Finland: Helsinki Roosters stay unbeaten, crush Tampere Saints

AFI | American Football | 07/13/2018

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The unbeaten Helsinki Roosters (7-0) showed no mercy Thursday night as they rolled over the third place Tampere Saints (2-4) 60-14 at Helsinki’s Velodrome.

Helsinki exploded for a 46-0 lead with just under five minutes left in the first half before easing off.

Roosters quarterback Brandon Connette threw for 320 yards and five touchdowns, all of them in the first half, and scored one himself on a run. His backup, Miro Kadmiry, threw one touchdown pass while running back Karri Pajarinen added a rushing touchdown. Alexander Wasiljeff scored on a pair of touchdown receptions while Kimi Linnainmaa had seven catches for 111 yards and one touchdown, Adam Connette six for 64 for a touchdown and defensive back Curtis Slater scored on a pick six.

Kyle Nolan had a rough night for the Saints completing 13 of 28 for 132 yards and two touchdowns but he also was intercepted twice, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Micky Kyei had one touchdown catch while Elliot Jeffcoat had the other for Tampere.

Brandon Connette struck on the second play from scrimmage after Curtis Slater returned the opening kickoff 60 yards to the Saints 25 yard line. Connette found Kadmiry in the end zone. The Roosters scored twice more in the first quarter with the Tampere offense totally stymied. Nolan was picked off once in the first quarter leading to a Helsinki touchdown and then again early in the second quarter leading to another Roosters touchdown. The third pick by Slater, his second of the game, went all the way and the lead with over 10 minutes still to go in the second quarter, was 34-0 for Helsinki.

The Saints continued to struggle to move the ball and the Roosters scored twice more with Wasiljeff and Pajarinen hauling in touchdown passes. The second score came after the Roosters executed an onside kickoff to perfection.

With the score 46-0, Tampere’s offense suddenly found life with Nolan throwing first to Kyei and then connecting with Jeffcoat following a rare Helsinki fumble.

With the score 46-14 at the half, Helsinki seemed to back off as head coach Juha Hakala liberally substituted players.

Brandon Connette scored on a 17 yard run in the third quarter and then connected with his brother Adam in the fourth for the final touchdown of the game.