31 Burning Questions and Elite 8 Revealed

Welcome to Week 8 of the FlagPlus Football regular season. Last winter while writing for Division 6, I wrote an article called 21 Burning Questions, where I naturally, asked questions, and looked at different issues facing various teams in Div. 6.

I received a lot of positive responses to the article, so I figure why not try it again.

To make it a little more interesting, and because there are more teams to cover, I will up the ante, and write a total of 31 questions, and a bonus one at the end.

Here we go…

Who will finish with the best record in 4A’s Conference A?

Right now, the Warhawks, lead the way with a (5-1) record. Right behind them, is The Commission, who currently sit at (4-2), and are riding a three-game winning streak.

As fate would have it, both teams will do battle tonight at Stade Hébert. This game will feature a matchup of the Conference’s third-best offense, led by Quarterback Fred Mallette, versus the third best defense, led by Eddy Lee. Who will blink first?

Who will be the QB of Year in 4A?

Shea Harbour, of the 69ers, leads all passers with 30 touchdowns. Right on his trail, are Jimmy-Lee Janvier (Jaguars), Jarryd Taylor (TOPSZN), Mark Belvedere (B.D Bandits), Simon Duchesne (Jagerbomb), Fred Mallette (Warhawks(, and Jeff Rosenblatt (Keyport Lock), all of which are 6 TD passes or less from matching Harbour.

On the other side, both Belvedere and Duchense, have thrown less INTs than their counterpart.

It will be interesting to see where the numbers fall at the end of the regular season.

Who will win QB of the Year in 4B?

The race is between Samuel Caron (Les Studs), Rocco Christiano (Norfolk In Chance), Jordan Mitchell (Blue Chips), Etienne Cloutier (Sphinx), Alexandre Benoit (Truth Squad), Yacoub Telemaque (A-Squad), Anton Sakiz (Game Changers, Charles-Olivier Lavigne (All Hooks), and Jonathan Brown (Lobster Dinner). The race is wide open. All of those aforementioned QBs, plus some others who didn’t make this list.

Who will lead 4B in receiving TDs?

The top three choices, are Jeremy White (All Hooks) with 12, Andrew Carruthers (Norfolk In Chance) with 9, Philippe Kotrbaty (Vikings) with 11, Laurent Foucault (LV) with 9.

If I were a betting man, which I am, I would pick White, which I am doing.

Will the 69ers be able to pick themselves up?

The 69ers, have indeed appeared to have fallen, and look like they have no idea how to pick themselves up, after suffering a (43-32) loss to The Commission, in Week 6. Since then, they also were blown-out (45-24) by TOPSZN last Saturday in Lachine.

The schedule-maker (Chief!), did them no favours, as they finish with a schedule that sees them play the Jaguars, Warhawks, The Alpha-T’s, and Up & Coming.

Without a doubt, this is a very talented team. Can they weather the storm that has surrounded them over the last two weeks?

Will anybody catch the Jaguars Darryl Dorcely, for the 4A Sack lead?

Heading into tonight’s action, Dorcely, leads all players with 10 Sacks. In second place, there is a tie between Isiah Allard of Gotham, and Brocassion’s Billy Makris, who each have 6 QB takedowns. After those two, there is a 6-way tie for third place with 5 Sacks.

With 4 games remaining, Dorcely, will have to add a couple more Sacks to the stat sheet, to ensure he walks away as the best Rusher in Division 4A.

Who will lead 4B in Sacks?

Jacob Goloff of the Mean Machine, and Daron Migdesyan of the Small Giants, lead the way with 9 sacks apiece. Denzel Eadie-Lowe, Jean-Philippe Lemelin (Vikings), and Félix Laflamme of noname©, and Les Studs respectively, are right behind them with 7, while three other players are tied at 6. This race will definitely go down to the wire.

Who will finish as the Receiver of the Year in 4A?

Right now, the position, is being dominated by Carmine Pollice (Siths) who has 635 yards, and 12 TDs, but he has a lot of company, as Laurent Ladouceur (Warhawks), Sami Beg (The Tide), Isiah Allard (Gotham), Woodly Stephan Appolon (Jaguars), Dean Demetriou (69ers), Kevin Smuda (Mountain Lions), Steve Sanner (B.D Bandits) Mathieu Houle (The Alpha-T’s), Alexis Labonté (Top Secret), Alexandre Provencher-Rivest (Gotham), Kevin Boustany (Keyport Lock), and Mathieu Girard-Provost (Les Montagnards), among others, have been providing stiff competition all season long. It’s anybody’s guess, how this will play out.

