Division E2: Super Saturday at Loyola
This Saturday Loyola will be home to the three games that I mentioned in last week’s article that were cancelled. The trio of matches are:
Molson Import vs Still an Inch Short
Tops'n Tops vs Stables
Trailer Park Boys vs [Enter Team Name Here]
With the post-season just a short four weeks away, this trio of games holds a lot of importance as all six teams involved are in the thick of the playoff race. Two are just on the outside looking in, one is fighting to hold on to the top spot in the division, and the other three are trying to climb the standings. Let’s look at all three matchups.
Molson Import vs Still an Inch Short
Molson Import currently sit in fourth place. They are ted for points with Illegal Aliens (who they beat in Week 5) and Stables. The team is also two points behind Trailer Park Boys (Week 2 loss), Flag Dealers, and Tops'n Tops (also a Week 2 loss) who sit first, second, and third respectively.
Coming into this matchup, Molson Import have won three in a row. Their most recent victory was a (42-6) dismantling of [Enter Team Name Here] in Week 6. That game was two weeks ago, which means that this team should be fresh tomorrow afternoon.
The biggest factor during their win streak has been the play of their defense. In two out of the three wins, Molson Import held their opponents to two touchdowns or less. The lone exception was the team’s (32-30) victory over Illegal Aliens in Week 5. That win was still defensive driven, as they were able to hold the number three ranked offense to their second lowest points scored this season.
Still an Inch Short is one of the two teams that I mentioned were on the outside of the playoff race looking in. They are currently in eleventh place, two points behind the Rosemere Rhino Pills for the eighth and final spot in the post-season.
They enter tomorrow coming off a thrilling (33-32) win versus Vengeance, that saw them make a defensive stand on the last play of the game to hang on to the win. Overall, Still an Inch Short has won two of their last three games.
To get the win, Molson Import will have to continue to employ their suffocating defense to slow down an offense that has started to find their footing as of late. From Week 1 to 4, Still an Inch Short scored a total of 52 points. Over their last two games, Quarterback Jérémy Séguin and his team have put up 50. The QB’s top target during the improved play has been Receiver Antoine Bourassa, who has reached the endzone three times in his last two games.
To shut their opponents down, the third-ranked Molson Import defense will need the likes of Zach Leroux, Laurent Courville, Mathis Ledoux, and Emile Descoteaux to dictate the flow of the game, and force their opponents into third and fourth and long.
For Still an inch Short to get the win, the game plan should be simple. They need to score more than four touchdowns and surprise the Molson Import defense with varied offensive looks and play calls. The former has been off for a month. That is more than enough time to shake things up on that side of the ball.
Trailer Park Boys vs [Enter Team Name Here]
The Trailer Park Boys’ next stop on their path to perfection sees them take on a team that is reeling in [Enter Team Name Here].
During their impressive run, the team has used a stifling defense that has let only one opponent score more than two touchdowns.
The top ranked unit in points allowed, is good at producing takeaways, as they are second in interceptions with 11. The unit is led by Alexandre Meunier, Jean-Sebastien St-Arneault, Frederic Meunier, Ridj Mycout, and Théo Médori, who have combined for nine of those INTs and 40 tackles.
Sitting with a (2-4) record and in twelfth place, [Enter Team Name Here] is currently four points out of the last playoff spot. With four games remining, they are starting to run out of time to close the gap. To keep pace, they must find a way to win tomorrow. To do exactly that, they will need to do the one thing that they have struggled to do all year, score touchdowns.
Out of the 14 teams that make up Division E2, [Enter Team Name Here] is the only one that hasn’t surpassed the 100-point plateau. They enter Week 8 scoring an average of 15.7 points per game. Compounding that is the fact they have a hard time moving the ball, as they produce 122 yards per game, which is also good for last place.
It has been trial by fire for Quarterback Zachary Alberts-Gill, who has been filling in for injured veteran QB Kenny Boutillier. The future FPF Hall-of-Famer - as a Rusher - has thrown five touchdowns and six interceptions, while completing less than 40% of his passes, and less than eight yards a pass. Not exactly QB of the Year stats.
To get the win tomorrow, the team will need to make this a low-scoring game. [Enter Team Name Here] has the defense to do so with Alberts-Gill, Jonothan Joseph, Kento Kitano, and Ricard Martelly. They question of course is will their offense be able to keep them off the field long enough to stay fresh and execute?
For Trailer Park Boys to keep the zero in the loss column, they will also need to attack their opponent’s defense, with quick hitters, short huddles, and constant deep shots to keep [Enter Team Name Here] on their heels and gassed.
