Badalona Dracs and Black Demons play the first semifinal of the Spanish American Football League (LNFA) (Saturday the 20th, at 6:00 p.m. at the Camp Municipal de Montigalá) in a game that represents a re-edition of the Spanish Cup final played last December, where the Black Demons were proclaimed champions in Barcelona by a tight game 21 to 27.
Badalona Dracs
Badalona Dracs closed the season with a resounding victory over the L'Hospitalet Pioners (41-0), being the only undefeated team during the regular season.
The Dracs have undoubtedly been the most consistent team during the year. Thanks to the outstanding season of the veteran domestic quarterback Sergi Gonzalo, as well as the spectacular performance of Alpha Jalloh who has undoubtedly been the most explosive and decisive player in the league. The player from Sierra Leone has performed tasks as a runner, receiver, quarterback and also on defense.
Gonzalo has been well supported by Eric Ladero in a season in which the young wide receiver has put his name on the national scene, rising to the top of the scoring table. David Martínez and Iván Caballero complete one of the highest level receiving corps in the league (add to the equation the aforementioned Alpha Jalloh to understand Dracs passing game success).
But the real danger of Badalona Dracs is their offensive versatility. The explosive running back from Illionois Ra'von Bonner defined the first half of the season, until injuries made it wise to preserve him for a bigger stage, such as this semifinal. His substitution has been more than well covered by Samuel Arias. But, as if that were not enough, the Dracs also have Mexican quarterback Marco Durán, who has not performed duties as a quarterback until their last game against the Pioners, where he threw four touchdown passes, running himself for a fifth. The Mexican has excelled in both offensive and defensive tasks, where the team has required his talent, and we have seen him as a runner and defensive back. However, logic dictates that even in an offense as overloaded as this one, he will play as the quarterback in the playoffs, with Sergi Gonzalo as a deluxe backup.
On defense, the Dracs have conceded only 77 points in 8 games (only Madrid Osos has a better stat in this area with 58 points against). The Badaloneses have also finished several games with zero points against, demonstrating that they are a forceful team on both sides of the ball. The veteran defensive lineman Victor Miller, the very young Eric Figueroa, Eric Gracia, and Alex Cerezo are names to highlight on a defense in which Jeremiah Gutierrez plays a fundamental role (we have also seen him excel in offensive tasks) and in which Pep Tricas and Devon Cathcart are a wall .
Black Demons
Black Demons reach the playoffs in excellent shape, after beating Gijón Mariners in the last week of the regular season by a resounding 55-3.
Despite this, the team from Las Rozas lost the lead of the Western Conference in its match against Madrid Osos, a place that the team has not been able to recover and that forces the Black Demons to travel to Barcelona to face what is probably the team to beat. But the Black Demons already know what it's like to beat the Dracs. In December, the team from Las Rozas beat the Dracs in the Spanish Cup Championship
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The Black Demons offense is led by quarterback Theodore Landers. The Canadian has had an outstanding season, despite dealing with some minor injuries (having in Jesús García-Valcárcel a successful backup). The Canadian quarterback has had Jorge García-Valcárcel as his #1 receiver, forming a dangerous tandem with high scoring capacity.
Daniel Romero, Gonzalo Haro and Dominic Coffman are the core of Black Demons' strong running game, an offensive arsenal that sustains the team and forces opposing defenses to close the box, then deliver a blow with the passing game or with Landers running himself in scramble plays.
On defense, the Black Demons rely on one of the best domestic units, in which many of their players have confirmed their presence in the European League of Football with Madrid Bravos. Veterans like the defensive back Julio Aguado, who together with Bravo Álvaro Cansinos and the North American Nolan Corpening, form a deluxe secondary unit and a front seven stacked with names like Diego Irles, Daniel López, or the young linebacker Anderi Luca make one of the toughest defenses in the league.
Who Will Advance?
This is the game to watch. With two of the best American football teams in Europe and absolute ballers like Alpha Jalloh, Ra'von Bonner, Eric Ladero, Theodore Landers, Daniel Romero and Nolan Corpening. Both teams are loaded with ELF caliber players.
The Badalona Dracs have had an excellent regular season and are playing at home, but someone could argue they have not faced any real rivals in recent months.
The Black Demons showed their weaknesses in their last game against Madrid Osos, but someone could argue that they showed resilience and were tested against iron.
Predicting the result of this match is quite hard, so the easiest thing is to say that we are going to have a real show.
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