2nd-and-Short (Div D) – Week 6

 

 

Jagerbomb may have trouble finishing games, but they sure know how to start them. Facing off against Backyard Bullies earlier this week, both sides traded quick scores to start the game before defender Marc-André Nguyen made a big tackle on 4th down to give the ball back to Jagerbomb. QB Simon Duchesne made the most of it, scoring the go-ahead touchdown en route to a 12-6 halftime lead. 

 

The Bullies were able to tie it back up early in the second half on a Rich Humes run, but Jagerbomb once again were able to pull ahead when Duchesne found receiver Jean-Félix Daloze on a 30-yard catch and run.

 

But that would be as close as Jagerbomb would get to victory, as on the ensuing drive Humes marched his offence upfield before hitting Mark Donohue in the endzone. Jagerbomb weren’t able to answer back as the Bullies went on to win 31-24. 

 

The loss drops Jagerbomb down to 0-6 on the season, all but eliminating them from playoff contention. For Backyard Bullies, it was just the win they needed as they bring an end to their three-game losing streak and are back in the playoff hunt.  

 

 

 

Not every close game is pretty. Recipe 4 Disaster’s six-point win over Les Blues Branleurs was one the ugliest ones of the season as Kevin Boustany stepped in at QB for an absent Jake Applebaum while the Branleurs’ Min Ton-That made just his third start ever at the position.

 

For a moment it seemed like everyone on the field forgot the point of the game is to try and win, as both teams dropped an enormous amount of passes while the QBs combined for six interceptions. With Recipe up 14-7 in the first half, the game-deciding moment came not long before halftime, when Blues rusher Alexis Cartier suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Ton-That. 

 

Playing both rusher and QB proved to take a toll on Ton-That, who at some point was sacked on three straight downs in the second half. The Branleurs made a late-game switch at QB to Gabriel Samné, bringing fresh legs to the position. But it was too little too late–Recipe were eventually able to go up by two scores with just minutes left to play, and though Samné was able to find the endzone with 3 plays remaining to make it 27-21, that’s as close as it would get. 

 

 

 

The one-win Scared Hitless gave the Conference A central division leaders Tomahawk Nightmare quite a scare on Thursday night, nearly pulling off an upset.

Hitless QB Fred Saleh played perhaps his best game of the season, throwing for a season-high six touchdown passes in a game that saw him lead his side to a 25-19 advantage at halftime.

But he wasn’t able to keep it going for long, as three interceptions, including one returned for an interception in the second half, kept Hitless from closing out the game. Momentum eventually shifted towards Tomahawk’s way, as they eventually found themselves ahead 40-37 late in the game.

With a handful of plays remaining, a 4th-down run by Roberto Cipriani and a few short passes by Saleh put Hitless in Tomahawk territory with a chance to win it with one play left. But on that final play, Saleh’s pass to the front of the endzone was knocked away by DB Frederic Bull, bringing Hitless down to 1-5 on the season while bringing Tomahawk up to 4-2.

 

 

 

Few of Sunday’s games look as exciting as the Monstars’ showdown with the BrotherHood. Monstars are coming off their most impressive win of the season, having taken down Show Me Your TDs last week, while The BrotherHood are looking to bounce back from a tough loss against Grip n Rip. It’ll be a chance for Monstars to join Lobster Dinner as the only 6-0 teams in Division D, but I don’t think they’ll succeed in doing so.

 

The BrotherHood have a big advantage in this game, and I’m not only referring to their size. QB Jamal Gittens is at his best when he’s able to buy some time in the pocket, something Grip n Rip rusher Mike Zenobi kept him from doing last week. I think Gittens will have a much easier time avoiding Monstars rusher Kevin Gauthier, who despite his 13 sacks, has yet to face a QB as nimble as Gittens. 

 

And that’s not to mention the tough challenge safety Rod Mashtoub will have this week as he’ll likely be matched up with deep threat Omar Jackson on more than one occasion. I can’t wait.

 

 

-Quote of the week (one week late): “Yo, handball’s a gangster sport.” —Alex Russell

 

-Marco Bertoldi’s turquoise cleats are…interesting.

 

-Quick shoutout to Mike Addona and Alex Guertin, who still have yet to be sacked this season.

 

-The FPF Combine needs to become a thing. Not only would it help settle some arguments about which players are fastest, strongest, etc., but imagine the free agency frenzy that would ensue.