10-seeds unite in Division 5 Championship

A New King Will Be Crowned

The math is simple. There was a total of 42 teams that started the season in division 5 and now there are only two remaining. Two teams. One game. It all comes down to this. On Saturday, April 18, The U and Jagerbomb will meet in the Division 5 Winter Championship at The Bell Sports Complex in Brossard at 5 p.m. to determine who the best of the best is.

This week’s agenda is as followed:

Quick Hits, Tale of the Tape, Sleepers and Offence vs Defence, Prediction & Podcast

 

QUICK HITS:

Both teams finished with identical records during the regular season sporting a 5-4-1 record.

Only two points separate these two teams in terms of points against during the regular season.

Jagerbomb closed out the regular season on a four-game win streak. Since the start of the post-season, they have also won four straight games. Do you see where I am going with this? Leading up to the finals, this team is undefeated in their last 8 outings. Impressive.

The U have relied more and more on Shaq Lattimore as the season progressed. In fact, he continues to be the focal point on offence. As the team’s workhorse, it is interesting to note that he mainly does damage to opposing defensives in the run game rather than in the passing attack. Lattimore hasn’t caught a pass in his previous two playoff appearances. Imagine what could be if he and his QB could connect more frequently in the passing game.

 

TALE OF THE TAPE

Divisional Standings The U  entered the playoffs as the no. 10 seed in conference A. Jagerbomb entered the post-season as the no. 10 seed in conference B. Safe to say that they have had similar seasons in their own right.

Points Per Game (Playoffs) The U (32.3) Jagerbomb (37.8)

Points Allowed/Game (Playoffs) The U (20.8) Jagerbomb (26)

SLEEPERS

It’s hard to say that the leading receiver for The U, Josh White, is a sleeper. But in reality, Shaq Lattimore gets much of the attention on this team through his stellar play. However, White is a big target and has had a solid inaugural season in FPF. He has been quiet as of late, but this may be the stage he was waiting for to have a breakout performance. Don’t sleep on this playmaker. Josh Abramovitz is also a stud on offence. I think he has one of the best hands in our division. He is a very underrated player that will make clutch plays for his team as shown in last week’s tilt against the J’s. He won’t blow up the stat sheet, but he is certainly a key player for his team.

 

THE U’S OFFENCE vs JAGERBOMB’S DEFENCE

The U and their wildcat formation, has every team looking miserable on run defence. Jagerbomb were out scouting their opponents following their hard fought victory over the Gators last weekend. They will have to find an answer for Lattimore when he lines up at pivot. Send one rusher or two? Contain and let him throw? The answer to those questions will continue to be on Jagerbomb’s mind until the final whistle on Saturday. It is no secret that The U’s impressive run into the playoffs has come off the legs of Lattimore. No pun intended.

Justin White should be weary of Jean-Felix Daloze. Just last game alone, Daloze recorded 3 interceptions which certainly placed the odds in favor of Jagerbomb on their way to advancing into the finals. Still not convinced? Daloze recorded 2 interceptions in his club’s impressive beat down over the Gryphons in the Quarter Finals. That showed me that this team is for real. Did it really matter that the Gryphons were only 6 players for that game? That doesn’t change anything in my opinion nor should it make Jagerbomb’s victory any less impressive. Every team has injuries or key players that can’t make it to games. We are all in the same boat and must deal with those realities. Jagerbomb handled their business as good teams do.

I know Justin has done his homework. He is a smart QB with a laser arm. Will be interesting to see how they counter Daloze. Who knows, they might even roll the dice and attack him head on. White has the mobility and vision to scramble and locate an open receiver—something he has done all season.

 

JAGERBOMB’S OFFENCE vs THE U’S DEFENCE

Simon Duchesne is playing at an incredibly high level right. I am truly impressed. I saw him play receiver earlier in the year and thought he was the real deal. Now seeing him play under centre, he just graduated to the elite club in our division. With 22 passing touchdowns to just 1 interception since the start of the post-season, I wouldn’t want to be playing against a QB with such a hot hand. Important to note that Duchesne can also keep drives alive on the ground. He is fresh off his 56 yards rushing performance, including one that went for a major.

The U’s defence should be pretty good against the Jagerbomb’s passing attack, given their major improvements towards the end of the regular season in that department. Lattimore and Abramovitz have been solid in the deep passing game, while Cody Sklar continues to be solid in the department of getting after the quarterback. Sklar continues to limit the effectiveness of scrambling QBs and has been consistent this past month.

PREDICTION

Both these teams have been proving me wrong over the past few weeks. They have really elevated their game. Congrats. But there can be only one…Jagerbomb

 

PODCAST

Don’t forget to listen to the Division 5 Press Conference on Thursday. FPF will share the link to tune in live. As always the show is hosted by Moe Money Khan and Terry Tam. Players from The U and Jagerbomb will be invited to join them for a special podcast as we get set to crown a new division 5 champion. We hope that many of you will come down to watch the game and to support those of whom we have competed hard against all season long on the gridiron.