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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Sharks Beat Ricers in Soggy Game

By marbellasharks | January 29, 2010

Outlined below is an article that appeared in the Sur In English newspaper edition, 29 January 2010.




 

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Marbella Sharks Defeat Sueca Ricers

By marbellasharks | January 25, 2010

On Saturday, 23 January 2010, the Marbella Sharks battled the Sueca Ricers in the opening game of the LNFA, which is the premier American Football league in Spain. The Sharks started the game strong with a 15 yard touchdown pass from Quarterback (QB) Mark Murray (Jersey No. 7) to Wide Receiver (WR) AJ Scola (Jersey No. 13). After this drive, both offenses got bogged down in a torrential downpour. The heavy rain made it difficult to hold on to the ball, which led to several turnovers and a back and forth struggle for supremacy. This defensive battle ended with a final score Marbella Sharks 6 – Sueca Ricers 0.  

The Sharks will now travel to Granada on Saturday, January 30th for their second LNFA game against the Granada Lions. The Sharks are eager to play against their Andalucia arch-rival.  Go Sharks!!!



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Sur In English Article – January 22, 2010

By marbellasharks | January 25, 2010

The below article appeared in the Sur In English newspaper’s January 22nd edition.



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Shark Sighting!! A Great White arrives in Marbella.

By marbellasharks | January 22, 2010

We are pleased to welcome Anthony Lopez Scola (a.k.a. “AJ”), an American import whose family hails from Andalucia, to the Marbella Sharks.  AJ joins the Sharks after one year of professional football in Germany playing Wide Receiver (WR) for the Magdeburg Virgin Guards.  Prior to Magdeburg, AJ was an All-America East Region Cornerback (CB) for Amherst College.  During his career with the Amherst Lord Jeffs, AJ amassed over 115 tackles, 8 interceptions and 18 pass breakups.  He was not only a two-time All-Conference cornerback but a member of the Lord Jeff Ice Hockey team as well.


In Germany, AJ broke the league record for touchdowns in a game (4), receiving yards in a game 283 and all purpose yards from scrimmage in a game 357.  He finished a shortened season in Germany with 10 touchdowns while helping the Virgin Guards to a league title.

What brought AJ to Marbella beside the beautiful weather and luxurious lifestyle was his Spanish heritage.  AJ still has family in both Gibraltar and La Línea and feels an enormous amount of pride in his Spanish blood.  “I have lived in Madrid, traveled extensively in Spain and identify closely with the Spanish Culture. Marbella is not only a beautiful place, but the Sharks are building what I am sure will be one of the strongest football teams in Spain. I am extremely honored and excited to be here and I look forward to not only being a member of the Sharks, but also the community of Marbella.” AJ’s brother, Mike, and his two parents, Anthony and Laurie Lopez, currently reside in the United States.

The Sharks intend to use AJ at Wide Receiver on Offense, Safety on Defense, and as a Punt and Kick Returner on Special Teams.  His speed and agility will provide the Sharks with a big-play threat, who is capable of scoring points from several positions.

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