Back in the Win Column

On Saturday we spent about 13 hours on the bus as we traveled to lappeenranta in eastern Finland to take on the Border Knights. The border they are referring to is the one with their big neighbor to the east--- RUSSIA

It is weird to drive into the city and see road signs posted for St. Petersburg, Russia. I still haven't made it into this country and I'm not sure if we'll get there this summer. It is fairly difficult to travel there if you are trying to enter as an American. The best way to visit is through one of the no visa options either by taking a cruise with one of the big name cruise liners, or by taking a no visa cruise on the Saimma Canal into the Russian city of Vyborg.

As for the game, we were able to beat the Knights 30-28 and gain our second victory of the season. Our record now sits at 2-2. We had a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter, but then our one and only quarterback Alex Rouse pulled his hamstring and struggled to move much for the rest of the game. We had to change our game plan and move away from our option plays and rollout passing game. We struggled offensively for most of the rest of the game, but found ourselves late in the game and executed an 80 yard drive against a strong wind. That drive may have been a turning point for this team. We mostly ran the football and converted on several 3rd down situations. I was proud of Alex for toughing it out and our running backs for gaining some tough yards. Last but not least, our offensive line led my offensive tackle Pontus Bondeson challenged the offensive unit to dominate the line of scrimmage and create running seams for our backs. All in all, it was a big win for our team heading into the break. We just have to learn how to close teams out and quit trying to snap defeat from the jaws of victory.

It is now only about 26 hours until Estalita and the kids leave for JFK airport and the beginning of their journey to Finland. I am working on getting things ready for them in the apartment. It will be so great to see them and get back to being together on an everyday basis. Their stay in Finland will be relatively short as we leave again on Friday to begin Scandinavian Journey "Part Deux." Our journey will begin next weekend in Oslo, Norway.