20 Years of Magic brings us back to FPF! – FlagPlus Football League

Welcome One and All to the 20th year of FPF! My name is Zackary Alberts-Gill and I will be your guide through this Winter season of my favorite sport – FOOTBALL (though Rugby is a close second). For those of you who know me: Hi everyone! For those of you who don’t – here’s a quick Origin Story: I played High School Football in Texas and then some Rugby at John Abbott. I started playing in the league in 2016, after thinking I wouldn’t be able to play competitive football anymore, and WOWZA, was I shocked at the intensity of FPF! I quickly sunk back into my love of being a Defensive End and started chasing QB’s up and down the field.

Not only has FPF been a great source of competition, but it has also been a great source of friendships. The staff are great, players are great, refs are great, scorekeepers are great, and President Rob is great! I recommend this league to everyone of all skill levels and it’s definitely something I plan to continue playing until I’m dragged off the field, kicking and screaming.

These weekly articles will be my chance to shed some light on our Division: Give players Shout Outs, Talk about Stats, Game Predictions and track the rise and fall of teams over the season. This will hopefully become your 1 stop shop for all of your Division 5A and 5B needs! If there is technical information, like Rules, Game Stats, and Ratings you need help with, always check out flagplusfootball.com or hit up their Facebook page for support from various people in the league. For fun coverage of the league, don’t forget to check out the weekly Calling The Audible Podcast and Game of the Week videos! I don’t do Social Media, but we have an Instagram too apparently…..Go sign up….

Anyway! Without further ado, let’s see who makes up this season’s Div 5A and 5B and see if we can gauge some power levels, i’ll cover the first few teams here, and the others in the weeks leading up to our Mid-Season Power Rankings:

FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH:

Look out for the new OverTime rule: If the score is tied at the end of 5 plays, there will be an Overtime contest wiith 1 attempt per team. Home team chooses first (who will attempt first, or which end of the field), and the visitor makes the 2nd choice. If the team making the first attempt scores (1 or 2 points), then the team making the 2nd attempt choice MUST go for 2 points. (You know, so it’s a win or lose situation?) The point of this rule is to help eliminate ties. To do so, they also made the following rule……..

The point differential MERCY rule comes into effect at 15 points (down from 18), the game is over and we do not play the 5 plays. This is adjusted because the total possible points a team can score with 5 plays left is 15 (including using your Onside Kick).

Random Thought – Maybe I shouldn’t be posting these rules here, and instead, just link you the article…….RULE 3!: On a rusher interference penalty, the non-offending team has the option to make this a loss of down (instead of 5 yards and repeat the play). Remember these 3 new addendums as we go through the season!

I will have a GAME OF THE WEEK section at the end where I try my luck, week by week, in guessing the winners of each game. If you would like to compete with me, feel free to send me your Predictions on Facebook or E-mail ([email protected]), and I will track and post your records at the bottom alongside mine each week!

Stats will be coming next week as soon as you all give me Stats to post. Each week, I’ll be ranking my top players: 2 QB’s, 4 Receivers, 4 Defensive Players, 2 Rushers. If you like seeing your name highlighted, give me some reasons to write it down!

A QUICK GLANCE AT THE COMPETITION:

STRAPAHOLICS

A new team to not only the Division, but to the league as well, STRAPAHOLICS has a mixture of new and familiar faces. It seems most of this team is a rebranded PRIMETIME with QB Daniel Spina at the helm. PRIMETIME found success in both Division 6 and Division 5/D scoring a positive record in most, if not all, of their seasons. Despite half of their players having only played 4 seasons or less in FPF so far, they boast recruiting FPF Hall of Famer and Record Holder: Matt Kirouac! Not only a rusher extraordinaire (and a personal milestone for me), Kirouac is an expert snapper which is a key position. I don’t know how deep Kirouac’s involvement will be on this team, but if he is snapping AND rushing… teams better watch out!

Coming along for the ride is Alessio Muro, another player from PRIMETIME, who has shown season after season that he is a reliable receiver. Already a 2 time All-Star, Alessio is joined by another PRIMETIME regular – George Zergiotis – and his brother Agi Zergiotis. George is already known on the team for his sure hands and quite a number of Pick 6’s, let’s see if Agi can replicate his brother’s success (I hope they’re brothers… I didn’t check and am totally guessing)! If that didn’t round out this already scary offense, they have the wild card in Matthew Cadogan, who has done very well for himself for his first few seasons in the league. I’ll be looking out for him as the season continues.

Overall, I think this is a smart and talented team that has picked up some playmakers. Will that be enough to finally get them a Championship? On paper, absolutely, but their record of losing early in the playoffs gives me pause… let’s see where this team falls by Mid Season, but I expect big things from this team.

