Division F: Midseason Reviews Begin feat. Hugo Limoges, Mathew Antonios & Breno Amaral
With the majority of teams already playing at least 5 games, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how each team is doing so far and what I can see the second half of the season going for them. For the next few weeks, I’ll be going through a few teams and also getting the impressions from different players on how their team is doing so far. Don’t forget that you need to have your 5 games played to be eligible for playoffs so if you are going to be missing players for that time, get those subs their games so you don’t have to forfeit. Let’s get straight into it.
Aladeen FC (5-1, 25.5pts for, 15.7pts allowed)
Overall Grade: A
MVP: Michael Del Grosso
We talked about Aladeen FC with Ben Levy last week, so there's not much else to add. Michael Del Grosso was featured as one of FPF's top performances after finishing with 3 receiving TDs, 4 sacks and 2 pick-sixes. That's one of the best all-around stat lines you'll see from any division this season. Outside of a loss to 1664 Blancs without Del Grosso in the lineup, this team has been firing on all cylinders.
If they can beat both Devious Dogs and Camwins, that would give them more than enough of an argument to remain a top-four team. At this point, they're not just winning games, they're proving they can compete with anybody in the division.
TGs (5-1, 33.5pts for, 22.2pts allowed)
Overall Grade: A
MVP: Nicolas Polletta
The group is back and dominating once again. Mano Kaliotzakis is having another great season at quarterback and his only sub-par performance came in their lone loss to Aladeen FC, a 31-25 defeat. Nicolas Knez leads the division in touchdowns, which comes as no surprise, but having both Nicolas Polletta and Dylan Pietracupa contributing heavily on offence gives this team another level.
Those additional weapons could be what finally pushes TGs over the top in August. The regular-season finale against Baby Sharks will be a huge test and may ultimately determine who deserves to be considered the division's best team heading into the playoffs.
Bug Sax (3-3, 25.8pts for, 16.5pts allowed)
Overall Grade: B+
MVP: Logan Horn
Their three losses have all come by one possession and by a combined margin of only 15 points. On the other hand, each of their victories has been by at least 10 points. Joseph Moran is putting together a solid season at quarterback and if he can limit the interceptions during the second half, this offence has the potential to become even more dangerous. Moran has also been effective with his legs, already accumulating 173 rushing yards.
Logan Horn continues to do everything for this team. He leads Bug Sax in receptions, receiving yards and interceptions while making an impact on both sides of the ball every week. Outside of their season-opening win against Aladeen FC, their losses have come against teams currently sitting in the upper half of the standings. They still have several games against teams in their range, so winning those matchups will be crucial if they want to build momentum heading into the playoffs.
1664 Blancs (2-3-1, 20.5pts for, 18.8pts allowed)
Overall Grade: B-
MVP: Luke Genest
After speaking with Breno Amaral about the start to the season, I got a much better understanding of why 1664 Blancs' record is what it is. On paper, the results may not jump off the page, but injuries and inconsistent attendance have played a major role. Rather than dwelling on those setbacks, Amaral said the team's mentality has stayed the same.
"Whenever we're playing, we're on the field, I think it's just good vibes. Everyone's happy. Everyone's having a good time which just shows how much love we have for this sport. That's kind of what we look to take into every game and use that love for the game to just win."
That mindset has paid off recently. The team has beaten Aladeen FC and were a point from beating Camwins earlier in the season and Amaral believes they're only getting started.
"I think we're going to be turning heads from now on. We were kind of getting on the same page lately and you've kind of been seeing that from the production and the different schemes that we're running. The chemistry's higher than ever, we're communicating better out there and our quarterback's getting better every game."
This is a unique roster that blends experienced FPF veterans with newer players, including veteran but first-time quarterback Nicholas Fon. The defence has already shown it can keep this team in games and if Fon continues building chemistry with his receivers, I think the offence will continue to improve as the season progresses.
When discussing the team's MVP, Amaral didn't hesitate to recognize Luke Genest.
