2nd-and-Short (Div D) – Week 9

It’s late, I’m tired, I’m sure half of you skip these intros anyway, so let’s just get straight to business today.

Recap

Lions Pecked to Death

Angry Birds added to the legend of their 2014 season on Wednesday as they not only beat Les Rois Lions 43-36, but did so in a game that saw them climb out of a three-touchdown deficit to do it.

Down 18-0 early in the night, Angry Birds QB Jerson Previllon finally started getting his offence going with some deep passes to receivers Mendy Cardichon and Max Kevin Jocelyn to cut Les Rois Lions’ lead to just 24-21 at halftime.

In the second half Previllion kept the pressure on, connecting on more deep throws to make it a one-score game. An interception by Cardichon on the next drive would give the ball right back Angry Birds, who used it to complete the comeback and score with one play left in the game as they went on to win 43-36, crushing LRL’s already slim playoff hopes in the process.

 

Como se dice “playoffs” en español?

After struggling to score so much as 20 points a game this season, Los Banditos couldn’t have picked a better time to unleash their offence as they defeated Scared Hitless 40-25 on Thursday night to punch their ticket to the postseason.

The game wasn’t as close as the score would have you believe, however, starting off with a quick 7-0 lead for Hitless following a touchdown pass from QB Fred Saleh to Phil Cutler.

Both sides would go back-and-forth until the Banditos finally pulled ahead 20-13 when QB Alex Guertin hit Simon Lahaie on a jump ball just before the half.

The battle continued into the second half, with interceptions by Guertin giving Hitless multiple chances to get back in the game. But the Banditos’ trusty defence shut the door every time as the Banditos were eventually able to pull away and seal the win.

 

Stayin’ Alive

The team may be called “The Dirty South,” but it’s a song by a bunch of Australians/Brits/British-Australians that David Polynice and company were singing to themselves after crushing Fun Boys 43-12 this past week.

Dirty South were once again without key players Simon Gauthier and Stephane Baganizi, but their absence was counter-balanced by the addition of former Concordia Stingers receiver Jamal Henry, who contributed four catches for over 50 yards and a touchdown along with an interception in the win.

But he wasn’t the only reason for the big victory; everything just seemed to go perfectly for Dirty South from start to finish, with Polynice on point on all his deep throws (most of them to receiver Maxime Giroux), while the team’s defence completely shut down Fun Boys go-to receiver Terrence Morsink, who was held to just three catches for under 30 yards on the night.

It was just the solid team effort Dirty South needed to keep their playoff hopes alive, as they currently own the eighth and final spot in Conference B—but they’ll need to give that same effort (and hope for some help) again next week if they hope to keep their season going.

 

Sunday Forecast

Your Crew is Unwelcome in this Country

In the first of three games with major playoff implications Sunday night, Big Blue Wrecking crew hope to keep their playoff hopes alive as they face FOTC. I don’t think they’ll succeed, however. BBWC are coming off not just back-to-back losses, but back-to-back games in which they’ve given up over 40 points. Offensively, the team still has yet to take flight the way I expected. FOTC, meanwhile, have seen QB Etienne Guilmain depend less on his legs and more on his arm to make plays, and have been rewarded for it.

 

Not the Longhorns’ Hood

It’s not yet all-in or nothing, but you know both of these teams are feeling the pressure. Longhorns are one spot out of eighth in Conference A, while BrotherHood are barely holding on to the seventh spot in their own conference. In a game that is sure to get the best out of both sides, it’ll come down to the health of QB Jamal Gittens. His importance to his tema was made very clearly this past week, both in terms of his arm strength and running ability. If he plays and his hamstring injury is recovered, BrotherHood should take this.

Ça continue d’être Affreux

This time last year, Les Affreux were atop of the Division D mountain with an 8-0 record and a playoff spot already clinched. Fast forward to now, and they’re barely hanging on to the mountain’s base as they sit in seventh place in Conference A with a 5-3 record. Two of those losses have come in the last three weeks, and I think that skid will continue against T.C.O. Sunday night. QB Mat Domon has struggled mightily these last few weeks, something that doesn’t bode well for a player about to face a defence as tough as T.C.O.’s.

 

Random Thoughts

-A friendly reminder that players can’t be released after Week 7.

-A friendly reminder that if you add players to your team for a single game, always, always, always make sure your roster isn’t over the cap. You’ll be happy you spent the 17 seconds it took to do so.

-I gassed up in the US for the first time this weekend, and learned that apparently you absolutely have to pay before gassing up. So do tell me, American cashier man, how am I supposed to fill up my tank?

 

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The clock is ticking and the first of tonight’s games is fast approaching, so that’s all I have time for today. As usual, you can email me at [email protected] or on Twitter @JBlanchFPF. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a World Cup final to watch. Good luck to all tonight!