The Osos are trying to finish strong an amazing season this saturday against the current champions Las Rozas Black Demons in what will be the venue of the Madrid Bravos.
After 10 weeks of regular season, the semifinals and a total of 8 victories and only 1 loss, the Osos de Rivas is one game away from conquering the American football Spanish crown. And their rivals are going to be no other than the only team that has been able to beat them this year, the LG OLED Las Rozas Black Demons. With that, the 30th Spanish Bowl is set and it is going to be played this Saturday May the 4th at 17:00 (CET) at the Vallehermoso Stadium, in the middle of Madrid, the venue that will serve as home for the Madrid Bravos this summer in the upcoming European League of Football season. It will be streamed on the FEFA (Spanish American football federation) Youtube channel by Live Vuvuzela productions.
The squad from Rivas has achieved their spot on the Spanish Bowl after an amazing game in the semifinals where they were able to beat the L'Hospitalet Pioners in one of the absolute best games of the season with a score of 36-33 at “home” (they played in the field of the Black Demons, the El Cantizal stadium in Las Rozas (Madrid), due to turf issues at their usual venue). They were able to come back after being down 7-19 in the second quarter.
Incredible offense with a new leader under control this year:
It has been an amazing season for the Osos de Rivas, who are coming in hot and hungry to regain the title as the best team in the nation like they achieved in 2022. The whole team has balled out week in and week out, with some new key signings like Russel Tabor, the new leader of the team after the departure of the long tenured domestic Quarterback Sergio Barbero. The former North Carolina Tar Heel Quarterback has dominated whenever he was on the field for the Osos this season, being the passing TD leader in the league with 19 (and 4 on the ground). A couple of weeks ago, on his comeback to the field after an injury that forced him to rest the last two weeks of the regular season, he added 4 more passing TDs to his count, making a huge statement before the big game this weekend.
After the departure of Barbero, there was doubt about what the offense was gonna do in 2024. But it turned out to be one of the best offenses they have had in quite some time alongside the squad from 2022. Statistically, they have been able to score 317 points throughout the year, only behind the Black Demons (331 points) and the Badalona Dracs (362) in the whole league.
Rivas even have one of the best rosters in Spain in terms of depth. With players like young Spanish Quarterback Adirán Meléndez who was able to defeat the powerhouse of Las Rozas in Week 9 after the injury of Tabor. Along with that Quarterback room, there are huge names on the offensive side of the ball that are going to be key for the Osos in the Spanish Bowl. Names such as Running Back Ronald Tomasello and one of the top receiving corps in the nation with players like Gary Tayler, Edu Pérez, David Girón, Iván Iordanov, and Pablo Olivares amongst them. It is also important to highlight the return of Mario Flores for the playoffs, a veteran in the Osos squad and one of the best Wide Receivers that Spain has produced ever. He is a regular baller in the ELF (currently signed with the Madrid Bravos) and multiple organizations from places like Germany or Austria.
Best defensive football you will see in the league:
The Osos de Rivas have the best defense in Spain in 2024. Numbers do not lie and the stats back that up. They are the least scored team in the country with only 58 points after 9 games, only 7.3 points per game.
They have a really special group of players on that side of the field. There are so many names that should be highlighted, but their biggest contributors are their American Linebacker and leader of the defense Davante Gabriel, a secondary composed of great talent with players like Andy Vera, Carlos Rodríguez and Daniel Franco, and the well known in Spain, Defensive Coordinator of the Female Spanish National Team (recently crowned as the best in Europe in the European IFAF tournament), and two way lineman for the Osos, José Antonio Escobar “Chiapas”.
Keys for the game and what to expect:
The key for Rivas to beat the Demons is to contain that monstrous offense Las Rozas have. First and most importantly will be to stop the dual threat Canadian Quarterback Theodore Landstorm. Probably with a spy on him all game long, if not, even with one of the best secondaries in Spain, his legs and rushing ability will hurt the Osos a lot. Along with that they have to be extra cautious with the receiving core they will face. Even more because Jorge García Vargas a.k.a “MVP”, one of the stars of the Demons and also Madrid Bravos Wide Receiver, has returned to the field after a long injury and has already balled out against the Dracs in the semifinals.
After their last matchup in Week 9 (28-21 for the Osos without their star Quarterback playing) one can say that the balance for the Spanish Bowl is a little bit favored for Rivas. But after a huge performance from Las Rozas against the Dracs (15-23) on the semi-finals a couple of weeks ago, everything is set for the game of the year in an actually super even matchup that will be: 1, amazing for the American football fans in general across the nation, and 2, will serve as the prelude for the ELF season with tons of players from the Barcelona Dragons and the Madrid Bravos in both teams.
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