2nd Round: The Elite 8 face off

Round 1 of the playoffs was filled with some tight dramatic contests, a couple of offensive shootouts, and unfortunately, a couple of forfeits as well. Now we’re left with the Elite 8 still standing. Congratulations to The Brotherhood, Laval’s Finest, Predators, Mongoose in Conference A, and Ball Busters, Grip N Rip, Dark Moose Returns and Les Eudistes in Conference B, for making it to round two. After this weekend, half of you will be sent packing. It’s up to you guys to make sure that your team moves on.

 

FIRST ROUND RECAP

The Brotherhood 27, Killer Instinct 26 (4OT)

They needed quadruple overtime to do so, but The Brotherhood escaped a tough Killer Instinct team who gave them all they could handle. Nathan Taylor had a much better game than the first time around and put the team on his back. Killer Instinct actually outgained The Brotherhood 158-147, but couldn’t finish the job in the conversion shootout.

 

Laval’s Finest 42, F.O.E. 30

Rod Mashtoub and Co. got their revenge on F.O.E. as they got contributions from every player in the big win. Mashtoub stayed hot as he tossed another six touchdowns against just one interception. With that kind of touchdown-interception ratio and a defense that features Jordan McLaren and some other nice pieces, they will be hard to beat. The big difference in this one was turnovers and conversions as Laval’s Finest got six points off of conversions, while F.O.E. got none. Kevin Lubin got the start at quarterback and fared okay, but his two interceptions were backbreakers for his team.

 

Mongoose 31, B.D. Bandits 27

After such an impressive season, B.D. Bandits came out completely flat in this one and Mongoose took advantage. Both offenses struggled to move the ball and both offenses went through their star offensive players (for B.D. Bandits, it was Casey Cook – 5 rec, 86 yards, 4 TD and for Mongoose, it was Cedric Nuckle – 6 rec, 86 yards, 2 TD). Unfortunately for B.D. Bandits, another season ends in disappointing fashion and they will be left searching for answers in the offseason. On the flip side, Mongoose found a way to win another playoff game. It has become a thing for them to be dangerous in the playoffs when they do make it. It’s not pretty, but it works for this team. Can they pull off a giant upset against the top ranked team?

 

Predators 64, Sea Assassins 46

In a rematch of the 2014 Winter D4 Finals, the Predators took it to the Sea Assassins from the opening whistle and never looked back, in strikingly similar fashion they had done so a few years ago. The Preds exploded for 64 points, the most in franchise history, and possibly the most ever in an FPF playoff game? With the Preds up 28-19 and the Sea Assassins starting with the ball in the second half, unsung hero Alexandre Noel made a great play on a Lazzara pass and returned it to the house for six and a subsequent two-point conversion to make it an insurmountable 36-19 lead for the Preds. In all, the Preds scored nine touchdowns and scored on five two-point conversions. While the Sea Assassins defense had played better this season than in previous seasons, this game put a big damper on that progress, letting SBB go off for 149 yards and a ridiculous 6 touchdowns in the game. Once again, the QB of the year’s season ends early and sends his team back to the drawing board for next season.

 

Ball Busters 30, Jumpmans 0

I won’t waste much time here but I’m so disappointed in the Jumpmans. After a remarkable season, for a few players to completely leave their teammates out to dry like that and not show up…. disgusting. If I’m Joseph Cecere, I’m not bringing those guys back.

 

Les Eudistes 30, Wolfpack 0

Another game, another forfeit.

 

Dark Moose Returns 33, 2HD 32

Overcoming a halftime deficit, 2HD took the lead late in the second half 32-26 over Dark Moose. On the final drive of the game, Fred Morissette found Yann Drouin, who made an incredible catch in coverage to tie the game up at 32. DMR scored on the ensuing conversion and left 2HD with one play. An unsuccessful Hail Mary later, DMR was moving on to round 2. In a losing effort, Rochdi Benabdelkader did everything to will his team to a win, finishing with three touchdowns and an interception on defense. For DMR, the players that needed to step up did just that as Justin Blanchard finished with 58 yards and two touchdowns while Jonathan Lyristis finished with three sacks and two touchdowns as well.

