Division D2: PSTM Shakes Up the Playoff Race

Field Notes • Division D2 • Week 9

As it stands right now, the fifth and 12th seeds are separated by only two wins. There is still plenty of movement available in the standings over the next few weeks as the regular season approaches its conclusion.

Week 9 featured several high-scoring matchups, with at least one team reaching 30 points in every game. The Texas Whales remained undefeated, while Richter BFO outdueled Team Ethnik in an offensive thriller. However, the biggest story of the week came Monday night, when PSTM upset Viscious & Delicious 38-24.

PSTM’s Upset Shakes the Standings

Before I played on the same field later Monday night, PSTM took on the 7-2 Viscious & Delicious. Heading into the matchup, PSTM had not scored more than 35 points in a game all season. I also noticed that centre Jordan Le was absent, which meant Ryan McNally had to take over the snapping duties.

The scoring started quickly, with the two teams combining for 34 points in the first half. Each offence scored on every possession, allowing PSTM to take a 20-14 lead into halftime.

PSTM became the first team to stall on a second-half drive, which allowed Viscious & Delicious to take the lead. The game appeared to be slipping away when PSTM faced a critical defensive possession late.

Chris Bertone recorded a sack on fourth-and-13, and Viscious & Delicious failed to regain the lost yardage. Rather than attempting to convert, they punted the ball away despite having an opportunity to potentially put the game out of reach.

PSTM took advantage. A pass interference penalty moved the offence to the two-yard line, where McNally scored the game-winning touchdown on the final play.

I’ve watched PSTM over several seasons, and this was one of Jesse Kotlarczyk’s best performances, especially considering the level of competition. The quarterback finished with six touchdown passes and no interceptions, an important improvement after struggling with turnovers earlier in the season.

When I spoke with Kotlarczyk later in the week, he kept his explanation simple.

“Just trusting my teammates and trying to put the ball in their hands so they can make plays.”

McNally was clearly his safety blanket, finishing with 12 receptions and three touchdowns. Antonio Venturino added six catches and two scores of his own.

PSTM now sits in ninth place with three games remaining. With only the top eight teams qualifying for the playoffs, they are in a good position to make a push if they can finish the season strongly.

Their final three games are all against teams currently below them in the standings. If they can bring the same fight they showed against Viscious & Delicious, they have a legitimate opportunity to climb into the top eight.

PSTM has not missed the playoffs since joining FPF last spring, and Kotlarczyk does not plan on changing that this season.

“We haven’t missed the playoffs since we started this team, so we’re not planning on changing that this year. We know every game moving forward is pretty much a playoff game.”

Their regular-season finale against the familiar 4th Down Freaks could carry major implications. Both teams may have to put their friendships aside if a loss means elimination from playoff contention.

Kotlarczyk made it clear PSTM will be ready if the season comes down to that matchup.

“If it does come down to that last game with some of our buddies on 4th Down Freaks, we’ll be ready to go.”

Regardless of how the final weeks unfold, PSTM has now won two straight games at exactly the right time and has placed itself firmly back in the playoff race.

What Is Wrong With the Viscious & Delicious Defence?

For Viscious & Delicious, this loss likely removes them from contention for a top-two seed. With the Bandits still having three games remaining, Viscious & Delicious could potentially fall as low as fourth place.

As impressive as PSTM’s victory was, the result raised even more concerns about the Viscious & Delicious defence heading into the playoffs.

They arguably have a top-three offence in the division, but their defence may be the weakest among the leading contenders. Much of the responsibility has fallen on Anthony Robichaud and the offence, which has consistently delivered. However, it is difficult to picture this team making a deep playoff run unless it finds a way to prevent opponents from scoring so consistently.

What makes the issue more confusing is that Viscious & Delicious ranks in the top half of the division in both interceptions and sacks. The offence also does not turn the ball over often, and the defence clearly has players capable of making impact plays.

So why does the unit continue to struggle?

After watching this game and looking deeper into the numbers, the answer may be relatively simple. If Viscious & Delicious does not create an early interception, the defence struggles to get off the field.

That may sound like a cherry-picked statistic, but it supports what has been visible on the field. When the defence creates an early takeaway, it can completely change a game. When that interception does not come, the unit appears to become frustrated and vulnerable as the drive progresses.

Viscious & Delicious is not in any danger of missing the playoffs, but qualifying is no longer the main concern. If this team wants to make a deep postseason run, it must prove that it can produce stops without relying almost entirely on early turnovers.

With the playoffs approaching quickly, that adjustment needs to happen sooner rather than later.

Doubleheaders Can Reshape the Playoff Standings in Week 10

Week 10 could completely reshape the playoff picture.

PSTM headlines the week with two crucial matchups. By the time you’re reading this, they may have already faced Crown Boyz before wrapping up the week against Brewers on Monday night. After their upset victory over Viscious & Delicious, they’ll be looking to keep that momentum alive and continue their push into the top eight.

Crown Boyz also have a massive opportunity despite sitting at 2-4. They face PSTM before taking on 4th Down Freaks on Sunday evening at Loyola. With so many teams bunched together in the standings, these games are worth more than just two points. Every victory not only helps your own playoff chances but also prevents a direct competitor from gaining ground.

Super Saiyans currently occupy the seventh seed at 3-4, but they’re far from safe. Unfortunately for them, their schedule couldn’t be much tougher, with back-to-back games against the Bandits and Richter BFO. A pair of losses, or even splitting those games, could be enough to drop them out of a playoff spot depending on how the teams around them perform.

Shockerz sit one spot ahead of Super Saiyans and have the advantage of one game in hand. They’ll play twice on Saturday, facing Trinity before taking on Brewers just an hour later. Two wins would put them in a much more comfortable position heading into the final stretch, while one or two losses could quickly pull them back into the middle of the playoff race.

Finally, there’s Brewers. While they haven’t been mathematically eliminated, they’ll likely need to win out and receive plenty of help from other results to sneak into the postseason. It’s a difficult path, but every playoff run has to start somewhere. Week 10 gives them that chance with games against Shockerz and PSTM.

With only a few weeks remaining in the regular season, every game now feels like a playoff game. The standings are tight, the margin for error is almost gone, and Week 10 could be the week that separates the playoff teams from those left on the outside looking in.

Closing Remarks

A big thank you to Jesse Kotlarczyk for taking the time to answer my questions this week and provide some insight into PSTM’s recent turnaround. Best of luck to him and the rest of the team as they continue their push for a playoff spot.

Week 10 could end up being the most important week of the regular season. Several teams fighting for the final playoff spots have multiple games on the schedule, while others have difficult matchups that could dramatically shift the standings. With so little separating the middle of the pack, every game now carries playoff implications, and one result could be the difference between hosting a playoff game, sneaking into the top eight or missing the postseason altogether.

As always, thanks for reading! If you’d like to be featured in a future article, discuss your team’s season or share your perspective on the division, feel free to reach out to me on Facebook or Instagram: @keyoncyrus.