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Sofia Bears 19:13 Bucharest Rebels!
On 12 October 2014 at the Akademik stadium, in front of 400+ fans, the Sofia Bears beat the Bucharest Rebels 19-13 in their first Balkan League game.
Sofia Bears 19:13 Bucharest Rebels!
On October 12 (Sunday) at 15:00 at the old Akademik stadium (behind the Pliska Hotel), the Sofia Bears welcomed the team of Bucharest Rebels in the first match of this year's Balkan League of American Football.
On the sunny Sunday afternoon, over 400 people enjoyed a real American show. Both teams came out to win, and the girls from VS Dance further heated the atmosphere with their attractive performances.
The Bears started the game strong and after several successful runs, followed by a pass from Christian Chan to Todor Stamenov, they managed to score the first touchdown of the game. The Romanians, of course, wouldn't have given up so easily. Several strong running plays by their powerful running backs followed.
Despite the lack of their starting captain, the Bears defended tooth and nail and never let the Romanians score, stopping them almost in the end zone. However, the offense continued its good game and after a pass to newcomer Edvard Berov, the Bears made it 12:0.
Thus the half ended with a comfortable lead for the Sofia team. However, nothing was decided.
At the beginning of the second half, the Rebels, although playing mostly on the ground, quickly pulled back a touchdown, after a mistake by the defense and a well-finished pass to the receiver Radu Ene, adding an extra 1 point and making the score 12 to 7.
That only motivated the Bears even more to regroup and play even harder. In the last quarter, the game was difficult for both teams and the ball constantly changed possession. The good game of the Bears' defense ultimately proved to be key and after a blunder by the Romanian quarterback, the safety of the Bulgarian team Anton Doykov made an interception and returned it for the defence's first points, making it 19:7 after Todor Stamenov's extra point.
The comfortable lead unfortunately melted quickly after a so-called fake punt, where after a pass the Romanians reached the Bears' end zone and in the ensuing run scored to make the score 19:13.
The Bears fought to the very end to protect their fragile lead and, after several first downs, the referee blew the final whistle on a dramatic first Balkan League game that ended happily for the Bulgarian team.
The incredible support from the audience and the wonderful organization led to the transformation of this match into a real sports show.
Thus, the Bears will temporarily be at the top of the standings – at least until their away game on 9 November against a tough opponent from Serbia, the Kraljevo Royal Crowns.
Photos: Hristo Petrov, Konstantin Vasilev
