Cowboys Banish Vipers in Derry – AFI Week 2 Roundup
It was always going to be a tough act to follow the opening weekend of Irish American Football action, in which UCD and the Rebels combined for a whopping 82 points, but as we’ve seen time and again you can’t take anything for granted in this league! Three fixtures were on the cards for Week 2, the most intriguing of which being the tilt between the University of Limerick Vikings and Belfast Trojans, while the Westmeath Minotaurs traveled to Santry to take on the Panthers and the Craigavon Cowboys were in action against the Vipers. And there were some big score lines this weekend as well! Want to know how these games turned out? Then keep on reading!
South Dublin Panthers 33 – Westmeath Minotaurs 6
Damp conditions in Santry caused problems for both sides early on in our featured game, as a series of bad snaps slowed down any offensive movement. A cagey affair in the first quarter saw the score remain at 0’s after the first period, before Luke Carey hit paydirt with a 15 yard rushing touchdown early in the second to put the Panthers ahead by 6. Disaster struck for the Minotaurs on their ensuing drive, as a botched handoff exchange led to a Panthers takeaway. Finn Kearns made the most of it, connecting with Sean Goldrick in the endzone for their second score of the afternoon. Westmeath weren’t about to roll over however, and Joe Kinahan threw a 35 yard dime to Shaun Dalton right before the break to make the score a manageable 13 – 6 at halftime. Alas, it would be their only points of the game. Luke Carey and Sean Goldrick both earned another touchdown each in the second half, the former scoring on a clever hook and ladder pop pass from his teammate. It was now 27 – 6 in favour of the home side, and things were looking bleak for the visitors. Any hope of a comeback attempt was scuppered by a costly interception by Kinahan, before our man of the match Finn Kearns scooted 99 yards untouched for the final score to put the affair on ice. It was an admirable performance by the Panthers, who will be hoping to return to postseason football in 2024. The Midlanders on the other hand couldn’t get out of their own way for the majority of the joust, and will need to clean things up quickly if they hope to be competitive this season.
Craigavon Cowboys 44 – Donegal Derry Vipers 0
We all knew that the Cowboys would be out for blood after being dumped out of the Premier Division last year, and the Vipers had the distinct misfortune of encountering them in their first game of the season. Pete Loughran was untouchable throughout, tossing 5 TD’s in total thanks to the seamless protection of his Offensive Line and strong Wide Receiver Corps! Odhran “Sunshine” O’Kane bagged a hattrick, while Eoin Hughes and Neil Maxwell got a score apiece, and Andrew Herron added two on the ground for good measure.
Their defensive counterparts would not be outshone either, accounting for two forced fumbles and a trio of interceptions courtesy of Gavin McConnell, Mark McAuley, Jason Duddy and Jamie Mallin. The Cowboys were able to handle the early strong start from the Vipers, and with this emphatic shutout victory, they’ve put the rest of their division on notice. The rest of the season is going to be very, very interesting.
Belfast Trojans 38 – UL Vikings 0
After being a missed point after attempt away from toppling the Admirals a week ago, optimism was high that this young Vikings squad could pull off a similar result against the boys from Belfast. The Trojans had different ideas, and marched down the country to secure a 38 point victory in their first game of the season. Touchdowns from Michael Ferris, Lorcan Quail, Oran Wilson and Chad Higgins, along with a Pick 6 from Thomas Boyde put the points on the board for the Green Machine, while additional interceptions from Tom Montgomery, Brandon Falconer and Leo McMahon ensured the home side couldn’t mount any sort of attack. After a relatively disappointing season in 2023 the Trojans needed this win badly. As for Limerick, it’s been a trial by fire so far in their first two weeks back in the top flight of Irish American Football!