Costa Rica takes second in regional American football tourney

Last weekend, five Central American countries competed in the first-ever Central American Bowl, an American football contest held in San Salvador on the grounds of the American Football and Sports Complex – the first American football field in all of Central America.

The five countries included Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama, and each was represented by an International Federation of American Football (IFAF) member league. Costa Rica took second place, and Panama won the championship.

As the winner, Panama will challenge South American and Caribbean teams in 2014 for a spot in the IFAF America’s Conference tournament, to which three teams have already qualified: the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The winner of that tournament will qualify for the 2015 World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden.

Steve Agreda, commissioner of the Salvadorian Association of American Intramural Football, unveiled the first Central American Bowl trophy before the championship game, which took place on Saturday.

In 2014, Costa Rica will host the second annual Central American Bowl.

The results for the 2013 bowl:

Tuesday, Sept. 10

Game 1: NIC 6 < PAN 75

Game 2: SAL 12 < GUA 27

Thursday, Sept. 12

Game 1: GUA 6 < CR 25

Game 2: SAL 22 < NIC 33

Saturday, Sept. 14

Game 1: GUA 26 < NIC 35

Game 2: CR 13 < PAN 54 (1st Central American Bowl championship game)

Final Standings:

1st: Panama

2nd: Costa Rica

3rd: Nicaragua

4th: Guatemala

5th: El Salvador

For more info and bowl coverage, see www.americanfootballcr.com.