Games
Semi-final report: Warsaw Eagles – Silesia Rebels Katowice
Saturday’s semi-final is in the books. In the knockout stage teams give 200%, and that is exactly how the game at Konwiktorska played out. Despite the lead we had built and a (theoretically) safe advantage, the Rebels managed to wake up, and we had to fight for the result right until the closing minutes. Here is our report from the semi-final.
We knew the Rebels would be determined to take their chance and reach the final for the second year running from the moment they secured their place in the semi-finals. An injury crisis and problems executing plays are one thing, but sporting ambition and the chance to play in the league final are quite another. The visitors were 200% motivated, which you could feel on the field and which they showed above all in the second half.
The game began with our kickoff. The ball went into the end zone, so the Rebels started their first offensive series from their own 20-yard line. Yards for the visitors came from Kuba Kapuściński and Jordan Ambrose himself, who escaped to the outside on solo runs. The visitors’ first drive was quickly stopped, however, because the quarterback held on to the ball too long before getting it to his players – and gifts like that were swiftly punished by our defenders Dawid Magrean and Mateusz Szczęk, who brought down the American and pushed the Rebels’ offence well back. After the Rebels’ punt we quickly went on the attack and scored the first touchdown of the game. First we moved closer to the end zone thanks to Jędrzej Śmigielski and Krzysztof Nosow, before Jake Schimenz took matters into his own hands and broke outside on a solo run into the end zone. Filip Twardowski added the extra point. The Rebels had real trouble gaining yards and could not get their offence out of their own half. Bartosz Woch, Jordan Ambrose and Oskar Sardyga all looked for first downs, but none of the plays involving them had the desired effect.
*Photo: Dariusz Jacek / Interception
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When our offence came out for its second drive, Aleksander Dąda found some good momentum, picking up plenty of yards and pushing our attack deep into Rebels territory. After the quick change of ends for the second quarter we scored our second touchdown of the game, and this one was spectacular. Mateusz Ozimek produced a superb run, slipping past defenders up the middle and breaking through every level of the defence before racing into the end zone. Filip Twardowski converted the extra point and we extended our lead over the Rebels to two scores. The visitors kept trying to gain ground on the ground. They relied on Bartosz Woch and on their quarterback’s solo runs. That approach paid off and for the first time they crossed the 50-yard line, but our defence became more alert to that type of play with every snap, and the Katowice side were forced to punt. The visitors’ punt was a very good one and forced us to start our drive from deep inside our own territory. Even so, we quickly found the yards we needed and scored another touchdown. Kornel Witkowski kept the chains moving with his catches, and once we were in the visitors’ half, Krzysztof Nosow hauled in a great pass in the end zone – despite pressure from a defender, he secured the ball on the edge of the end zone and added another 6 points to our tally. This time, however, Filip Twardowski’s kick was no good. After our latest touchdown the Rebels again could not get their offence organised and were very quickly forced to punt. After the change of possession Krzysztof Nosow smelled blood and within a few minutes scored his second touchdown of the day. He caught a long bomb from Jake Schimenz, beat the last defender and strolled into the end zone without much trouble. Filip Twardowski added the extra point. We finished the first half leading 27:0.
After the break the picture of the game changed dramatically. The visitors from Silesia must have had a serious talk in the locker room, because from the third quarter onwards we were watching a completely different game at Konwiktorska. We started Q3 on offence and managed to reach around the visitors’ 17-yard line. The Katowice side defended our plays inside their own red zone, forcing us into a field goal, which Filip Twardowski converted. We led 30:0, but it was clear the visitors had woken up, as we found out emphatically after the kickoff. Jordan Ambrose gained yards on solo runs through the middle, also brought Mateusz Szurpicki into the game, who added more yards of his own, and to cap the drive Bartosz Woch got on the scoresheet, catching a pass from the American and running into the end zone. Conceding that touchdown would not have been a big problem had it not been for a costly mistake on the kickoff. The ball bounced off one of our players’ legs and was recovered by the Rebels, allowing them to keep their offence on the field.
After the change of ends at the start of the fourth quarter the Rebels stayed on offence. Tomasz Nowak was catching passes, moving them closer to our end zone. Once the Katowice side were close enough to make further points an easy proposition, Jordan Ambrose seized the opportunity, forcing his way through the middle and into the end zone. The two-point conversion attempt failed. It took the visitors only a few minutes to claw back 12 points. We still held a lead of more than two scores, but it felt as though the Rebels had shifted into a higher gear and wanted to get back into the game, doing everything they could to at least force overtime. As if that weren’t enough, our defence was making unnecessary mistakes and giving away penalties. Late in the fourth quarter Bartosz Woch scored his second touchdown for the Rebels, taking a pass from the quarterback and getting past the defenders. Oskar Sardyga converted the two-pointer and our lead shrank to 10 points. The clock ran down relentlessly, and the game ended in a 30:20 victory for us.
*If you were born between 2005 and 2009 and would like to start your American football journey, come along to one of our open recruitment training sessions, where you can test yourself under the guidance of our coaching staff and learn the secrets of the sport! You will find all the details HERE.*
Winning the semi-final feels great. On 13 July we will have the chance to become Polish champions. Our opponents will be Lowlanders Białystok, who won the other semi-final in Kraków against the local Kings 34:6. Despite the win, we need to take a hard look at what happened in the third and fourth quarters of Saturday’s game. If we want to win the Polish title, we cannot hand the initiative to our opponents like that.
Semi-final – Warsaw Eagles – Silesia Rebels Katowice 30:20 (7:0, 20:0, 3:6, 0:14)
1st quarter
7:0 – 9-yard run #1 Schimenz, PAT #30 Twardowski
2nd quarter
14:0 – 24-yard run #26 Ozimek, PAT #30 Twardowski
20:0 – 29-yard pass #1 Schimenz to #10 Nosow
27:0 – 70-yard pass #1 Schimenz to #10 Nosow, PAT #30 Twardowski
3rd quarter
30:0 – 26-yard field goal #30 Twardowski
30:6 – 7-yard pass #9 Ambrose to #8 Woch
4th quarter
30:12 – 6-yard run #9 Ambrose
30:20 – 19-yard pass #9 Ambrose to #8 Woch, two-point conversion #9 Ambrose
*We have one game left to play in the 2024 season. On 13 July, at the Polonia Warsaw stadium at ul. Konwiktorska 6, we face Lowlanders Białystok in Polish Bowl XIX. You can buy tickets for the game by clicking the image below. We warmly encourage you to come and support us in our fight for the Polish title!*