Who is the dark horse team, that can go all the way in 4A?

My choice is Les Montagnards. They have shown they can win in a shoot-out, while also displaying the ability to make a play on defense when their backs are against the wall.

Who will get out of 4B’s Conference A?

This side of 4B is extremely tight. Fittingly enough, the top team right now, is the A-Squad, with 12 points. Right behind them, are Past Our Prime, Be Ready, Martine et le Flag, and Norfolk In Chance, who all have 10 points apiece.

To make things even more interesting, A-Squad, and Martine et le Flag, go toe-to-toe next Sunday in Lachine.

Can Show Me Your TDs turn it around?

I wrote in the Mid-Season Report, that the team was struggling without missing pieces from their Spring Season team, in Quarterback Jesse Dupuis, and Wide Receiver Alexis Gaumont. It appears that SMYTD still has no answer, as they currently sit at a shocking (1-5) on the season. The most frustrating thing about their play, has been their inconsistency, as one week their offense shows up, while their defense stays home, and vice versa. In other words, they’ve been consistently inconsistent.

Who will grab the final playoff spots in 4B’s Conference A?

Right now, the Small Giants, noname©, Les Studs, and Mean Machine, are all tied with six points each. The Small Giants, hold the tie-breaker over noname©, after beating them in Week 2. noname©, has a chance to gain some ground, as they face the Mean Machine in Week 8.

The Mean Machine, beat the Small Giants in Week 6, and have a big showdown with Les Studs to end the regular season.
Hopefully, that wasn’t too confusing.

Will Keyport Lock be able to create more takeaways?

Despite having a solid (4-2) record, and household names like Jad Aridi, and Kevin Boustany, on defense, this squad has only produced 4 interceptions (3 of them by Boustany).

The team has a chance to increase their total over the next two weeks, as they face Friends in Low Places, and Gotham. Let’s see if they can.

Will Jordan Mitchell surpass 683 rushing yards?

Why 683 you might be asking? It’s because that is the highest rushing yards in a season, that FPF career-leading rusher Kristian Cerantola, posted in a season (Winter 2014).

Mittchell, who averages 14 yards a carry, has 506 yards so far this year. With 3 games remaining, he has a good chance at getting the record.

Will Friends in Low Places, sneak in the playoffs?

Currently, Friends in Low Places, sits one point out of the post-season, as they have 5 points, to the Backyard Bullies’ 6 points. Luckily for FILP, if both squads finish with the same record, they would get the tie-breaker, due to their (26-12) victory over the Bullies back in Week 4.

Unfortunately for Danny D’Amour’s team, they only have three games remaining, while the Bullies have four. To make matters worse, FILP, have to play Keyport Lock, Mountain Lions, and Jagerbomb.

The Backyard Bullies, on the other-hand, also play Jagerbomb, and Keyport Lock, but they also play the B.D Bandits, and LOB.

The odds are against FILP, but with solid play of their QB D’Armour, and the emergence of Jared Buck, and Michael Timmis, as the team’s top receivers, they have the talent to pull it off.

Will LOB get a win?

They have come close to notching their first checkmark in the win column, as they have lost their last four games by single digits.

Their next attempt to earn their first win of the campaign, is tomorrow night at Kirkland, where they take on The Tide.

One week later, they play a 1-win Show Me Your TDs team in Lachine. Despite their lack of wins, Lonnie Johnson’s squad is too talented to go winless on the season.

Who will take the final playoff spots in 4B’s Conference B?

Team Ethnik, LV, and the Vikings, are all tied at four points apiece.

LV, beat the Vikings in Week 1, but lost to Team Ethnik, in Week 3.

Things get even more complicated, as the Vikings, beat Team Ethnik, in Week 2.

This should be fun.

Are these the real Backyard Bullies?

A popular pick to win 4A title before the season started, the Backyard Bullies, looked like anything but a championship contender for the majority of the campaign, as they started the season (1-3), and looked lost on offense, while the team rode out the expected transition period of first-year FPF Quarterback, by former Canadian Football League Wide Receiver Scott MacDonnell.

