On Saturday, July 24th, the Barcelona Dragons hosted the Berlin Thunder for what would be the Dragons’ first win of the season. Barcelona quarterback Zach Edwards led the Dragons to a 48-16 victory, securing their first win of the year and moving to a 1-4 record. The Thunder also move to a 1-4 record on the season.
— European League of Football (@ELF_Official) July 24, 2021
Recap
The Dragons received the ball to begin the game, and wide receiver Jean Constant returned the opening kickoff 80 yards to be downed at Berlins’ 20-yard line. Constant made a nice catch setting up a touchdown grab by Remi Bertellin to go up 7-0 early in the first quarter.
Berlin took the field with quarterback Bryan Zerbe leading the team. Running back Joc Crawford would take a huge run for 60 yards, and Zerbe capped the drive off with a touchdown in the back corner of the endzone to Seantavious Jones. They’d miss the PAT making the score 7-6.
Following back-to-back punts by both teams, the Dragons would find their way into the endzone once again. Jean Constant returned a punt to Berlins’ 27-yard line, setting up a touchdown reception from Constant a few plays later. They’d make the PAT, increasing the Barcelona lead to 14-6.
The Thunder worked their way down the field on the next drive, running some wildcat and feeding Joc Crawford the ball. They’d make a 32-yard field goal, making the score 14-9. Berlin would stop the Dragons on their next drive, with defensive lineman Adedayo Odeleye coming up with a massive sack on 3rd down. Berlin got the ball moving on the ground with running back Tino Ndongo, and quarterback Bryan Zerbe would find wide receiver Seantavious Jones for a touchdown, giving them their first lead of the game with a score of 14-16.
As the 2-minute warning approached, Barcelona began to work their way downfield once again. Some good running by quarterback Zach Edwards and running back Antonio Monton led to a fantastic receiving touchdown by Jean Constant over the middle of the field. They’d take the lead back with a score of 21-16 as we approached halftime. Barcelona managed to get the ball back before the end of the 1st half and would miss a 56-yard field goal before heading into the locker room.
— The Alternate Football Scouting Report (@altfbscout) July 24, 2021
Berlin began the second half with the ball but would end up punting. The Dragons would pick up right where they left off, finding wide receiver Jean Constant for a huge reception that led to a 5-yard touchdown grab by wide receiver Remi Bertellin. They’d add the PAT, increasing their lead to 28-16.
Following back-to-back punts from both teams, Berlin quarterback Bryan Zerbe was picked off by Dragons defensive back Andy Vera to take possession. Barcelona running back Antonio Monton recorded a great 20-yard grab, but the Dragons would have to punt the ball away.
As the 4th quarter grew near, Berlin got the ground game going with running back Joc Crawford once again. Crawford recorded a few nice runs, including a nice gain on a speed option play. As the 4th quarter began, Crawford kept with the solid running, but Berlin would turn the ball over on downs.
The Dragons returned to the field with no signs of slowing down. They’d work their way down the field with some great running by running back Adrian Jimenez and wide receiver Jean Constant making a fantastic catch over his shoulder, down the sideline, and down at the 2-yard line. On the next play, Constant would score on a slant, making the score 34-16 following a blocked PAT.
On Berlins’ next drive, quarterback Bryan Zerbe would throw another interception, and Dragons defensive back Lucas Masera would run it back 49 yards for a touchdown, increasing the already out of reach score to 41-16.
— European League of Football (@ELF_Official) July 24, 2021
When the Thunder offense returned to the field, they were met with another Zerbe interception for a touchdown; this one was tipped and returned by Andy Vera, doing a fantastic job jumping the route on the play. Vera’s pick 6 would ice the game, with a final score of 48-16.
