Division 5B: Recaps ahead of Week 5 and Spotlight Featuring Ryan McNally

Hey guys, welcome back to this week’s article. Every team has now played at least one game, with some squads making strong early claims for a playoff spot while others have quickly fallen behind. Credit to Swiffer WetJets, who are the only undefeated team to have played at least three games, sitting at 3–0.

It’s still early in the season; however, a start like that can make a huge difference when it comes to playoff qualification and seeding. Deep Zone Penetrators have scored the most points so far with 104 points for, while teams such as Rampage and The Perplexors will need to start stacking wins soon, as both have played several games and remain winless.

For this article, we’ll also be introducing a guest I’ve known for many years — Ryan McNally — who has extensive experience playing flag football, particularly in higher divisions. For those who don’t know him, Ryan is a former McGill Redbird who just wrapped up his final university season and is also a former Vanier Cheetah. Known as a high-IQ defensive back in the tackle football world, McNally has successfully translated that awareness to flag football, becoming increasingly impactful on the offensive side as well, especially in the upper divisions.

Before diving deeper into his story, let’s break down my top three team performances from Week 4.

Swiffer WetJets

Speaking of Swiffer WetJets, they put up 43 points in their win over The Perplexors. Andrew Chin only needed 10 completions, but with seven of those going for touchdowns, that was more than enough. He spread the ball around effectively, with every receiver who caught a pass finding the end zone.

Having known this group for a few seasons now, they always seem to enjoy playing together, and when games tighten up late, they consistently find a way to win. Could this be the season where they finally convert regular-season success into a postseason run?

For The Perplexors, there’s no shortage of talent. I’ve played against Zachary Mastromonaco, Brandon Kerr, and Zachary Kott, and while they’re great guys off the field, they’re also strong flag players. Mastromonaco, in particular, stood out with nine receptions and a touchdown in the loss. Davide Bartolucci has dealt with turnover issues so far this season, but if he can limit those mistakes, it won’t be long before The Perplexors find the win column — this roster is simply too talent-heavy to stay winless.

Angry Birds

Angry Birds took care of 7eleven on Wednesday night in Laval with a 39–6 victory. While the game was a blowout from the opening moments, Angry Birds are shaping up to be a team to watch this season. Domenico Manno makes difficult throws look effortless and operates with a strong receiving core that understands the game at a high level.

Lucas Crivello had a standout performance, scoring two touchdowns and recording three interceptions, including a pick-six. Assuming they remain at full strength, I’d expect Angry Birds to win their next two games before a potential quarterfinal rematch against my McGill Swim Team in Week 8.

For 7eleven, it’s been a tough start. Being slightly over the cap for Division 6 while consistently facing solid Division 5 teams creates a difficult path. Francois Dumontier hasn’t had a standout season, but his numbers aren’t as bad as you might expect from an 0–4 team. With experienced players like Ousmane Guindo, who has competed in higher divisions, this isn’t a team opponents should overlook.

Matchup of the Week

The matchup of the week featured the Chateauguay Community College squad against Les Mangeux de Beignes, with CCC coming out on top after a controlled first half. I played against Zachary Gaudette back in Fall 2024 during his second FPF game, and he has a legitimate arm.

Mathys Dubois and Hugo André each scored twice in the win, while Dubois led both teams with eight receptions. Dimitri Gilleron also had an excellent outing as a rusher, recording three sacks.

For Les Mangeux de Beignes, this marked their first loss of the season and pushed Xavier Delisle outside of his comfort zone. He finished with one touchdown and three interceptions — a true test early in the year. I fully expect Les Mangeux de Beignes to bounce back and wouldn’t be surprised if they’re eyeing a postseason rematch.

Before we dive deeper into Ryan McNally’s story, we’ll introduce our first fantasy flag football segment. I’ll be going head-to-head with someone I’ve grown to respect a lot — Angry Birds rusher Tristan “TJ” Koutsoumbas. These will be our lineups for the upcoming Week 5 schedule, so be sure to check out the Facebook page and vote on who you think will win the matchup. Below are the respective teams and the rules.

Fantasy Football Rules:

• Positions: 1x QB, 1x Rusher, 5x flex players, 1 Team Defence

• I will have to abide by the Division 5 team caps, here are my criterias:

• Qb rating max 72

• Team rating max 410

• I will only be able to use a player once all season (if they don’t play that week, I can re-use them later in the season)

• The scoring format (full PPR):

• 1pt per 25yds thrown

• 4pts per passing TD, -2 per INT thrown, -2pts per safety allowed

• 0.1pt per receiving or rushing yd, 1pt per reception, 6pt per TD scored

• 1pt per 1pt-convert, 2pt per 2pt-convert

• 1pt per sack, 2pts per INT, 0.5pts per pass defended, 2pts per safety, 6pts per defensive TD scored, 0.25pts per tackle

Player Spotlight: Ryan McNally

What’s your story with flag football as most people know you as a highly talented tackle football player? What was your first experience playing flag like?

I love football and hanging out with my friends and FPF let me do both, I also just graduated so my tackle football career is over. I first played in 2016 with my good friends andI was so used to tackle football that I made someone fumble the ball and jumped on it, and then got flagged. I was very confused but learned the rules very quickly. 

What was the hardest thing about the journey of football for you?

At McGill the hardest part was managing school and football, the football part was fun. 

What’s something football has taught you about life?

Football taught me at a young age that I’m working for something bigger than myself, everyone on the team is important.

What do you want people in this division to know about you? 

I am a healthy competitor (loud to encourage my teammates, but respectful). 

What’s the vibe of your team? Who deserves more credit on your team?

Our team's standard is high, we want to win the championship. Our QB Jesse should get more credit for being as good as he is, despite never playing football, let alone as a quarterback.

What’s something people wouldn’t expect about you?

I am a very bad quarterback.

Pregame ritual or superstition?

I need to do the same 3 stretches before every game or I don’t feel right mentally and physically.

Closing Remarks:

There you go for 5B and I wanted to thank Tristan for taking the time to choose who he believes will ball out this week and to Ryan for his time to get to know more about him. We’re heading into Week 5, and things are picking up fast. The first 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.