Now on a 2-game winning streak, after wins over the Mountain Lions, and Jaguars, the Backyard Bullies appear to be headed in the right direction, as they prepare for a tough matchup tonight versus Jagerbomb.

A win for Bullies would be huge, as it would put them 3 points up on Friends in Low Places, who trail them by 1 point for the 8th and final playoff spot in Conference B.

Will The Manglers reach 100 points scored?

Through six games, they have produced a grand total of 52 points. Only once this year have they scored more then one touchdown in a game. (A Week 2 20-18 loss to the 39 cent wings).

Their best chance to score multiple TDs, is tonight against a Tone It Down defense, that has given up 180 points.
For the 100 point total, I am not too sure.

Who will win Two-Way Player of the Year in 4A?

AJ Gomes, and Eddy Lee, of The Commission, are definitely in the conversation, as are Laurent Ladouceur (Warhawks), Travis Moses (Up & Coming), Mark Belvedere, and Steve Sanner of the B.D Bandits, Dynell Pierre (Jaguars), Kevin Lubin (Show Me Your TDs), Kevin Smuda (Mountain Lions), Jarryd Taylor (TOPSZN), and Rich Humes (Backyard Bullies), and a slew of other players.

Was Mutation’s loss to The Commission just a case of a bad game?

Thanks to scoring in less than 5 plays on their first offensive drive, and then picking off a horrible pass by TC Quarterback Chris Olson, Mutation found themselves up 12-0, before the game was barley 5 minutes old.

Unfortunately for Mutation, the fun stopped there, as their opponents made some much-needed adjustments, and shutdown the high-scoring Mutation offense, as they forced Quarterback Jean-Félix Marquis, to have to settle for check down passes, and shallow crossing routes throws to Snapper Stephane Turmel.

On the other side of the ball, Mutation couldn’t do anything to stop the deep ball, as TC connected on deep TD passes AJ Gomes, Eddy Lee, and Domenico Benevento. Gomes, even threw two TD passes as well.

As the question stated, was this just a bad game, or is this the beginning of a slide for a team who looked really impressive the first few weeks of the season?

We will find out.

Will Grabuge win a game?

The odds don’t look good, as they currently sit at (0-7). Their best chance is a Week 9 affair with the (1-6) Grinders.
Can anyone stop the Blue Chips?

With the exception of their Week 2 (34-26) win over Truth Squad, Blue Chips, have beaten their opponents by an average of 26 points. Yes, that’s impressive.

Their four remaining games, are against Lobster Dinner, Les Studs, noname©, and Game Changers. It won’t be easy, but the Blue Chips, are good enough to pull off the perfect regular season.

Will Gotham get a win?

Just like LOB, Gotham, is a team that is too talented to go the entire way without a win.

Out of their 4 remaining games, their best chance at success, appears to be a Week 10 matchup against the 1-win Siths.

Who will win Defensive Player of the Year in 4B?

With all due respect to Jason Edwards (Norfolk In Chance), Mathieu Fafard (Sphinx), Justin Dion (Martine et le Flag), his teammate Guillaume Ranger (Martine et le Flag) leads all Defensive Backs with 9 interceptions. I don’t see him losing the award, although I could be wrong.

Is Chris Olson, the long-term answer at Quarterback for The Commission?

So far, the numbers speak for themselves, as Olson, is (3-0) since taking over as the team’s starting QB, while throwing for 12 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and over 450 yards.

While those numbers are impressive, they are only three games. The real test will come in the playoffs, as to weather or not, Olson, can fill the void left by former TC Quarterback Sean Avraam.

Will there be a more exciting game than Les Studs versus A-Squad?

Staying for a 11 PM game on a Sunday night in St. Leonard, after I already played two hours earlier, is not my cup of tea, but after watching this game from beginning to end I am glad I stayed.

The contest was filled with huge throws, as Quarterbacks Yacoub Telemaque (A-Squad), and Samuel Caron (Les Studs), showed why they are two of the best passers in Div. 4B.

From Rick Cummins, momentum-grabbing interception late in the second half, to the multiple big plays on both sides of the ball by Félix Laflamme, who had 3 sacks, an interception, and 2 offensive touchdowns, this game had a ton of highlights.

