Maple League Week 8 Preview

We have a few good weeks of Maple League action left this year. The upcoming Week 8 is likely going to be a week when half of the league with 4-2 record will get re-ranked. It remains to be seen who will fall or rise, but I believe there will be some surprises this week.

Porvoo Butchers (6-0) – East City Giants (1-5)

Week 8 starts with Thursday night action in Porvoo, where the league top dog, Porvoo Butchers, hosts the clear underdog of the game, East City Giants. The last time these two teams faced each other was week 2 in Myllypuro, where the Butchers beat the Giants 7-61.

Credit: Laura Helminen

Porvoo has proved a week after week that their offense is dangerous even against the most skillful defenses. Names like Micky Kyei and Christian Powell are at home in the opponents’ redzones- The Butchers’ powerful O-line spends their summer fueling league’s top defensive players’ nightmares. Just last week the O-line made sure that QB Christian Arrambide had enough time in the pocket, and paving the way for Christian Powell to break the record of most all-purpose yards in the Maple League ever.

Where the home team is celebrating and breaking records, the visiting Giants seem to be in a season-long turmoil. They just don’t catch the break. Ingredients are there, though. The QB Rayna Stewart III has mastered his connection with both Daniel Rubinstein and Arttu Blomqvist. While Blomqvist is questionable to play this week, the ECG may possess a pass-game threat that requires the backfield defense to stay awake throughout the game. The ECG has given over 33,5 points per game so far this season, so their defense needs to step up their game if they wish to rise in the standings.

AFF Players to Watch

Porvoo Butchers OL #66 John Paul Flores

Porvoo Butchers DL #97 Julius Vuoksenturja

ECG QB #3 Rayna Stewart III

ECG DB #0 Jabari Harris

Tampere Saints (0-6) – Seinäjoki Crocodiles (4-2)

The bottom team of the league, Tampere Saints, hosts one of the numerous 4-2 teams, the Seinäjoki Crocodiles. The last time they met in week 2, the Crocs took home the 21-6 win.

Credit: Laura Helminen

I really don’t have a lot of things to say about the Saints. They need to improve everything. They have scored 9 points per game and given 43 points per game. It doesn’t require a lot of football knowledge to understand those numbers don’t win games, let alone championships

The Crocodiles had their struggles in the early season, but during the last few weeks their games have reminded of the Crocs we knew in the past years. Their defense is arguably the best in the league, and their offense isn’t among the worst ones, either. They don’t have the big names of the past seasons, but the QB Brandon Kyles, together with the WR Justus Virtanen and RB De’Anta Sipp hold up the tradition of dangerous Seinäjoki offense.

AFF Players to Watch

Tampere Saints TE #80 Kimi Tuomi

Tampere Saints DL #68 Samuel Chase McCoy

Seinäjoki Crocodiles WR #9 Justus Virtanen

Seinäjoki Crocodiles DB #12 Juho Kasari

Helsinki Roosters (4-2) – Wasa Royals (4-2)

The Saturday evening game can become the most interesting one of the week. The Helsinki Roosters and Wasa Royals faced in week 2 in Vaasa, with Royals taking a surprising 9-7 win.

Credit: Laura Helminen

The Helsinki Roosters are considered one of the contenders of the season, and they have won tough opponents, like the Crocodiles and the Steelers. One of their loss is against the undefeated Porvoo Butchers, and the other one is the aforementioned Royals game. The question of the game is whether the Roosters can shake off their last matchup, or will the Royals become the monkey on the Roosters’ shoulders. The Roosters have some of the country’s best playmakers on both sides of the ball.

The Royals have the same record as Roosters, but they have gained most of their wins against the lower tier teams except for the Roosters game. The Royals showed decent execution against the East City Giants last week. RB Tom Suoste proved he’s still one of the best in the position and WR Gabriel Quigley showed off his catching skills. If the Royals can keep their scheme together, they have a chance against the Roosters defense.

AFF Players of the Week

Helsinki Roosters TE #11 Santtu Vehkomäki

Helsinki Roosters LB #26 Taavi Aronpää

Wasa Royals RB #40 Tom Suoste

Wasa Royals LB #10 Raul Khalifa

On behalf of the whole AFF team, one more congratulations to the all-purpose yard leader of the country, Christian Powell! Also, best of luck to both Helsinki Wolverines and Turku Trojans in the women’s Maple League Final! Do the Trojans continue their dynasty or are we back being the Wolverines country after a few years’ break?

I will probably be attending the Roosters – Royals game live, come say hi if you’re around! We recommend watching the games live, but if you can’t, remember to watch the Finnish football stories evolve in Ruutu and online!

Porvoo Butchers – East City Giants, Keskuskenttä, Porvoo, Thursday July 31st at 6:30

Tampere Saints – Seinäjoki Crocodiles, Pyynikin kenttä, Tampere, Saturday August 2nd at 2:00

Helsinki Roosters – Wasa Royals, Helsinki Velodrome, Saturday August 2nd at 6:30