Tomorrow evening, the final four teams remaining will battle it out for a chance at the championships the following weekend. We would have a shootout, multiple OT games along with a forfeit to end the quarterfinals. Before we check into the semifinals matchups, let’s see how each team got here.

Quarterfinals Recap

We Ain’t Done With the 90’s prevail in OT over Les Mangeux de Beignes 15-13

✅ Prediction: We Ain’t Done With the 90’s

A very low scoring contest would have the 90’s boys survive a near upset in OT. The month off for them nearly bit them from behind but Justin White would score in the final seconds and Troy Lendvay would add the extra point to tie the game. In OT, a 2-pt convert by Paul Jr. Barreau would be the only points scored as the defence of We Ain’t Done With the 90’s would keep Les Mangeux de Beignes scoreless in the extra period.

McGill Swim Team escape Demons in OT 26-25

Prediction: N/A

Neil Wright would carry his undermanned squad into an OT battle with the McGill Swim Team after his opposition would get several stops in the dying minute in their own end zone. The duo of Jackson Veinot and Kyle Shibata would carry the offensive load in regulation with two TDs apiece and Shibata would get the lone point in OT to move my McGill Swim Team into the final four.

CATCH & FLEX clutch up over Chateauguay Community College 36-32

❌ Prediction: Chateauguay Community College

Chateauguay Community College were on the verge of moving into the final four until Alex O’Neill would find Standly Williams on 4th down for the lead in the final minute. The defence would stand tall as rusher Elijah Dupuy would get a huge sack and Muyiz Idris would seal the game with a huge INT to end the game, moving CATCH & FLEX into the semifinals.

Deep Zone Penetrators cruise onwards with a forfeit win over Bend Don’t Break

❌ Prediction: Bend Don’t Break

I talked about the rumours of the number 1 team having to forfeit in these playoffs and this was the round. Deep Zone Penetrators will now play in the semifinals, in an attempt to continue their run as the only wildcard team remaining.

Semifinals Preview and Predictions

CATCH & FLEX vs McGill Swim Team (Saturday May 9, 6pm in Brossard)

Previous matchup: McGill Swim Team def CATCH & FLEX 37-12 in Week 14

Both teams are coming into the semifinals after tough quarterfinal wins respectively. These two teams played one another in the final week of the regular season, and both teams have players who know the opposition very well.

McGill Swim Team started the season 2-3 and have won 7 straight since. Catch & Flex started hot with a 4-1 start but finished the season 6-4. In the last week of the season, both teams met in Chateauguay due to the game earlier in the season being rescheduled because of the “ice storm warning.”

In that game, McGill Swim Team got a 12-0 lead due to Catch & Flex not having enough players at the start of the game. With the early lead, Vaughn Vanslet only needed 8 completions for the win while throwing 3 TDs. O’Neill threw 2 INTs in the final few minutes, and every time his team drove into the Swim Team’s zone, they weren’t able to capitalize. Catch & Flex were missing some key players, which, along with the forfeited 12 points, made it a tough mountain to climb. I would expect Catch & Flex to be at full strength in the rematch.

For Catch & Flex, they will need to stay patient and hope to capitalize on a Swim Team mistake. They have speed all over the roster and can use that to their advantage, especially on offence. McGill Swim Team has the most INTs this postseason, and they will look to add to that total against O’Neill, who threw two in the regular season matchup.

We’ve seen big games from players such as Kyle Shibata, Jackson Veinot, and Anthony Giannatsis over the course of the season, and it wouldn’t be surprising if another name joined the list. For the McGill Swim Team, the key is controlling the game and forcing bad passes from O’Neill. For Catch & Flex, it’s about exploiting mismatches they feel they can capitalize on and, especially, keeping their cool. They have a habit of playing with their emotions, and if they can use that to their advantage, they have a good chance of advancing to the finals.

O’Neill is coming off a high-scoring affair against Chateauguay Community College, and he made it clear that his team enjoys those close battles:

“I like playing tight scoring games it’s fun and as a team we like that, we just kept it simple drive by drive and we scored pretty much it.”