"Luke's been playing great as a corner. We know he's played great before, but how can you not? He's just a versatile athlete. He was Rusher of the Year last season and we're not even using him as a rusher. That just speaks to how good he is. He's a safety blanket on offense, he's got the hands, the vertical, and quarterbacks don't even want to throw to his side on defense. Every snap he's making a difference."
It's hard to disagree. Genest leads the team offensively while also recording three interceptions on defence. No matter what team he's on, he always seems to be the heartbeat of the group and his versatility allows 1664 Blancs to use him almost anywhere on the field.
Looking ahead, Amaral actually embraces the position his team is in.
"I think we're definitely looking towards a playoff run being the underdog in every round. Let people doubt us and we'll just go out there, have a good time and win games."
With the first half of the season behind them, 1664 Blancs finally appears to be finding its identity. If the roster can stay healthy and the chemistry continues to build, this is a team that could make a lot of noise come playoff time.
Gamblers (1-5, 16.3pts for, 26.5pts allowed)
Overall Grade: C-
MVP: Gabriel Estinvil
It hasn't been the greatest start for Gamblers, especially considering this is their fourth season together. Before last weekend, they were sitting at 0-5 and trending out of playoff contention. I was able to watch their game against Camwins as I was playing right after them and, with the rain coming down throughout the game, they were able to use the conditions to their advantage and pick up a huge first win of the season.
Speaking with Mathew Antonios afterwards, he explained that the weather actually played in Gamblers' favour.
"Honestly, the rain played right into our hands. We've got a lot of guys who are still pretty new to the game, so when the conditions get messy, the pressure kind of evaporates. It turns into backyard football and that's actually where we're comfortable."
Antonios felt that the rain forced both teams out of their structure, allowing Gamblers to play a looser style of football that suited them well. Looking back at their season, some of their losses have been very winnable games and he was quick to point out that many of them came down to self-inflicted mistakes rather than a lack of talent.
"We're honestly a capable team riddled with clumsiness. We've lost games this season that we shouldn't have, just from our own mistakes and penalties."
Despite the rough start, Antonios isn't worried about his team's playoff chances if they continue trending in the right direction. He believes the biggest key moving forward is sticking to the positions and formations they've finally settled on while continuing to hold each other accountable. Antonios currently leads the team with 9 touchdown passes but when asked about the team MVP so far, he immediately pointed to Gabriel Estinvil.
"We've put a lot on him. We made him our safety, had him covering anything deep because of his size and athleticism and we've moved him around the field constantly. We just switched him to corner and all game I didn't even have to look to my right."
Antonios also made sure to give credit to Theo Dedes for helping build chemistry on the defensive side and highlighted Ben Coffin as the team's hidden gem.
"Ben Coffin is right there with him. His football IQ is what stands out. He's read and broken up plays purely off pattern recognition and he's unselfish enough to set up a touchdown rather than chase the ball himself."
A win is a step in the right direction for Gamblers and if they can take advantage of some of the more favourable matchups remaining before their difficult closing stretch, they should put themselves right back into the playoff conversation.
Clique du Chateau (3-3, 17.7pts for, 17.8pts allowed)
Overall Grade: B
MVP: Antoine Laverdiere-Allaire
Got the chance to get more insight into Clique du Château, one of the newer teams in FPF this season. After speaking with quarterback Hugo Limoges, I learned that this isn't just a group of players who signed up together. It's a group of long-time friends who have known each other since high school and have remained close for nearly a decade.
According to Limoges, the team's name actually comes from their friend group.
"The back story of Clique is basically a group of friends that have known each other since high school. People started calling us 'the Clique' and we thought the name was funny, so we kept it. We are eight friends that have stuck together for almost 10 years."
Like most new teams entering FPF, there were some growing pains early on. Learning the rules, understanding game situations and adjusting to the pace of flag football isn't always easy. Limoges admitted that the first two games were particularly difficult because the team was still figuring things out.
"We had struggles on both sides of the ball as expected because we didn't know a lot of rules for the first two games."