Quarterback of the Year candidate Antoine Meunier must make the opposition have to guess where the ball is going. Luckily for him, he has he Receivers to do that with Xavier Maranda-Levesque, and his brothers Alex and Fred Meunier.
I love the effort and heart of [Enter Team Name Here]. It is in the DNA of their team. I just don’t think they will be able to stop the Trailer Park Boys from winning on either side of the ball.
Tops'n Tops vs Stables
This matchup pits Top’n Tops’ with the division’s top offense against the Stables’ fourth ranked defense, that is first in yards allowed per game with 146.
Who will blink first? Will it be the former’s big play Receivers in Laurent Rizzuto, Samuel Woody, Ludovic Lenneville, Joey-Anthony Rizzuto, and Jeremy Uglar, or the rugged secondary of the latter featuring Sean Costello, Brandon Amaral, Daniel Iarrera, Jakob Daniels, and Rusher Erik Farge?
This contest has game of year potential. Tops’n Tops sit in third place with 10 points, while the Stables hold the fifth spot with eight points. A win for the latter coupled with a loss by fourth place Molson Import, would give Stables sole possession of third.
A win for the former, would put them four points up on their opponents, and potentially put them in first depending on what happens in the Trailer Park Boys game versus [Enter Team Name Here]. Worst case scenario, they would end up in second, leapfrogging the Flag Dealers who are off this week.
Coming into the contest, Tops’n Tops have won two in a row, and five out of six games overall. Their most recent win was a (30-20) victory over Vengeance in Week 6. The Stables are coming off a tough (32-18) loss to No Porkin Around in Week 5. Before that defeat, they were victorious in four straight.
Two teams playing solid football, as they gear up for the post-season marathon. Who am I picking? Find out below.
Random thoughts
I watched the Division F game between the Baby Sharks versus Don’t Touchdown Here game last Monday at Marie-Vic. I had seen the former from afar, but last week was the first time I got to see them up close. I can’t lie, I was impressed. Although they play in the lowest 6 v 6 division, I saw a team that could move the ball, make stops, and were explosive.
They have a solid Quarterback in Jonathan Caron, and a legit top pass-catcher in Maxime Sharkawi, who is the odds-on favourite to win the Receiver of the Year award.
On defense, the team has several playmakers in Nicolas Vijer, Eli Lecavalier, Zacharie Choko Caro, Benjamin Caron, and Rusher Christophe Veronneau. The unit leads Division F in both interceptions and defensive touchdowns with twenty-two and nine respectively.
This team should be in Division E2. They were on Div. E last summer, but with a different Quarterback in Jérémie Laplante. The QB departed, which led to Caron who lined up at Receiver last season, to try his hand at the game’s most important position. So far so good for both the player and the squad. Maybe they don’t go (7-0) as they are right now, but chances are they more than hold their own.
Earlier this week it was announced that the Olympic Q-Series, which is an expanded international event and qualification pathway to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, would be holding four events in June 2028 from May to June in four different countries, Japan, China, the United States, and Canada. The Canadian portion will be held here in Montreal from June 1st to 4th.
Four sports will be showcased. They will be beach volleyball, BMX freestyle, park skateboarding, and flag football. If you’ve been paying attention, you know that both our Men and Women’s National teams are full of players from FPF. Having a chance to watch them do their thing and help their teams qualify in what will most likely be their final tune-up before the games begin that July, will be exciting.
A lot of the FPF players who are on the team and even those who were either initially named to the roster or got a chance to take part in their camps, have started in the lower divisions in FPF. Look no further than someone like James Drysdale or AJ Gomes. Use their examples as motivation to push yourself to get on the team’s radar for the 2032 games.
Picks
Molson Import vs Still an Inch Short – Molson Import
Top’n Tops vs Stables – Stables (Upset Special # 1 and my pick for Game of the Week)
Trailer Park Boys vs [Enter Team Name Here] – Trailer Park Boys
Illegal Aliens vs Robins – Illegal Aliens
Special Agents vs Super Bock – Special Agents (Upset Special #2)
Last Week: -
Regular Season: (6-6)
Upset Special: (0-1)
My apologies for the confusion last week. I finished the article Thursday night and published it Friday after reading it one last time. When I checked the division schedule on the website, the games hadn’t been changed yet. The Robins vs Illegal Aliens and Special Agents vs Super Bock contests were scheduled for last week when I published.
I didn’t think that those two contests would be moved with the other three that got shifted to tomorrow. Thank-you to those that reached out to let me know of the mistake.
That is it for this week. Good luck to everyone in their games tonight, tomorrow, and next week.
I posted a few Division E2 questions on the FPF Facebook page. Go check them out and answer them.
If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.