Going into the rematch against McGill Swim Team, O’Neill kept the approach straightforward:

He mentioned that his team just needs to “play our game and play simple and we’ll be fine.”

Against a defence that has forced the most INTs this postseason, O’Neill knows getting the ball to his playmakers quickly will be key:

“Just to be unpredictable with my readings and play fast and get them the ball.”

Catch & Flex also expect their key defenders to bring intensity into this matchup:

He said that Muyiz Idris and Richie Mondesir are “coming for war and they’re ready to make big plays for our team.”

This matchup has all the ingredients to be another close playoff game. McGill Swim Team has the momentum, but Catch & Flex have the experience and athleticism to make things uncomfortable for anyone. If O’Neill can limit mistakes and keep the game flowing offensively, they have a strong chance to pull off the upset.

Deep Zone Penetrators vs We Ain’t Done With the 90’s (Saturday May 9, 11pm in Brossard)

Previous matchup: N/A

These two teams are coming from very different paths. We Ain’t Done With the 90’s are coming off an 8-1-1 regular season and feature All-Star Justin White, who led the division with 9 INTs. For their efforts, they were rewarded with a month off for a long bye and narrowly escaped with a 15-13 OT victory over Les Mangeux de Beignes.

For Deep Zone Penetrators, their playoffs started early, as their regular season finale determined whether they would even make the postseason. They entered the playoffs as the 12-seed, defeating Chomedey Chodes before upsetting Empereurs Retraités. They then got the luck of the draw by matching up against Bend Don’t Break, who forfeited their semifinal spot due to not having enough players available.

We can’t talk about what if Bend Don’t Break had their players available and instead have to discuss the matchup at hand. The 90’s group thrives off grit, defence, and experience. Deep Zone Penetrators, on the other hand, are riding a Cinderella run that they hope won’t end now.

I mentioned nearly two months ago that Deep Zone Penetrators were a Cinderella team that could make noise in the postseason, and they’ve done exactly that. I spoke with Paul Jr. Barreau, who scored the winning points in OT for We Ain’t Done With the 90’s, about the upcoming matchup.

Barreau spoke about the confidence his team had during the game-tying drive and heading into overtime:

“It was definitely a nail-biter of a game. Honestly we trust each other to make plays, so with the game on the line it's kinda what you play for. It's never pressure with this team. We have the confidence to know that one of us will make the play to keep the game alive and ultimately win the game.”

Even after surviving one Wildcard team, Barreau made it clear they are not overlooking another hot opponent:

He mentioned that “FPF is an any given Sunday league,” while emphasizing that focus and playmaking will be the key to making another finals appearance.

Defensively, the 90’s group believes they have the tools to contain the dangerous duo of Baptiste and Bourque:

“Height and speed isn't an issue for us, we have plenty of that on our side. This year we haven't given up many big plays on defense, rallying as a team and keeping everything in front will help slow things down, we have great confidence in our defense and when we are at fuĺl strengh its difficult to put points on us.”

For the 90’s, I think they need to cause havoc for QB Samuel Langlais, and that starts with rusher Kody Rodgers. Having Langlais miss his reads will allow playmakers such as White and Lendvay to create turnovers. Jamie Ojeaha will have an easier time managing the game if their defence is on point.

For Deep Zone Penetrators, it’s about capitalizing on any rust their opposition may still have. Ojeaha only had 5 INTs all season but threw 3 last game after a month off. Having Yann Dika-Balotoken make big plays on defence and the duo of Baptiste and Bourque lead the offence would give this team a strong chance to pull off the upset.

I don’t think this game will be high scoring, but I believe the experience of We Ain’t Done With the 90’s will prevail in a close victory.

Prediction: We Ain’t Done With the 90’s def Deep Zone Penetrators 24-17

Closing Remarks

That’s all for 5B as the semifinals will be played in Brossard tomorrow night. Thanks to Alex and Paul for answering some questions before their matchups. If you don’t have much to do on a Saturday night, pop out in Brossard to see these two games, they should both be close ones.If you don’t agree with my take, I’m always open to hearing what you have to say so don’t be shy and approach me! 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.