The second place Seinäjoki Crocodiles (6-2) and third place Helsinki Wolverines (6-3) square off August 6 as Finland’s Maple League heads into the home stretch.
With a game in hand over the Wolverines, Seinäjoki needs to beat the Helsinki squad by three points or more. They met just three weeks ago as the Wolverines escaped Seinäjoki with a 36-34 overtime victory. Just one game separating these two teams from the second and third in the standings, so today’s game could help determine a home playoff game. The Crocodiles now hope to avenge the loss away from home.
The Wolverines took care of business last week defeating the Porvoo Butchers 38-20 at home. Veteran quarterback Jabari Harris played well in that game, putting up an efficient 188 yards and three scores with his arm and another 88 yards and a score with his legs. Expect him to find fellow veteran RJ Long, former CFL Global Draft pick Sebastian Sagne, Martin Emos, Matias Tuominen, and running back William Young often today. In their last matchup against the Crocodiles, the offensive line struggled at times so look for them to keep running back William Young in for extra protection today.
Seinäjoki Crocodiles @ Helsinki Wolverines August 6, 15:30 CET, (3:30 pm, 9:30 am ET)
Defensive backs Eric Irvin, Curtis Slater, and Darius Lewis match up well with the Crocodiles receivers. In the trenches, Helsinki’s defensive line features James Perrineau, Ville Valasti, Benjamin Egbudiwe, and Jonis Heikkinen, all should be able to make some plays today against the Crocodiles offensive line.
The Crocodiles running back Christian Powell has been carrying the Crocodiles this season and currently has them as the league’s second seed with only four weeks remaining. Powell and Quarterback Anthony Whitehead will continue to create big plays in this offense with the help of Finnish talents such as Joel Sarkela and Anttoni Lampivuo.
Former “Last Chance U” star and University of Tennessee (NCAA DI) defensive lineman Emmit Gooden has been a key part of the Crocodiles’ defensive performance. The former junior college All-American along with Arthur Pinheiro and Fillip Zacok make for a fierce defensive line. Expect these three to have big games today against a Helsinki offensive line that gave up a lot of pressure in their first matchup.
Fans of the Maple League certainly have this game circled this weekend as it pits two of the league’s top teams against each other. After an amazing overtime game in their first meeting, the Wolverines are Crocodiles should have the whole league watching them battle it out during round two today.