On Saturday, February 3rd, at the Géo André stadium in La Courneuve, the "derby" of the Parisian region took place, featuring the reigning CEFL European champion, the La Courneuve Flash, against the Asnières Molosses, a team with strong potential in reconstruction. After an electrifying evening, with an insane atmosphere in the stands and a closely contested match until the last second, the Flash emerged victorious with a score of 21-14 on the final play of the game, thanks to a miraculous Hail Mary.
On Saturday night in La Courneuve, an electric atmosphere prevailed at Géo André. In this intense "derby," which marks the opening of the ELITE 2024 season, tension and the level of both teams were palpable. In the stands, the U20 players of each team engaged in chants, responses, banter, and trash talk. The tremendous atmosphere added to the intensity and tension surrounding the match.
The Molosses, undergoing restructuring for several seasons, came in determined, strengthened by the arrival of American head coach Brayden McCombs and American import Brody Hahn, a quarterback who played in the elite in 2022 with the Cougars de Saint-Ouen l'Aumône. A young, highly physical team that narrowly missed the playoffs last season and aims to break into the top 3 this season. Facing them, the favored Flash, the most decorated club in France (12 national championships), CEFL European champion in 2023, and French champion in 2022, aims to perform well in this new season as they strive to reclaim the Diamond Helmet after last season's elimination in the semi-finals.
The Molosses quickly surprised the Flash in the first half, where the Molosses' defense contained the Flash’s offense with 4 turnovers, stifling the passing game of the Flash and their French Quarterback Léo Crémades. This was notably achieved by Mathis Delobel, a talented Defensive back trained by the Molosses, who recorded 4 tackles and an interception. The Molosses and their new dual threat American Quarterback destabilized the Flash defense with a good mix of passes and Hahn's runs. The quarterback had an outstanding rushing performance with 101 yards in 11 carries. They took an early lead of 7-0 with a run by Brody, then extended it to 14-0 with a catch by Sylvain Selga. Just before halftime, the European champion closed the gap to 14-7, but the Flash was struggling, and the Molosses controlled the game.
In the second half, the Flash's defensive coordinator Arnaud Mboucha seemed to have made adjustments; Hahn's runs were better contained, and the Flash managed to execute their running game. Thanks to the tremendous effort of the La Courneuve Offensive Line, Running back François Pion gained 184 yards on 27 attempts, averaging 6.8 yards per carry with 1 Touchdown. The Flash tied the score at 14-14 with a Touchdown run by Judson Saint-Louis, a young running back trained in La Courneuve who had an excellent game (8 runs, 48 yards, 1 Touchdown). The two teams remained deadlocked until the last second. For the final play, a Hail Mary was called by Nicolas Simoneau, the Flash's head coach. The Flash's Offensive Line, definitively dominant in the match, protected Quarterback Léo Crémades well, allowing him to throw a brilliant pass of over 40 yards to his receiver Yannis Soummar, who caught a Touchdown in the very last second to bring victory to the Flash, ultimately winning 21-14 at home.
We witnessed a beautiful football match that heralds a superb ELITE 2024 season. The Molosses are in contention, and the Flash remains the team to beat in this northern conference. The Flash will travel to Thonon-les-Bains to face the Black Panthers in their next match on February 17, while the Molosses will confront the Rouen Leopards on March 2.
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