None were bigger however than the final defensive sequence by the A-Squad. After Les Studs got the ball back following a touchdown by Richie Mondesir, of the A-Squad, Caron, marched his offense down the field, on passes to Laflamme, and fellow receiver William Nkaye. The drive concluded with a 6-yard touchdown to Laflamme, straight up the middle. The TD, made the score 31-30 A-Squad.

While some teams would go for the easier one-point conversion and the tie, Les Studs, to their credit, decided to go for two, and the win.

After getting the snap, Caron, was able to avoid the rush, looking for Laflamme in the back if the endzone, he threw a dart to his favorite target, but leaping in front of the pass, was Telemaque, who batted it down to end the game. Final score, 31-30 A-Squad.

What a game!

Will The Manglers get a win?

They earned their first point of the season last night, with an 18-18 tie with Tone It Down. Congrats!

The question however, was about getting a win. With remaining games against Past Our Prime, Le Red Tiger, and Be Ready, the task is tall, but not entirely impossible.

Who will win Two-Way Player of the Year in 4B?

After watching the aforementioned Les Studs/A-Squad game, I’m tempted to go with either Félix Laflamme, or Yacoub Telemaque.
Digging a little closer, names like Jonathan Grizzley (noname©), Marcus Mitchell (Blue Chips), William Nkaye (A-Squad), Andrew Philipeaux (Truth Squad), Francis Maheu (Lobster Dinner), are a number of players, who deserve consideration.

Who will win Defensive Player of the Year in 4A?

Danny D’Amour (Friends in Low Places), Darryl Dorcely (Jaguars), Andrew Langburt (Mountain Lions), Julian McLaren-Thompson (The Commission), Jesse Dupuis (The Alpha-T’s), and AJ Gomes (The Commission), are the front-runners. Let’s see how this plays out.

Will we see a Quarterback hit the 50 touchdown mark?

Shea Harbour, Lonnie Johnson, Justin Lerner, Craig O’Brien, Charles-Olivier Lavigne, Jordan Mitchell, François Martin, and Gino Di Fazio have all done so before. Who will do it this season?

Who do I think we will see in the Finals from 4B?

Blue Chips versus A-Squad

☆ (Bonus) Did I enjoy writing this article?

You damn right!

Elite 8 Power Rankings (Strength of schedule matters)

1. Warhawks

2. Mountain Lions

3. Jagerbomb

4. The Commission

5. The Alpha-T’s

6. 69ers

7. Keyport Lock

8. B.D Bandits

1. Blue Chips

2. A-Squad

3. Be Ready

4. Norfolk In Chance

5. Past Our Prime

6. Martine et le Flag

7. Game Changers

8. Truth Squad

Picks (To avoid making the same mistake as last week, when I started writing the article Saturday morning, I wrote the Picks section first, so none of the games had been played yet, so my choices wouldn’t be limited, and I would be able to include all of the games.)

B.D Bandits vs Show Me Your TDs – B.D Bandits

69ers vs Jaguars – Jaguars

Backyard Bullies vs Jagerbomb – Jagerbomb

Siths vs Mountain Lions – Mountain Lions

Gotham vs Broccasion – Gotham (Upset Special #1)

Up & Coming vs The Alpha-T’s – The Alpha-T’s (My choice for Game of the Week #1)

Les Montagnards vs TOPSZN – Les Montagnards (Upset Special #2)

The Tide vs LOB – LOB (Upset Special # 3)

Friends in Low Places vs Keyport Lock – Keyport Lock

Mutation vs Siths – Mutation

The Commission vs Warhawks – N/A (My pick for Game of the Week #3)

Mountain Lions vs Top Secret – Mountain Lions

Martine et le Flag vs Past Our Prime – Martine et le Flag

The Manglers vs Tone It Down – The Manglers (Upset Special)

39 cent wings vs A-Squad – A-Squad

Lobster Dinner vs Blue Chips – Blue Chips

Be Ready vs LV – Be Ready

Norfolk In Chance vs Vikings – Norfolk In Chance

Grabuge vs Les Studs – Les Studs

Mean Machine vs Game Changers- Game Changers

Small Giants vs Sphinx – Sphinx

Le Red Tiger vs Team Ethnik – Le Red Tiger

Grinders vs Truth Squad – Truth Squad

That’s it for this week. I’ll be back next week-end as always. Enjoy the games.

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, feel free to reach me on Twitter @BADNEWSB51 or the old-fashioned way, at [email protected]