Week 11 was a solid week in 5v5 Competitive. Bleue Dry 10.1 picked up a wild win over MTL Magic, as Fred Juneau found Eric Namts to tie the game before Ashton Thibeault made a great grab on the final play to secure a 31–30 victory. MTL Magic continues to look like a different team compared to last season, and there are real concerns about whether they can even win a playoff game this year. Raw Dawgs took care of Flag Moi L’Sac 46–26, with Jordan Panetta nearly perfect, and if the box score is accurate, Dan Mancini caught all six touchdowns, which is crazy. PartyCrashers also had a dominant performance, dismantling Naproxen 56–26 behind four touchdowns from Mamadi Kaba. In the final matchup, Flag Moi edged Naproxen 28–20 in a closer game than the score suggests, as Naproxen scored on the final play before an unsuccessful onside attempt to tie it.

This week, I’ll also be talking about the Fanatics Flag Football Classic. I had the chance to speak with Braves’ Gab-Charles Dabé Champagne, who shared his perspective on the event along with a Q&A.

My Fanatics Flag Football Classics Review

This past weekend, the Fanatics Flag Football Classic took place, and Team USA proved their dominance against some of the most talented NFL players today. It was a great display and demonstration of how flag football is truly a community, and how much work goes into representing your country in this sport. It was pure domination, as Team USA outscored the competition 106–44 in three games en route to the championship.

A lot of the conversation was around whether, if the NFL players had more time to train and learn the rules of flag, the outcome would’ve been different, or even that the wrong players were participating. Regardless of what could’ve happened, there were still top NFL players on the field. Some showed that they can definitely compete and use their skill sets for the flag, while others looked like they should stick to the NFL, and you know what? That’s okay. At the end of the day, I don’t think anyone will look at these NFL players differently if they don’t translate to flag football because it’s not where they make their money. However, for flag players, they work full-time jobs and have flag as their professional sport, so I understand when they want to show that they aren’t pushovers just because a professional athlete wants to take their spot.

I’ve had this conversation with a few friends, and even though I agree some NFL players can translate into flag, it’s not for everyone. It’s also not for any professional athlete who doesn’t play flag football to think that, just because they play in the CFL or NFL, they can take the spot of individuals who have been doing this for nearly their whole life. I think it would be cool if Team USA and Team Canada could face professional flag athletes with proper training, but realistically, how many NFL players would stop their careers, where they earn millions, to train for flag football?

I think it will always be a great debate, especially in Canada and the U.S., where tackle football is so closely tied to the idea of flag football. At the end of the day, I respect the NFL players who attempt to make that switch, and if they had proper training, I think some could compete with flag football players. What I see as the advantage for flag players is experience and, in many cases, body type. Team USA was avoiding nearly every tackle, especially Housh Doucette III and Velton Brown Jr.

I know this past weekend had a lot of eyes on the Americans, but I think it also made a big impact north of the border. I might be biased since I haven’t played tackle football as much as flag, but I would love to see the men and women I’ve been watching in FPF and around the world represent the maple leaf in 2028. Regardless, I think the Olympics will bring out the best teams from each country, and I can’t wait for the madness to be on full display for the world to see how great this sport really is.

Sit-down with Gabriel-Charles Dabé Champagne

Given the Fanatics Flag Football Classics this past weekend, how important was Team USA’s performance to the sport of flag football?

I think all flag players were hoping for that outcome. That event was a huge statement for the flag football world. It showed that flag is a completely different sport with its own skill set, pace, and IQ.

Just because you’ve had success at a high level in contact football doesn’t mean you’ll automatically come into flag and dominate. You have to put in the time, learn the nuances of the game, and adapt to the speed and different strategies that make flag a unique sport.

I also think it’s a big step forward for the growth of the sport. Events like this bring a lot of visibility and help legitimize flag football on a larger stage. It pushes the level higher and shows that there’s real talent, structure, and competitiveness in our sport.

Before FPF, you were more focused on basketball in CEGEP and early university. What made you switch over to flag a few years ago?

The first sport I fell in love with was football. I played both basketball and football, but I always put more time into football. I used to spend hours outside throwing the ball with my brother.

Unfortunately, I had to make a decision between the two coming out of high school, and I chose basketball. I honestly missed football from the day I stopped playing.

I wasn’t familiar with flag football until I got to university, but it looked like a lot of fun, so I decided to sign up with some friends. I’m really happy I did, because it allowed me to rediscover my passion for the sport.

You’ve played pretty much everywhere from DB, receiver, and now QB. How much of your athletic background helped with that transition?

On the defensive side, I think basketball helped a lot with my footwork. I don’t have the textbook footwork of someone like Guillaume Béland, but it definitely helped me adapt to the position.

On offense, I think just throwing and catching the ball every day and spending so much time on the field growing up made me comfortable playing multiple positions.

Braves is one of the top teams in flag, and a team a lot of people root against. How did you end up joining that group?

I think it was during the spring 2024 season, I was playing with Dime and Bougie at the time. I had a game at Marie-Victorin, and the Braves were playing right after us.

I made a couple of defensive plays, and I heard Mike yelling from the sideline, “Hey, come see me after the game.” So I went to talk to him, and he and Jo asked me if I wanted to go to the Kamloops Nationals with them because they were down one DB.

I was pretty excited, especially since I was still trying to find a Division 1 team at the time. I went to nationals with them, and everything just clicked. Now they’re like brothers to me, so I’m really grateful for that opportunity.

You’ve already had the chance to play in tournaments with Braves and represent Team Canada. What have those high-pressure experiences been like?

It’s been extremely fun. Being able to compete against the best players in the world is such a great experience.

Playing against national teams in Tampa, practicing with Team Canada in Chula Vista, and competing at nationals every year has helped make those moments less stressful because I’ve been there before.

Honestly, with the Braves, we play our best when we’re having fun.

You’ve got two big games this week against Raw Dawgs and KGP. How are you approaching those matchups?

It’s great to see every team in the division getting better each season, it makes things more competitive and interesting.

Since we play these teams every year, we get familiar with their tendencies, so it’s about capitalizing on those.

At the end of the day, we’re just trying to have a good time as a team and play our game.

You’ve won multiple DPOY and two-way awards. How do you stay consistent defensively against top QBs like Jordan Panetta and Phil Cutler?

It comes down to learning tendencies and trying new things. I use FPF games as an opportunity to practice different things, and I think that helps keep quarterbacks guessing.

When something doesn’t work, I just go back to what I know.

You’ve built a strong bond with with Braves’ teammate Emile Chateauvert. What’s that connection like, and how would you describe the team chemistry overall?

Emile was the first guy on the Braves I really connected with. We had the chance to play together in a tournament before heading to Kamloops, and from there we just got closer. Now he’s like a brother to me.

As a team, I think we click because we all love competing, winning, and having fun while doing it. Traveling together every year, going to La Cage before or after games, watching the Super Bowl together and everything that we do as a team brings us closer.

We don’t take things too seriously, so we joke around and make fun of each other all the time, and everyone just laughs it off. We’re like a big family, and it’s been amazing being part of it over the past two years.

Closing Remarks

There you go 5v5 Competitive with this week’s article. Thanks Gab for giving your opinion of the recent Fanatics Flag event this weekend and answering some questions. The latest episode of the First & Goal Podcast is now up on Youtube so go check it out! As always, if you didn’t get a chance to respond or want to be included in future pieces, you can reach me on Facebook or Instagram @keyoncyrus.