The Kuopio Steelers (3-2) bounced back in emphatic fashion this past weekend, rolling over the East City Giants (1-4) 55-7 to avenge their opening-week loss and move into a tie for second place in the Finnish Maple League standings.
Fast start
There was little doubt about the outcome after the opening quarter.
Quarterback Slade Jarman came out firing, throwing four touchdown passes as Kuopio raced to a stunning 28-0 lead. Joshua Mack and Isaak Marshall each hauled in two touchdown receptions during the opening period as the Steelers offense overwhelmed the visitors from the opening possession.
The East City Giants, meanwhile, were breaking in new quarterback Volodymyr Hrynkiv, who had arrived only days earlier. His first drive ended with an interception, and the Steelers capitalized throughout the opening quarter.
Steelers stay in control
The pace slowed in the second quarter as the East City Giants defense briefly settled in, forcing three consecutive stops. Still, Kuopio added another touchdown when Jarman connected with Nicolas Kuikka on a short scoring pass to build a commanding 35-7 halftime advantage.
The visitors’ lone highlight came on special teams as Nolan Bernat returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown, preventing the shutout.
Any thoughts of a comeback quickly disappeared after halftime.
Jarman threw two more touchdown passes, finding Kuikka once and Marshall again before giving way to backup Johan Rabin in the fourth quarter with the game well in hand.
Balanced performance
Mack enjoyed an outstanding all-around game, rushing 13 times for 93 yards while adding 70 receiving yards and two touchdown catches.
Kicker Iiro Pekkarinen was another key contributor, drilling two field goals while converting seven extra points. His kickoffs also consistently pinned the East City Giants deep, with nine of his 10 kickoffs sailing through the end zone for touchbacks.
Defensively, Brevenn Giacomoni led the Steelers with seven tackles, while Lars Steffen and Jaakko Paananen each intercepted a pass.
For the East City Giants, Hrynkiv showed flashes after a difficult start, but completed just 12 of 33 passes in his debut. Austin Brock provided the biggest offensive spark with seven receptions for 86 yards, while Aleksi Kauppinen led the ground game with 28 rushing yards.
The victory keeps Kuopio firmly in the playoff race, while the East City Giants will look to regroup after another difficult outing.