 

Grip N Rip 27, Fun Boys 26

In the first half, the Fun Boys had their way on offense scoring all of their 26 points. Grip N rip stayed within reach with a huge pick-six from Matthew Da Silva and headed into the halftime down 26-19. The second half saw both offenses struggle mightily and no points were scored until the last drive. That’s when Vinny Gualano shaked off the terrible game he was having and decided to step up when it mattered most. He drove his team down the field and on the last play of the game found Rich Humes in the end zone to make it 26-25. Still down by a point, GnR elected to go for two points and the win. Gualano moved around and tossed up a prayer. Sean Avraam went up high in the air in between defenders Phil Cutler and Liam Mahoney and somehow grabbed the ball and hung on for the insane comeback victory.

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SECOND ROUND PREVIEW

CONFERENCE A

#1 The Brotherhood vs. #6 Mongoose

Previous Matchup: N/A

I can’t say I’m surprised to see this matchup in the playoffs. I am surprised with the way they got here though. Although I knew The Brotherhood were going to be in a defensive struggle last week, I didn’t expect them to need overtime to take it, and although I’m not that surprised that Mongoose beat B.D. Bandits, I didn’t expect them to put up 31 points. Well, they’ll need a similar offensive output, even better perhaps, to take out the heavy favourites.

Key Matchups:

Theo Ojeaha vs. Mongoose DB’s: Ojeaha will be able to do what he pleases against the Mongoose rusher, which will put an immense amount of pressure on the Mongoose DB’s Cedric Nuckle, Maxime Theroux and Francois Deslauriers. For Mongoose to keep this game close, they’ll need this trio to go to work and make Ojeaha work for every completion. Otherwise, it could be a long night for Mongoose.

Jamal Gittens vs. Cedric Nuckle: Star vs. star. Which one will prevail? Jamal Gittens is the more talented and more explosive player but Nuckle has been everything for that Mongoose offense. Can Nuckle shut down Gittens one on one and force Ojeaha to look elsewhere? And on the offensive side, can Nuckle put the team on his back and create some throwing lanes for Gaudet to hit?

Prediction: Because Mongoose is Mongoose and it is playoff time, I do expect them to put up a fight. I love the Mongoose defense I really do, but their weakness is at the rusher position, and that’s about the worst possible position to be weak at against Theo Ojeaha. He’ll be able to run around as he pleases and the only hope Mongoose have is to force at least few turnovers. Alexandre Gaudet will need to be smart and safe with the ball if he hopes to pull off the upset. In the end, I see The Brotherhood winning a one-score game and stamping their ticket to the conference finals.

The Brotherhood 32, Mongoose 25

 

#2 Laval’s Finest vs. #5 Predators (Written by Simon Dagenais)

Previous Matchup: Laval’s Finest 45, Predators 38

A few weeks ago, Laval’s Finest took on Predators in a clash of explosive offenses in which James Floreani threw just two incompletions and displayed most of his weapons while distributing the ball well against a red-hot Rod Mashtoub who’s only mistake was a pick-six to Maxime Giroux. Theo Bekelis emerged as the main threat against Predators’ defense and I expect very similar results this time around, minus the pick-six. Mashtoub has been absolute fire this season and I don’t anticipate him slowing down anytime soon. With a “weaker” defense surrounding the middle of the field, Predators will need to assess the Bekelis problem because they simply cannot allow a single guy to soar for 13 catches, 120+ yards and 5 TDs in a playoff game. With players like McLaren and Mashtoub playing safety, Floreani’s deep throws will either need to be perfect or, well, simply absent. Laval’s Finest has the size advantage over Predators, but the men in white and green have speed over their opponents; I’m eager to see how Predators will fare in the redzone when the coverage is tighter.

Key Matchups:

Theo Bekelis vs. Predators’ short defense: Last time around, Bekelis was THE difference maker and, well, yeah, walked all over Predators. Expect the Preds to learn from their mistakes and adjust. Being his QB’s go-to, Bekelis will need to find ways to obtain first downs and make clutch catches; what he’ll bring to this game will be key plays rather than dominant yards. If he can break free on 3rd downs, he might just push the tides in his team’s favor.

Simon Bosquet Beaudoin vs. Laval’s Finest flat defenders: In a game where the deep ball will be a dangerous option for Floreani, he’ll have to resort to speed and decoys which is where SBB excels. Being one of his favorite go-to players in time of needs, SBB will have to step up and find ways to get open underneath to give a good check-down to his QB and turn the corner on defenders to get YAC. If Bosquet Beaudoin can turn small slants into big gains, he might just move the chains more than once and become a total matchup nightmare for a defense that is gritty and physical, but that doesn’t necessarily feature the speed to matchup with him.

