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By marbellasharks | May 21, 2010
In order to build upon their early success, the Marbella Sharks recently appointed Rene Knopf as their new Head Coach. Rene started his American Football career in 1986 with the Austrian Graz Giants. While playing in Austria, Rene helped the Graz Giants win the Austrian National American Football Championship 4 times. Playing on these championship teams provided Rene with valuable insight into what it takes to create a championship team. Rene will now bring this same intensity and professionalism to the Marbella Sharks.
Sharks Head Coach Rene Knopf commented, “In the past, teams from Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia have battled for the Spanish National Trophy. My objective is to bring that Trophy to Marbella.” No team from Andalucia has ever won the Spanish National Championship for American Football.
The Sharks kick-off their summer practice schedule on Tuesday, June 1st at 20:00 at the Santa Maria (Las Chapas) field in Elviria. If you are interested in playing for the Sharks and want to join the team on their quest to win the Spanish Championship, come to a practice or send an email to Marbella Sharks Head Coach at rene@marbellasharks.es.
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Marbella Sharks Finish LNFA Season (3-1-4)
By marbellasharks | May 15, 2010
The Marbella Sharks finished their first season in the Liga Nacional de Futbol Americano (LNFA), which is the premier American Foobtall League in Spain, with a record of 3-1-4. Although the Sharks lost their last game against the undefeated Barcelona Bufals by a score of 35-0, the Sharks showed a lot of spirit and toughness throughout the LNFA season. The Sharks record of 3-1-4 was the best record among all of the Andalucian teams, the Granada Lions finished the season at 1-1-6, while the Seville Linces finished 0-0-8. The Sharks 3rd place finish within the Conferencia Nacional showed that the Sharks are capable of competing at the national level within Spain. The Sharks will now rebuild their team over the summer in anticipation of the upcoming fall football season in the Asociacion Andaluza de Futbol Americano (AAFA).
The Sharks summer practice schedule (June to August) will be from 20:00-23:00 every Tuesday at the Santa Maria (Las Chapas) field in Elviria. Directions to the field can be found under the webpage titled “INFO”. The first summer practice will start on Tuesday, June 1st at 20:00. Over the summer all prospective players are welcome to come practice with the Sharks. The summer practices will focus on conditioning, technique, and football education. These practices will be a lot of fun. The Sharks will resume their normal, full contact, practice schedule (every Tuesday and Thursday) in September 2010.
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The Battle of Coslada, 28 March 2010
By marbellasharks | March 30, 2010
Just like King Leonidas led a small, fierce group of Spartans into the Battle of Thermopylae, Marbella Sharks Quarterback (QB), Zac Colvin (#81) led 14 brave, fearless Sharks into the Battle of Coslada on March 28th against the Camioneros, who were seeking to revenge their earlier 34-0 loss to the Sharks during the first half of the season. Despite being outmanned and playing on a foreign field, the Sharks showed strength and honor by never giving up and playing hard for all 4 quarters. After falling behind 19-8 at halftime, the Sharks pulled together as a team and made a late surge in the 4th quarter to close the lead to 26-20. The Sharks made a valiant attempt at an onside kick with less than a minute left in the game, but came up short. The final score was Marbella Sharks 20 – Coslada Camioneros 26. The Sharks scoring drives were as follows:
1st Quarter: Sharks Wide Receiver (WR) A.J. Scola (#13) scored the Sharks’ first touchdown of the game. Sharks Running Back (RB) Matt Thomas (#6) successfully ran the ball into the end zone for the two point conversion.
4th Quarter: With 6:30 left in the 4th quarter, Sharks QB Zac Colvin (#81) scampered around the left end for a 10 yard touchdown run. The Sharks scored their second touchdown of the quarter via a long pass from QB Zac Colvin (#81) to RB Matt Thomas (#6).
The Sharks are now preparing for their final battle against the undefeated Barcelona Bufals (6-0). This will be the Sharks final game in the 2010 season of the Liga Nacional de Futbol Americano (LNFA), which is the top American football league in Spain. Beating the Bufals will give the Sharks a second place finish in the their debut performance in the Conferencia Nacional. This clash of the titans will take place at the Santa Maria (Las Chapas) field, otherwise known as the “Shark Tank”, at 18:00 on Saturday, April 17th. All Shark Fans should show-up to the game earlier to cheer on the Mighty Sharks to Victory!!
