First-half offensive explosion propels Seahawks past Eagles 34-24

The Gdynia Seahawks flew out to a 34-3 lead late in the second quarter on Sunday afternoon in the capital, giving themselves enough room to hold off a second-half surge by the Warsaw Eagles in a huge 34-24 victory. The loss leaves the Eagles a game back of the Seahawks and the Wroclaw Devils in the Topliga standings with four weeks remaining in the regular season.

The Seahawks broke a three-game losing streak to Warsaw that included a 52-22 loss earlier this season in Gdynia, and the win was only the second triumph all-time in nine tries against the Eagles for the team from the Tri-Cities. It also marked the first time Gdynia has beaten Warsaw on the road.

Gdynia took control of this game early, pushing the Eagles off the ball in the running game and getting solid play from quarterback Kyle McMahon and his wide receivers to move steadily down the field. McMahon had a hand in all five of the Seahawks touchdowns, tossing two scoring passes to Josh Le Duc and running for three scores as well.

It was Le Duc who opened the scoring on the first play from scrimmage, a play that came after Gdynia recovered their own kickoff on the opening play. McMahon's rainbow pass arrived at the goal line at about the same time as the wide receiver, who used his size to get position and haul it in for the game's first points. The Eagles drove back the other way for a field goal, and a shootout seemed in the works.

The floodgates opened for the Eagles defense at that point, however, and the Seahawks rattled off the game's next 27 points. The Eagles got a touchdown on the final play of the first half, cutting the deficit to 34-10 and giving them some momentum going into the locker room. A 16-yard Kevin Lynch touchdown run in the third quarter made it 34-18.

Gdynia's offense slowed considerably in the second half, although the Seahawks looked set for a clinching score prior to Lynch's touchdown run. Sebastian Krzysztofek took a handoff at the Eagles 14-yard line, cut to his left and headed for the end zone. He fumbled the ball near the goal line, however, and the Eagles took over again. They got one more score in the fourth quarter, but the first-half cushion Gdynia had built was simply too big to overcome.

Barring any spectacular collapses, both teams seem headed for the Topliga playoffs. Given the divide between the top and the bottom of the league, the Seahawks seemingly have only one difficult game remaining, against the Devils on June 9. If Gdynia can manage a win there they may very well end up as the top postseason seed, gaining an inside track to a spot in NAC SuperFinal VII. They have some other business to take care of first, however, hitting the field next on May 20, taking on the AZS Silesia Rebels in the first of a three-game homestand.

The Eagles, who have now lost two straight after opening the season 4-0, will also be in action on May 20. They will travel south on that day to face the 1-5 Dom-Bud Krakow Tigers. Following that one, Warsaw will play their biggest remaining game on June 3, a home match against a Devils teams that beat them 35-32 last weekend in Wroclaw.