Lions win Czech football championship

Lions win Czech football championship

:The balance of power in Czech American football shifted unexpectedly over the weekend, as the Prague Lions defeated the Prague Panthers 29-8 to win their first-ever American football championship.
This year`s Czech Super Bowl was played at a neutral site, in Usti nad Labem. Morning clouds gave way to sunny skies as the traditional cheerleader contest began, won for the second straight year by the Prague Lion cheerleaders.
The Lions took advantage of Panther mistakes in the first quarter, when the Panthers gave the Lions the ball close to the Panther end zone twice. Two touchdowns(6 points each) resulted, leaving the score 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Panthers scored their only points of the game in the second quarter on a touchdown pass from quarterback Pavel Franta to wide receiver "Bač" Vlba.
In the second half, the Lions scored two more touchdowns and added a field goal(3 points).
Both teams were founded in 1991, but the Czech Association of American Football was not formed until 1994, when Brno and Ostrava joined. The Panthers won the first three championships but were defeated last year by the Ostrava Steelers.
The Super Bowl victory is the first time that the Lions have ever defeated the Panthers in Association play. In two previous games this year, the Panthers prevailed 14-0 and 25-23. While the Panthers rely on talent, the Lions have slowly built an organization which includes a youth program and advertisements on local radio inviting young players to try the sport.
American football, still a new sport in the Czech Republic, is still unable to support itself. However, things are slowly moving forward. This past August, the Panthers hosted an international tournament with the Moscow Bears and an All-Star team from Germany. The Panthers won the tournament, assuring the Czech champion(Lions) the right to host another tournament next May with the winner advancing to the European championship.
The Lions play home games at Hostivař, while the Panthers play at Slavia.
George Griffis