants and with this qualified for the JUGEND BOWL XVI with home field advantage. As is with the Minis their opponent will also be the Vikings who the Raiders narrowly eclipsed with a 39-32 road victory. With the Jugend the record of success hasn?t been as rosy as it has been with the minis. The last time the Jugend won a championship was in 2000 which was at the time the first youth championship for the SWARCO Raiders Tirol. Since then there has been some great Jegend teams, but they?ve never been able to bring home the hardware. The Raiffeisen Vikings have won 12 of 15 Jugend Bowls, the last two years against eh SWARCO Raiders Tirol. An exciting game is to be expected . Head Coach Jakob Dieplinger before the game: 'The level of play in this year?s Jugend league is very high. Our team is very well prepared and we will come with our best effort of the season.'
SCHÜLER BOWL XVI - SWARCO Raiders Schüler at Raiffeisen Vikings - So 8.11. 12.00, Vienna Raveline
The SWARCO Raiders Schüler team is the only one of the 4 youth teams that didn?t end the season as the league?s top ranked team. Up to this point, the best team on the Schüler level has clearly been the Raiffeisen Vikings who have beaten the Raiders the two times they?ve faced each other this year although the most recent match up was a tough 21:27 set-back. In this match up however, the Vikings were only able to use their top Running Back, Abdul Mutlu, sparingly as he was beset with an injury. The SWARCO Raiders Schüler will step into this final contest with the complete team and head Coach Christian Bisjak sees clearly the roll as favorites: 'The Vikings in many phases of the game are stronger than us. We have worked very hard and will give everything we?ve got in order to see this thing through.'
COLLEGE BOWL VI ? SWARCO Raiders Juniors at Danube Dragons ? Sun 8.11. 15.00, Vienna Raveline
In the last 3 seasons the SWARCO Raiders haven experienced an incredible roller coaster ride that featured their first Austrian title in 2007, this sensational year was followed up with a winless performance in 2008 that pushed them down into the 2nd league. In 2009 the Raiders have gone from the bottom all the way to the top and as the victors of a playoff game against the undefeated and title defending Raiffeisen Vikings propelled them into COLLEGE BOWLVI. The play-off game itself was won by a sensational 41-14 score that has pitted the Raiders against the Danube Dragons. Head Coach Santos Carrillo on the upcoming Finale: 'Our team has done some incredible things up to this point of the season. The Danube Dragons however have a really good team and we can?t allow ourselves to underestimate them. We have to play on Sunday the same motivated and highly concentrated way we played against the Vikings, otherwise will go home with the silver.'
*Photo: Schellhorn