It’s already the end of week 2 and outside of Sans Pression, every team has played at least twice. We have a three way tie for first with teams being at 3-0 and on the bottom side, three teams are still looking for their first win. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to watch any games due to being on vacation but that doesn’t mean you guys will be short of an article. Let’s get into it!

Week 2 Headlines

Words from Jean-Christophe Morin-Phaneuf

While on vacation, I received a message from JC from Midtown. As many of you know, I cover a lot of FPF, but with so many divisions and teams, there are always a few that can slip under the radar early in the season. That's why I always encourage players to reach out to me through DMs or in person. Whether it's to give their thoughts, tell me about their team or simply let me know I overlooked something, I'm always interested in hearing different perspectives.

Looking at Midtown right now, they sit at 1-1. Their lone loss came in a close matchup against an undermanned South Shore Crashouts team, who you'll hear more about later in the article through my conversation with Mathis Pilon. When I first saw the Sharkawi brothers on the roster, I knew this would be a solid team, but I admittedly didn't know much about the rest of the group.

One name that immediately stood out was Phillip Enchill, who appears to have returned to FPF for the first time since 2020. Through two games, he's looked like he hasn't missed much time at all. Midtown also has several athletes capable of making plays, and according to JC, this team hasn't even come close to showing its full potential yet.

The biggest reason for that is his own injury. In Midtown's first game, JC told me he suffered a hamstring injury on the very first play of the game after getting behind the defence on a skinny post. Before leaving the game, he still managed to put together an impressive stat line with 63 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Looking at the numbers, it's hard to argue with his assessment that he was having a pretty dominant performance before getting hurt.

JC expects to return around Week 5, and he made it very clear that he believes Midtown will be a completely different team once he's back on the field. In fact, he was so confident that he left me with one of the boldest statements I've received so far this season:

"I know we did not make your early top 3, but I can tell you that in week 5, once I am back from my injury, we are going to go undefeated and win the championship. I GUARANTEE IT!"

That's a pretty big statement from a team currently sitting at 1-1, but I respect the confidence. Whether Midtown can back it up remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: they don't see themselves as just another middle-of-the-pack team. If JC returns healthy and the roster starts clicking, this might be a team worth keeping an eye on over the 2nd half of the season. 

Weekend Sweep from South Shore Crashouts

One of the undefeated teams in this division is South Shore Crashouts. Considering they have Mathis Pilon on the roster, that shouldn't come as much of a surprise. In my eyes, Pilon is the best overall athlete in this division. He brings the football IQ, speed and reliable hands that made him successful with the McGill Redbirds onto the flag football field.

After finishing 4-6 in 5B last winter, South Shore Crashouts returned this season looking like a team on a mission. According to Pilon, the biggest difference has simply been experience. "Experience has definitely been the biggest difference for us since most of our team was new to flag football," he explained. A season later, that growth is starting to show on the field.

SSC has also added some new pieces to the roster, including quarterback Samuel Nicolle. He's another player I'll be keeping an eye on throughout the season. In a game where Pilon and several other key contributors were unavailable, Nicolle stepped up in a big way. With only six players available, including some who were unfamiliar with offensive roles, he threw four touchdown passes in a win over Midtown. That's an impressive performance under any circumstances, especially for someone still relatively new to the league.

Pilon admitted he was impressed by what he saw. "I was surprised by his ability to put points on the board while having only 6 players, including some that had never played offense before," he said. Having a quarterback capable of delivering that kind of performance gives South Shore Crashouts another dimension moving forward.

The team's depth was also on display in their victory over Shonuff. When asked what stood out most, Pilon pointed to the way the group supported one another throughout the game. "Our ability to take loads off each other's back," he said. It's a simple answer, but one that reflects the type of chemistry successful teams often develop.

As for Pilon himself, many around FPF view him as one of the most athletic players in the league. Whether he's making plays on offence, locking down opponents defensively or simply changing momentum with his speed, he's capable of impacting a game in countless ways. Despite that reputation, he doesn't seem concerned about individual numbers. When asked if he ever feels pressure to put up big statistics, his response was classic Mathis: "No pressure on my side, they usually get stats wrong anyways."

With Pilon leading the way and players like Nicolle stepping up when needed, I don't see why South Shore Crashouts can't be one of the teams to watch as the season progresses. They're undefeated for a reason, and if their newer players continue developing the way they have so far, this could be a dangerous team come playoff time.

Rushers should look at Ethan Adrian

Every team needs a rusher. One of the biggest differences between a good defence and a championship-calibre defence is having someone who can consistently disrupt the quarterback. A player who can get sacks when his team needs them, eliminate the run game for a mobile QB and force rushed decisions. If they can get their hands on passes and create turnovers, that's an added bonus.

One of the best rushers in all of FPF is Ethan Adrian. He's not the tallest player on the field, but he's explosive off the line and seems to track a quarterback's movement faster than the quarterback can decide where he wants to go. His ability to close space and force mistakes makes him a nightmare matchup every week.

Honestly, seeing Ethan play in E1 feels almost unfair considering he's in the conversation for one of the best rushers in Division 1 as well. Playing with his friends on Armed Robbery is probably a big reason why, so I won't spend too much time breaking down the numbers. Through two games, he already leads E1 with five sacks and has been a major reason for his team's early success.

For any new rusher, or even someone looking to improve at the position, I highly recommend watching Ethan play in person or checking out some of his championship games online. There's a reason he's considered one of the best. Watching him work is almost like watching a clinic on how to rush a quarterback.

Closing Remarks

That's all for this week's article. Through two weeks, we've already seen a few surprises, some teams living up to expectations and others still trying to find their footing. With how competitive this division is, I wouldn't be surprised if the standings look completely different a month from now. Thanks to Jean-Christophe and Mathis for giving their input for this week.

As always, don't hesitate to reach out to me at the fields or through Facebook and Instagram if there's a player, team or storyline you'd like to see covered in future articles. I cover a lot of FPF, so I always appreciate hearing different perspectives from around the league.

Good luck to everyone in Week 3 and I'll see you all around the fields soon.