5v5 Competitive: Rest or Rust for KGP Elite ahead of Week 6
Hey everyone, we’re back after a quiet Week 5 that only featured two games. Heading into Week 7, every team has played at least two games except for KGP Elite, who have yet to take the field this season. With QB Phil Cutler training in Florida and several members of the team competing in Tampa at the USA Flag World Championships a few weeks ago, it’s safe to assume KGP Elite opted for a later start. Week 7 will officially kick off their season with two games.
The rest of the division has stayed busy, with three undefeated teams so far: MTL Magic, Braves, and PartyCrashers. These are teams I expected to be near the top of the standings by mid-season. The highest-scoring team, however, is the 2–1 Flag Moi L’Sac — and let me tell you, their offence is second to none. Their lone loss came this past week in a 43–20 defeat against Braves.
Flag Moi benefited from a lighter schedule to start the season, facing newcomers Bleue Dry 10.1 and the veteran #NR squad in their first two games. While their offence can score points in a hurry, the big question moving forward is how they’ll match up against more experienced teams in this division, such as Braves, as the season progresses.
Speaking of Braves, they sit at 2–0 in Competitive — a better position than their current 2–2 record in Division 1. As mentioned earlier, they defeated Flag Moi 43–20 in a game where Gab Champagne scored five touchdowns and looked nearly impossible to contain. Jeremy Murphy also made his return to Competitive, recording one touchdown and two interceptions, showing no rust after his hiatus. In this division, Braves appear to be in their purest form, which will make them a dangerous team to watch throughout the season.
In the other Week 6 matchup, MTL Magic took care of business against #NR with a 32–8 win. Interestingly, the game was just 8–6 at the break, but once the final 20 minutes began, Nicholas Groppini opened the floodgates with his first of three second-half touchdowns. MTL Magic went on to score 26 points in the half.
Looking ahead, MTL Magic has a series of solid matchups coming up, and it’s hard to see them losing more than two games for the rest of the season. For #NR, quarterback play remains a major concern. Myles Gibbons has yet to play, and if that trend continues, the offence could face mounting frustration.
Zach Deschamps, a solid CEGEP quarterback from Lionel-Groulx, hasn’t had the strongest start to the season. That said, it’s still early, and if he can adjust to the fast-paced 5v5 game, his tackle football IQ could translate well. In the opening game, when Sanders Armand took snaps at quarterback, the offence moved the ball more effectively. However, inconsistency and a lack of chemistry with receivers proved costly. In this division, efficiency is everything. With the season moving quickly, #NR will need to address these issues sooner rather than later, or things could spiral out of control.
Pre-Week 7 talks with Ethan Adrian
KGP Elite has yet to play a game this season, and ahead of their long-awaited debut, I spoke with rusher Ethan Adrian about how it feels to be the only team still waiting to kick off their campaign.
With KGP Elite being the only team yet to play this season, do these first two games feel more significant than a typical early-season matchup?
“I wouldn’t really say that they’re more important. However, I do think they’ll set the tone for the season since we already have an idea of how good these teams are based on the games that have already been played. We’ll definitely take advantage of that knowledge going into them. That said, in my experience, the early season doesn’t matter too much. I’ve had plenty of seasons where we started off shaky and then gained momentum heading into the playoffs. I’ve even been part of a full quarterback change mid-season that ended up leading us to win the division. So I’m never too worried about early-season games, regardless of when they happen.”
What lessons from the Tampa tournament do you think will carry over into this season for you and the team?
“Unfortunately, the roster isn’t exactly the same as it was in Tampa, but we still have our usual core of guys and we definitely learned a lot there. We saw all kinds of different plays being run — some that worked really well and others that most teams relied on in the red zone — and we’ll be taking advantage of that experience."
"Tempo was also a big takeaway. With such short games in Tampa, maximizing the number of plays was crucial, so we may bring a bit more pace into our game this season. The biggest takeaway overall was getting reps against high-caliber players. That kind of competition brings out the best in our team and pushes us to another level."
"We actually played one of our best games against Team France, who won the Olympic division last year and made the finals again this year. We played them in our very first game and beat them. We definitely plan to come out with that same intensity this season.”
What are your expectations heading into the season opener against #NR?
“Honestly, I expect us to come out fairly strong against #NR. They’re a team we’ve matched up well against in the past and have handled before. I’m not too familiar with their quarterback, which is exciting for me since I usually rush the same quarterbacks every season. I know they’re coming off a few losses to start the year, but they’ve got some real ballers on that roster, so we won’t be taking them lightly. I don’t like making score predictions for my own team, but I will say it’s a game I expect us to win.”
Where do you see KGP Elite by the end of the season, and do you have any personal goals for this winter in Competitive?
“I’m really looking forward to a strong winter season. We came up short in the fall and dealt with roster and attendance issues due to injuries, so we never really got to play a full season as a complete unit. I think we’ve built more chemistry since then, and hopefully everyone stays healthy. I see us being right up there with the top teams and near the top of the standings by season’s end.”
“Individually, I’ve got some goals as well. I was dealing with a groin injury in the fall, which limited my playing time and sack totals. This season, I want to get back to the top of the sack leaderboard and make up for that. If I’m doing that, I know I’m doing my part to help the defence get stops and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, which often leads to interceptions. That’ll play a big role in getting KGP to the top of the standings and setting us up for a strong playoff run.”
Closing Remarks:
There you go for Competitive and I wanted to thank Ethan for taking the time to discuss how he feels KGP Elite will look like this season. We’re heading into Week 7, and things are just getting started. 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.