Despite that, Clique du Château sits at 3-3 and has managed to regroup after a difficult start. Looking at their schedule, I actually think they should be encouraged rather than disappointed. Two of their losses came against Aladeen FC and TGs, arguably two of the top teams in the division. The loss to Toolbox might be the one result they'd like back, but Toolbox is also a returning team that already had experience playing together.
One area Limoges highlighted was the team's defensive growth.
"We really developed our strategy on defense and it's going really good. Now for offense, we have a good bunch of players but we're going to have to be more intelligent with the ball and our decision-making during games."
As for Limoges himself, the numbers are encouraging. He currently sits at 13 touchdown passes. Like most first-year quarterbacks, there are still areas to improve, particularly limiting interceptions and increasing his completion percentage. The good news is that those are things that typically improve with reps and experience.
Even at 3-3, Limoges isn't lowering expectations for the second half of the season.
"We are disappointed with the record but we know we're going to come back stronger for the rest of the season."
In fact, he believes a 7-3 finish is still very much attainable.
"We want to finish strong and be 7-3. We're practicing a lot and the team gets better every game. A bunch of guys never even played before in their life and they're doing great, so we are confident."
When asked who has stood out the most so far, Limoges didn't hesitate.
"So far I would say the MVP is Antoine Laverdiere-Allaire. The guy never played before and is doing amazing on offense while also putting up good stats on defense. It's no secret that he's my WR1 and we share a special connection in game."
That connection has already become one of the foundations of the offense and should only continue to grow as the season progresses.
For a first-year team sitting at .500 with plenty of football left to play, the outlook is much brighter than their record may suggest.
Feu-Clée FJ (1-4, 10pts for, 29.6pts allowed)
Overall Grade: C
MVP: Luca Jade
This is a new team, so I'm willing to give them some grace. I personally haven't had the chance to watch them play yet, so I won't be overly critical. Looking at the numbers, Luca Jade's stats aren't too bad. He currently sits at a 6:4 TD-to-INT ratio with a 51% completion percentage and has only played three games, with two of those coming at quarterback. That suggests the team has experimented with multiple QBs so far this season. From experience, I'd recommend picking one quarterback and sticking with them for the remainder of the year. Give that player the reps, allow them to make mistakes and learn from them, and let the offence develop chemistry around a consistent leader.
Their high number of points allowed may look like a defensive issue on paper, but often that's a reflection of what's happening on offence. When drives stall early or turnovers occur, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the defence. It's also worth noting that Feu-Clée FJ has already faced teams such as Baby Sharks, Camwins and Bug Sax, so the schedule hasn't exactly been friendly. If players from Feu-Clée FJ are reading this, focus on improving each week and building chemistry as a group. If they can find a way to grab another win or two, that could be enough to keep them in the playoff conversation and would be a positive step forward for a first-year team.
Closing Remarks
As we approach the midpoint of the season, I'd like to thank Breno Amaral, Mathew Antonios and Hugo Limoges for taking the time to answer my questions and provide some insight into their respective teams. One of my favourite parts of writing these articles is getting the opportunity to learn more about players and teams that I don't always get to watch every week. Whether your team is sitting near the top of the standings or fighting to get back into the playoff picture, every group has its own story and it's always interesting to hear those perspectives directly from the players.
This is only the beginning of the mid-season review series. Over the next few weeks, I'll be taking a closer look at the rest of the division, highlighting more teams, players and storylines while also diving into some of the award races that are starting to take shape.
With no FPF games scheduled this weekend, it's also a great opportunity to check out the 2026 Senior Flag Football National Championships taking place right here in Montreal from June 26-28 at Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard. The tournament features some of the best adult flag football players and teams from across the country competing in Men's Pro, Women's Pro and Competitive divisions. While the format is 5v5 rather than FPF's 6v6 style of play, the talent level is incredibly high and it's a great chance to watch some of the top players in Canada compete.
I'll be there competing throughout the weekend and if you're in town with nothing planned, I'd definitely recommend stopping by. Between the high-level competition, national championship atmosphere and opportunity to watch some of Canada's best flag football talent, it should be a fantastic weekend for anyone who enjoys the sport.