Prediction: 7-3

SUPER TROOPERS

Excuse my enthusiasm, but I’ll find it hard not to rant and rave about my own Div 5 team! SUPER TROOPERS began as a team of friends who had heard that FPF was the bee’s knees! At least half the team had never played football before, let alone FPF, but hearing that it was somehow – more than just Football – we had to give it a go. Thankfully, QB extraordinaire – Gabe Wiseman – was just starting out his tenure at QB and needed some guinea pigs. We were able to find him on FPF’s Free Agent roster and the rest is history. Having found some success with an array of players in Division 6/E (though never quite making it much past the first round of Playoffs), SUPER TROOPERS disbanded in 2017, after only 3 seasons.

6 years later: SUPER TROOPERS are reassembling with OG member, Kenny Boutilier, taking over at QB. After having a successful season in the FPF Cup and continuing the trend of 30+ total TD’s, Kenny is bringing his mobile, throw on the go style of play to Div 5. His speed and quickness make him a difficult match up for most rushers, and his ability to launch the ball down the field has greatly increased his depth at QB! Finding his footing at the QB spot, he is looking to test himself as he finds his rhythm in the Division.

He is joined by yours truly, Zackary Alberts-Gill, and OG member: Gabriel Wiseman. Wiseman has since gone through the FPF gauntlet – Winning a number of Awards and Championships, becoming a high caliber QB, ascending into the Top 5 of All-Time rushers, and becoming a defensive power house! We were also fortunate to recruit 2 recent additions to the leagues: Richard Massey and Hugo Stensland! Coming into his 3rd season, Hugo has already shown talent as a sure handed snapper! Climbing along with us into the big leagues are Jonathan Joseph and Joel Chartier – recurring cast members who have quickly picked up Flag Football and have been big parts of our defense. All in all, excited for the season and ready to break some hearts!

Prediction: 6-4

STEPBROTHERS

As I scroll through this team’s roster, 1 thing keeps popping into my head: WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?! With only 3/9 players having ever played in FPF before, this team is made up of mostly newly rated players. Are these super athletes sneaking into Divisions 5? New players that are shooting for the moon, or anything in between? I’m curious to see how this team shapes up in what seems to be a competitive Div 5, with little FPF experience.

Despite their “greenness”, they do have 2 FPF vets on their team: Maxime Verna-Gagne and Sifax Kaced. Maxime is no stranger to ANY division of FPF, having played in most of the higher tier divisions at least once, but might be looking to shake the rust off in a lower stakes division before bouncing up again. Maxime may have the experience of higher tier divisions, but Sifax Kaced brings the experience of winning 2 Championships in Div 6/E. Together, Maxime and Sifax will need to (quickly) teach their players the FPF style of play within the first few games, if they want a chance to be able to guide the STEPBROTHERS to the playoffs.

Prediction: 3-7

HAIL MARTY’S

HAIL MARTY’S came together for the first time last season and had a phenomenal first run; going 9-1 in Division E last Spring and making it all the way to the semi-finals. With their regulars returning to try their hands at another great season, this team has the talent and experience to do just that! With a QB cap of 72, I can only assume Marty Freedman will retake his position as his team’s namesake, and be the QB #1 on this team. Having been a Top 3 QB in the Spring season and making it as an All-Star, Mr. Freedman has already proven he can put up 35+ TD’s a season (in his 1st season throwing, no less), but can he have a repeat performance, especially since his crew hasn’t changed?

He is joined by some long time FPFers: David Weiss, Jonathan Perez, and Jack Antaki, who have all been in the league in some form or fashion since 2017. David Weiss is a reliable player who can hustle around the field and is a solid Offensive player. Jack Antaki was a regular on SILENT TICKLERS as they made their way up from Div 3/C to Div 2/B, and is with them, again, this season. Antacki always averages a few hundred yards receiving, however, with this reduced roster, I wonder if we will be seeing him more on Defense this season? Jonothan Perez is a heavy hitter for this team. Not only was he the #2 receiver for HAIL MARTY’S last season, but has QB experience, and can be a force on Defense. Jonothan has found mixed success in Div 6 and 5, but that has not stopped him from balling out. He is a player to look out for on the field.

All of these studs, and I haven’t even mentioned their Receiver of the Year Winning, #1 offensive threat: Brandon Vickers. Scoring an astonishing 17 TD’s last season, will we see the same dynamic duo of Freedman/Vickers? Or will Marty spread the ball a bit more to keep defenses guessing? Regardless of what they choose, they will most likely be successful.