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Marbella Sharks Team Update
By marbellasharks | March 24, 2010
After starting the Spanish National League (LNFA) season strong with 3 straight wins, the Marbella Sharks have stumbled over the past few weeks during tough games against the following teams.
On 20 March 2010, the Marbella Sharks hosted the Granada Lions in Marbella at the Santa Maria field, otherwise known as the “Shark Tank”. The Sharks revamped offense put together several good drives during the game. However, several key penalties and miscues prevented the Sharks offense from putting more points on the scoreboard. The Sharks defense was also hobbled due to injuries at several key positions. The final score was Marbella Sharks 14 – Granada Lions 14. The Sharks scoring drives were as follows:
1st Quarter: Wide Receiver (WR) A.J. Scola (#13) showed off his speed by turning a screen pass from Sharks QB Jack Colvin (#81) into a 45 yard touchdown reception.
3rd Quarter: Sharks QB Jack Colvin (#81) used his size to barrel through the middle of the line for an 7 yard touchdown run. Sharks Running Back (RB) Matt Thomas (#6) converted the two point conversion with a hard run off the right tackle.
On 21 February 2010, the Marbella Sharks travelled to Barcelona to battle the undefeated Barcelona Bufals. The Sharks had several opportunities to win this game. However, six interceptions kept the Sharks offense out of the end zone during critical points in the game. Despite these setbacks, the game was very close to the end with a final score Marbella Sharks 8 – Barcelona Bufals 13.
The Sharks will now travel to Madrid to take on the Coslada Camioneros on Sunday, March 28th. Kick-off is at 12:00 noon. This game will be a big test of the Shark’s character to see if they can overcome adversity and injuries in order to claim victory in Coslada. The Camioneros will be hungry to revenge their earlier thrashing by the Sharks (34-0).
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Player Profile: Rene Knopf (No. 20)
By marbellasharks | February 15, 2010
Rene Knopf was born and raised in Austria. Although Rene started out playing ice hockey in his motherland, he quickly acquired the passion for American football during his debut with the Graz Giants in 1986. From that point on, Rene has accumulated a long list of accomplishments and football championships as outlined below. Rene is now one of the premier wide receivers in the Liga National de Futbol Americano (LNFA), which is the top American football league in Spain.
1977-1986: Played Ice hockey with the Graz Uce
1986-1991: Played American Football with the Graz Giants. In 1990, Rene broke the team record for most points scored in a game. Rene scored 4 touchdowns and two extra point conversions as a running back for a total of 28 points. During Rene’s time with the Giants, they won the Austrian championship in 1990 and 1991.
1992-1993: Played American football with the Viena Vikings, Vice Champions
1994-1997: Played American football for the Graz Giants, two time champions in 1994-1995, Vice Champions in 1996. In 1995, Rene held the record for most touchdowns scored in a season. Due to his high level of play, Rene was named the starting wide receiver for the Austrian national team in 1995.
In addition to playing football, Rene has also been active in coaching. He was the offensive coordinator (3 years) for the Graz Giants Junior team and in 1996 served as the offensive coordinator for the National Junior Team of Austria. Rene studied sport and psychology at the Karl Franzens University of Graz. Rene enjoys skiing, snowboarding, and working out. Rene is one of the best physical fitness instructors on the Costa del Sol, which can be confirmed by his long list of degrees in fitness. Rene currently plays wide receiver for the Marbella Sharks.
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Marbella Sharks Keep Up Winning Streak!
By marbellasharks | February 14, 2010
The below article appeared in the Sur In English newspaper edition dated 12 February 2010.
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Marbella Sharks Win Again!
By marbellasharks | February 7, 2010
The Marbella Sharks (3-0) extended their winning streak with a convincing 34-0 home win over the Coslada Camioneros (0-2). The Sharks showed they are a multifaceted team with point contributions coming from 6 different players. The Sharks scoring drives were as follows:
1st Quarter: Wide Receiver (WR) Jose Luis Torres (No. 32) caught a 30 yard touchdown pass from Quarterback (QB) Mark Murray (No. 7). The two point conversion was successful with a pass to Tight End (TE) Jamaal Douglas (No. 95).
2nd Quarter: Wide Receiver (WR) Rene Knopf (No. 20) caught a 56 yard touchdown pass from QB Mark Murray. Wide Receiver (WR) A.J. Scola (No. 13) also scored a 17 yard touchdown reception from QB Mark Murray during the same quarter.