Prediction: Both QBs lead a very similar offense; strong arm, good reads and mobile when needed and very stellar play. That being said, I simply cannot foresee any of the two having a meltdown this time around. Both offenses had nights to remember last week and will attempt to duplicate. Expect an offensive shootout and very big numbers. 50 is the target as 40 will not be sufficient. As much as I’d like to say rushers will have an impact on this game, I simply cannot fathom it. It’ll come down to DBs and which can muster up a play, force a turnover or bat a ball down on a 4th down to give his team a chance at the lead. May the best players rise.

Predators 51, Laval’s Finest 46

 

CONFERENCE B

#1 Ball Busters vs. #7 Les Eudistes

Previous Matchup: Ball Busters 32, Les Eudistes 32

The last time these two teams met, the Ball Busters choked away a two-score lead late in the game as the game finished in a 32-32 tie. That was when Ball Busters were playing well and Les Eudistes were not playing well. Les Eudistes also had a different quarterback playing. Recently, the script has been flipped and Les Eudistes are coming in hot, while Ball Busters are coming in reeling a little bit losing two of their last three. Both teams got lucky last week as their opponents didn’t show up to play. I would have said that not playing would be a disadvantage but since both teams are in the same position, it’s a wash. If anything, it probably favours Ball Busters as they have time to regroup.

Key Matchups:

Dylan Taylor vs. Louis-Christophe Lafontaine: Taylor did not have a great outing against a tough Les Eudistes defense last time around. Lafontaine took over the reigns at QB in week 7 and has been improving every week, playing well as of late. With two strong ball-hawking defenses in the game, the quarterback that can stay away from interceptions and late mistakes will be the winning one.

Carmine Pollice vs. Marc-Andre Paradis: Last time they played, these two guys were the leading receivers for their respective teams. Pollice has been Taylor’s go-to all season while Paradis has provided a lot of explosive plays for his offense, along with some huge interceptions for his defense. Which top player can have a bigger impact in this game?

Prediction: Although I picked them to win last week with their experience, Les Eudistes have tons of it too and they’re playing great ball as of late. I think that carries over and I just don’t like the matchup for the Ball Busters. Also going against Ball Busters, Les Eudistes have already played Dylan Taylor and know what to expect out of the offense while Ball Busters have no idea what to expect from Lafontaine. I think it’ll be a tight game that features big interceptions on both sides but in the end give me Les Eudistes to pull off the upset.

Les Eudistes 33, Ball Busters 32

 

#4 Grip N Rip vs. #6 Dark Moose Returns

Previous Matchup: N/A

GnR and DMR are both coming off last second clutch victories in the first round. Both quarterbacks struggled (mostly Gualano), but found a way to get the job done in the end. GnR needed a Matthew Da Silva pick six to stay in the game while DMR relied on some solid rushing from Lyristis to keep their game within reach. After the game against Fun Boys, Gualano told me that they “called the perfect defense for my style of offense”, and he was right as the stats reflect it. Can DMR figure out what Fun Boys were able to do and can they replicate it with the personnel they have? Will it even matter if the GnR steps up and continues its momentum from the second half of last week’s game?

Key Matchups:

Vinny Gualano vs. Jonathan Lyristis – Lyristis will be even more important for his team in this game than he was last week. His ability to get to Gualano and not let him buy time with his legs will be crucial for DMR.

Anthony Da Silva vs. DMR Short Zones – DMR has some great defenders that fit their system extremely well. They know that Vinny goes short to his snapper a lot. They know he’s a go-to when in the redzone. Can they stop it?

Prediction: DMR defends the deep ball really well. Unfortunately for them, GnR don’t go deep often at all. Even if DMR is able to shut down Da Silva, that will leave more room Rich Humes and Jordan Allard to tear up those intermediate zones. I’ve been on the GnR bandwagon since the preseason and I think they get it done here in another tight game.

GnR 33, DMR 32

 

Best of luck to all teams in the second round! If you want to reach me for any inquiries or to disagree with me, feel free to hit me up at [email protected] or DM me @JFloMusicMTL on Twitter.