Prediction: 8-2

THREAT LEVEL MIDNIGHT

I smile every time I see this team’s name shows up. The Office is my All-Time favorite show (My Co-Ed team is Michael Scott’s Tots, in case proof was required), and I am more than happy to share the stage with this fantastic high budget, star studded, blockbuster film! THREAT LEVEL MIDNIGHT popped onto the scene in 2019 in Division 5B. Starting off strong, the team quickly made a name for themselves by winning the Tier 3 FPF Cup after only 3 seasons in the league! Now, Michael Scarn and his robot butler Samuel, are back, looking for a repeat performance in Div 5B. Jonathan Lemieux takes the lead role as Scarn, as he continues to play QB for TLM. In his 6 season career with TLM he has put up some mighty stats: 166 TD’s, 7,322 Yards, and a 60% accuracy rate! He is bringing some of his favorite targets along with him – long time regulars on TLM – Jean-Daniel Joly, Julien Proulx, and Simon Richard. These 3 will be the heart of the team since they are the OG members, and also have the most experience in FPF on the team (and Jonothan Lemieux).

Antoine Richard, although not a newbie to the team, was a later addition out of FPF Jr. who joined in 2022. He is a solid member that continues to prove himself on defense and had his best offensive season yet last season in the FPF Cup. Look to him to be underestimated and have an even better season this year. New recruits who will also be looking to stand out among the crowd are: Frederick Astell, Jacob Laflamme, Ugo Landry-Tolszczuk, and Zachary Beaulieu-Cyr. Although each of them have at least 1 season played with TLM already, having 4 members of your team who are new to FPF in Div 5B, might give GoldenFace the advantage in this adventure! I have hopes for this team, but I will be reserved in my predictions and hope they prove me wrong!

Prediction: 4-6

TUNESQUAD

These looney ACME characters have been showing their ball skills since 2019 in FPF Jr.. Garner Ross continues to prove that he can (space)JAM with the best of them and consistently puts up 1000+ yards, nearly 30 TDs, and under 10 INTs and SACKs each season! Bouncing around in Div 6 and Tier 3 FPF CUPs, TUNESQUAD finds themselves in their first foray of Div 5B. Having played them a few times throughout FPF, this is a fun group of talented young kids who keep coming out and surprising us. They made a big splash in their recent Fall Cup run by knocking out the fierce COOKIE MONSTERS team in the playoffs. Unlike some other teams, TUNESQUAD has been able to keep most, if not all of their team together as they progressed through the league, and have the advantage of being a well oiled machine starting off the season!

This team is made up of quality players that have found their stride recently and are looking for their first Championship: Avi Korman has been a great rusher so far, ramping himself up to a double digit sack season; he has been able to put pressure on QBs when it matters. I’d call out an individual receiver, but they all have the potential to be a game changer! Garner Ross has been very effective at spreading the ball and keeping everyone involved as a threat. Ben and Max Arnovitz are key pieces of the offense, but Ben Regenstreif and Jesse Dym have both shown that they are able and willing to put the team on their back when push comes to shove. With each of them sporting no minimum than 4 TDs per season, you have to be able to cover the entire team to effectively shut down this Offense. Adam Antel rounds off this entourage as the best 2 way player on the team. TDs for days and a solid number of INTs, look to Adam and Garner to be the key to the SQUADs success! Let’s get ready to RUUUUMMMBBBLLLEEEE as the TUNESQUAD takes the field this season. Eventually, I’ll dissect each player and their respective Looney Tune, but alas, that is for another time.

Prediction: 6-4

BREWERS

Well… I am a tad shocked at the sheer amount of players registered on this team: 14 players! There isn’t even enough room to give them all 1 position! BREWERS has been a staple in the league since 2018, so their roster size isn’t unheard of ‘round these parts, and, having played them last year – they are a fun group of guys. Jeffrey Lefebvre remains the team’s forever QB and has begun his TD climb after having had a small slump in 2020-2021. Reaching high 20’s last season, I expect that with his core back together, he will finally eclipse the 30 TD mark this season! Helping him in this endeavor will be his #1 target, Christopher Morin, who has remained his reliable go-to man on the field. A regular on BREWERS since its inception, Morin is joined by the other key pieces of: Eddie Laronde (who always eclipses the 100 yard mark), Martin Cayouette (don’t sleep on him – highest yards on the team), rusher – James Moulton, and Steven Lawrusik (leads the team in INTs).

I’m interested to see who is able to pull ahead of the crowd and shine as a playmaker on this team, however, there are too many people on this team to fully call out everyone, But with this squad having gone through the ringer together (sometimes only getting 1 win), they should be used to the pressure and the speed of FPF. Olivier Bernier and Kevin Gauthier are both good pickups for Div 5 and should have a big impact on the team. I’ll keep my eye on Scott Glendenning and Nicolas Rouleau in hopes that the depth of this roster doesn’t drown them. I predict a rocky season ahead, but a fun time regardless, and a few upsets in their future!

