Quarterfinal round of the CEFL Championship featured the meeting between Thonon Black Panthers and Thalheim Graz Giants. The home team scored 3 offensive touchdowns out of 198 passing yards and 80 rushing. Their special team unit added one and the defense got in the stats with a safety. The Austrians’ couldn’t get their passes in, posting 61 yards from the air. Their ground work was better with 109 yard from 22 attempts. In the end it turned out that the Black Panthers won every quarter of the game.

Teams have started cautiously, exchanging punts in their first offensive series. The French team was the first to seize tangible leverage. Their import combo, QB K’Hari Lane and TE Odell Turnbull carried out the bulk of the workload first connecting for big yardage and then for the score, 7-0.

On one of the following drives, domestic punting unit has pinned their opponent to the goal line. Then on 3rd and 13 Julien Kouoh and Guillaume Rolle kicked the door in and sacked the rivals’ quarterback in the end zone for a safety, 9-0.

The Black Panthers again mounted a long aerial attack. Lane connected twice with Benjamin Lolmede who did most of the work on the drive. Turnbull’s catch brought them closer and Liam Ward grabbed the ball on the corner route to up the score to 16-0.

This time the Giants wouldn’t be denied. Their signal-caller Nicolas Visser tucked the ball in on a few plays for a good chunk of yards and later hit Jonas Dachs-Wiesinger in the end zone to get on the scoreboard, 16-6.

Unfortunately for them, those were the only points they could muster during the game. When teams returned from the half-time break the visitors had a promising push favoring the ground offensive. Still, their field goal attempt was blocked.

Lane continued the home team’s daily routine by rushing, then dialing up Ward’s number for a big play, and finally threading the needle to Kevin Dessaux for 23-6.

The Austrians went into action over the ground with their RB Fritz Bleckmann powering on to the opposing red zone. Unable to gain traction from there, and with 3-pointers doing little for them at that point, they tried converting the 4th down and failed.

During their next offensive quest the visiting team’s offense stalled in its own half-field and punted. Adel Bafdile capitalized by returning the ball home to stop the scoring at 30-6.

Via this victory Thonon Black Panthers have advanced to the semifinals where they’ll host another Austrian team, Danube Dragons Vienna. The semifinals will be played on 1 June.

Photo: Jens Lens