3rd Quarter: A.J. Scola scored his second touchdown of the game with a 34 yard run around the end. Fullback (FB) Jose Toquero (No. 44) scored the two point conversion with a hard run up the middle.
4th Quarter: Linebacker (LB) Matt Thomas (No. 6) intercepted a Camioneros pass and then scampered 43 yards for a touchdown.
The Sharks Defense continues to improve week by week. This was their second shut-out game of the season. Over the past three games, opposing teams have only been able to score a total of 6 points against this tough defense. The Sharks Defense is beginning to swarm around opposing ball carriers, similar to the feeding frenzy that ensues after Sharks smell blood.
The Marbella Sharks (3-0) will now travel to Barcelona to play the Barcelona Bufals (2-0) on Sunday, 21 February 2010. The winner of this game will become the sole leader of the Conferencia Nacional. This battle between two undefeated teams is sure to be exciting.
In order to continue building a winning American football tradition in Marbella, we need financial support from the Costa del Sol business community. If you are interested in sponsoring the Sharks, please send an email to info@marbellasharks.es.
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Can the Sharks Go 3-0?
By marbellasharks | February 7, 2010
The Marbella Sharks will battle the Coslada Camioneros on Saturday, February 6th at Santa Maria (Las Chapas) field in Elviria, which is next to Colegio Publico Platera. Kick-off time is 18:00. Game time weather is expected to be sunny and 18 degrees celsius. This game will be a big test for the Sharks as the Camioneros are a big, hard hitting team. The Sharks Defense will need to take a big bite out of the Camioneros express. All Shark fans are encouraged to show up to the stadium at 17:30 to cheer on the Sharks and to watch the Sharks Cheerleading Dance Team perform their first routine. This game will be full of surprises. Go Sharks!!!
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Sur In English Article, 05-02-2010
By marbellasharks | February 7, 2010
The below article appeared in the February 5th print edition of the Sur In English newspaper.
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Marbella Sharks Defeat Granada Lions
By marbellasharks | January 31, 2010
On Saturday, 30 January 2010, the Marbella Sharks improved their LNFA record to 2-0 with a solid victory over the Granada Lions. The Sharks started the game strong scoring early on a 28 yard touchdown pass from Quarterback (QB) Mark Murray (No. 7) to Wide Receiver (WR) AJ Scola (No. 13). Running Back (RB) Matt Thomas (No. 6) ran in the extra point to give the Sharks an 8-0 lead. Later in the 1st quarter of play, WR AJ Scola scored his second touchdown with a 85 yard pass completion from QB Mark Murray. This was the longest touchdown pass completion in Sharks History. The Sharks were unable to convert the extra point, which gave the Sharks a 14-0 lead at halftime. Early in the 3rd Quarter, the Lions scored a touchdown, changing the score to 14-6. During the Lion’s extra point attempt, Matt Thomas intercepted the pass and then pitched the ball to AJ Scola, who successfully ran the ball into the end zone, which increased the Sharks lead to 16-6. The Sharks then put the game away by scoring two running touchdowns by RB Matt Thomas (22 yard touchdown run) and Fullback (FB) Jose Toquero (No. 44) (2 yard touchdown run), which resulted in a final score Marbella Sharks 32 – Granada Lions 6.
The Marbella Sharks Defense shutdown the Granada Lions Offense through a combination of hard hitting tackles by Linebackers (LB) Aleksi Astor, a.k.a. “AXE” (No. 59), Matt Thomas (No. 6), and Adam Bott (No. 53) and game changing interceptions by Cornerback (CB) Jose Carlos (No. 26), Safety (S) Juan Jose Villalba, a.k.a “KANUTO” (No. 1), Matt Thomas, and AJ Scola. Each of these defenders had 1 interception during the game. The Sharks also improved their defensive line play with sacks from Damian Ferrari (No. 46), Marko Arola (No. 50), and Lixander Lares (No. 68).
The Marbella Sharks will now attempt to continue their winning streak during an important game against the Coslada Camioneros on Saturday, February 6th at 18:00 at Santa Maria (Las Chapas) field in Elvira. The Sharks Cheerleading Dance Team has been working on new dance routines to help generate an exciting atmosphere for this game. DJ Azzuro will also be cranking the volume to pump-up the home crowd. Let’s Go Sharks!!!
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