Predictions: 2-8

DEATH BATTLE BREAKDOWN:

This is where I will break down my upcoming pick for Game of the Week, or at the very least, the game that catches my eye the most!

THE WEST ISLAND HABIBIS vs BANDITS:

This matchup should be a good start to the season, as a mix of cast and crew from the HABIBIS and WEST ISLAND BOYS (…..in case it wasnt obvious….) begin their tear through of 5A against BANDITS. Having just won the Tier 3 FPF Cup, Zack Stacey (HEY ANOTHER ZACK!) is looking to do it again, as he traverses the familiar stomping grounds of Division 5. BANDITS are not inexperienced coming into this game, but will need to make sure they shake off the rust early if they want to hang with these HABIBIS. If Zack Stacy is anything, he is consistent: You know he’s gonna be able to put up 4-5 TDs a game, you know that without Skylar Bayliff – his go-to receiver will be Nicholas Di Maulo, and most likely, he will only take 1 sack and give the opportunity for 1 INT. BANDITS will need to not only capitalize on the few opportunities they will get, but also, outscore their opponents by putting up 4-6 TDs of their own!

For the BANDITS: they will need to keep turnovers to a minimum and I don’t just mean INTs! Going 3 and out will most likely result in a TD for the boys from the West, so you may just need to be aggressive and expect your receivers to fight for the ball! Luckily, the BANDITS have been together for a while and if they can start the season by beating this top tier team, I believe they have a chance to take the momentum to the playoffs! A true underdog story!

Prediction: THE WEST ISLAND HABIBIS 32 – 21 BANDITS

THREAT LEVEL MIDNIGHT vs PACK A PUNCH:

MAN O’ MAN! How lucky are we!? These 2 teams just got out of the FPF Cup, having played each other in Week 1, and here we are again! Last time these 2 got together, PACK A PACK was able to squeak away with the hard fought win: 13-12. Michael De Seta came away the victorious QB, despite only throwing 1 TD. Much of this was due to Stefano De Seta, who scored the extra point for the PACK A PUNCH victory, and was a key factor on defense. PACK A PUNCH substitute QB, Simon Richard, was unfortunately unable to avoid Stefano this game and threw him 2 INTs (1 for a TD return), out of the 4 total INTs he threw that game. But now that Stefano doesn’t seem to be on the roster, and Jonothan Lemieux is back at QB, one begins to wonder if THREAT LEVEL MIDNIGHT doesn’t have the upper hand now?

THREAT LEVEL MIDNIGHT will be looking to start off the year strong, and beating PACK A PUNCH would be the perfect way to send a message. Jonathan Lemieux still cannot afford to throw more than 1 INT and/or sacks (maybe 1 sack isn’t so bad) if he wants to be able to keep this game close. Despite TLM chasing after my heart with its Office reference, I do have to give the edge to PACK A PUNCH in this boxing match. Too bad we have to wait until Wednesday to get the results!

Prediction: THREAT LEVEL MIDNIGHT 20 – 25 PACK A PUNCH

GAMES OF THE WEEK:

SUPER TROOPERS vs NOTORIOUS C.I.G – (CANT VOTE ON MY OWN GAMES)

VICE CITY vs IN N’ OUT

SLEEPING ALL-STARS vs A-SQUAD

DUCKS vs NIGHTHAWKS

THE WEST ISLAND HABIBIS vs BANDITS

HAIL MARTY’S vs RUDBOYZ

VULTURES vs STEPBROTHERS

THUNDER BUDDIES vs SKEEYEE

PASTA ARRABIAT vs STRAPAHOLICS

LE SPEAKEASY vs VENGEANCE

BETWAY BANDITS vs LES TONDEUSES

TUNESQUAD vs PARLAY TILTERS

BREWERS vs TOP G

RAMPHINS vs GREEN MONSTER

CHEZ BENNY EXPRESS vs KICKING ASSETS

RETIRED ALL-STARS vs LES SACRIFICES 2

THREAT LEVEL MIDNIGHT vs PACK A PUNCH

That’s it for Week 1; good luck out there! If there is an idea you have or something you might want me to write about/cover in my articles, don’t be a stranger! Let me know. If you want to send me info about your team, your players, your rivalries – send them to me! I don’t know all your teams, but will probably get a feel for them as I write about you all. Comments, Criticisms, and Concerns are welcome… unless it’s about my Capitalization of Random Words. I Stand By Them!