Date: 11 Jun 2011
Home: Poznan Kozly - 0
Away: Wroclaw Devils - 47
Devils lock up home semifinal date with 47-0 victory over Kozly
The Luke Balch show came to Poznan on Sunday afternoon, and by the time it was done the Wroclaw Devils had secured a home playoff game with a 47-0 whitewashing of their hosts, Kozly Poznan. Balch threw for five touchdowns in the game, and he ran for one as well just for good measure.
Somewhat surprisingly, none of Balch’s touchdown tosses went to Christopher Washington, although the American did run a punt back for a touchdown after the game had long been decided. Patrycjusz Palac was the recipient of two of the Balch scores, with Tomasz Tarczynski, Grzegorz Mazur and Lukasz Owczarek nabbing the others. Kozly managed only two first downs in the game.
The Devils, who led 13-0 after a quarter and 22-0 at halftime, have now clinched the number two seed in the PLFA I playoffs with a 7-1 record. They will host the Warsaw Eagles in a rematch of last season’s second semifinal in the playoffs, which begin on July 2. The Devils beat the Eagles 54-13 last year on their way to an undefeated season and the Polish national championship. Additionally, the Devils defeated the Eagles 36-13 in their regular-season matchup this season, on May 28 in Wroclaw.
Poznan is now 3-5, in a tie for 6th place in the standings with the Bielawa Owls. While they have no hope of sneaking into the final playoff spot, Kozly are secure in knowing they will not have to fight for a place in PLFA I next season. That is probably a good thing, as they will round out their 2011 schedule on June 19, against the undefeated Wroclaw Crew. The Devils will tune up for their meeting with the Eagles a day earlier, when they host the Dom-Bud Krakow Tigers in the regular season finale for both teams.