Poznan gets first win of the season as defense rules in 13-4 victory over Rebels

Kozly Poznan used their trademark defense to get their first win of the season on Sunday afternoon, overcoming a halftime deficit to beat the AZS Silesia Rebels 13-4 in Chorzów. The Rebels became the first team in PLFA history to finish a game with 4 points.

Silesia drew first blood early in the second quarter, although things could have ended worse for Poznan. The Rebels marched the ball all the way to the one-yard line, where Kozly forced a fumble just outside the goal line. The teams switched ends to begin the second quarter, and Kozly's first running play was stuffed deep in the end zone for a Rebels safety.

The Rebels led by the strange score of 4-0 at the end of the first half, after scoring another safety in the second quarter. They again came tantalizingly close to a bigger lead on their second defensive score, after they forced Kozly to punt and the ball was snapped over the kicker's head. It bounced into the end zone and just trickled over the end line before a Rebels player could fall on it.

Both teams' offenses struggled to find a rhythm, with problems on the center-quarterback exchange plaguing both sides. Kozly rotated Krzysztof Cymbrowski and Ivan Pavlovic at quarterback, and it was Pavlovic who finally gave Poznan the lead after a turnover deep in Rebels territory. The Serb lofted a 16-yard pass to Bartosz Trawinski, who hauled it in behind the goal line for a touchdown and a 6-4 lead for Poznan.

There was still plenty of time for a Silesia comeback, but Poznan's play in the trenches only got better as the game went on. Their defensive front dominated the Rebels offensive line throughout the second half, forcing sacks and errant passes from Silesia quarterback Michal Kolek. One of those passes ended up in the hands Hubert Chudy, who ran 22 yards untouched for the game's third defensive score.

For Silesia, Sunday's game was a step back from a promising effort against the champion Seahawks a week earlier in Gdynia. Things will only get more difficult for the Rebels next week, when they will take their 0-3 record to Wroclaw to face the Giants. Kozly, now 1-1, will have a chance to move their record over .500 when they host the Warsaw Spartans.