Categories: Division 1 & 2Winter

Div 1 & 2 Pre-season Rankings and Yearly Award Predictions

Div 1 &2 

Whats up everyone WE ARE BACK and kicking off 2024 with a bang this winter season promises to be one of the best ones yet. A lot more media action, drone footage and great flag-plus football battles. To those who don’t know who I am, allow me to introduce myself, my name is Raffaele Morelli but everyone calls me Raff. I have played tackle football since I was 10 and have been playing flag football since high school. I began writing for the league one year ago for division 4 and continue to write in the spring and fall. These two very competitive and special divisions have been covered by Brent Bodkin and I hope do half as good a job this season as he had over the last few years. I will try to keep things interesting and touch upon different and creative subjects like Brent has been able to do so well for you. For this introductory article I thought I would share my pre season thoughts and make a few predictions for this season so ill have somethings to look back on as the season progresses. So without further ado lets kick off this winters div 1 & 2 series.  

Pre season Top 5 power rankings 

Div 1 

1. All stars: The All Stars, under the leadership of the legendary Kevin Wyeth, stand as a football powerhouse in Division 1. Headlining this star-studded roster are All-Star caliber receivers that strike fear into their opponents. The electrifying trio of Pat Jerome, Theo Ojeaha, and Chris Milard, along with the dynamic rushing and receiver skills of Matt Kirouac, collectively form a receiving corps that is nothing short of exceptional. Coming off a Division A championship in the spring of 2023, I still believe they are the team to beat. Currently (0-1)

2. Braves: The Braves have proven that they can be a threat to win the division one championship every year. Last winter it was Joe Maheu and company that took down the All-stars 38-18 in the finals. These aren’t your cap friendly braves and I believe they will stay in this top 3 all season. Currently (1-0)

3. Royaume Luminaire: A finals apparence and QB of the year award for Jesse Dupuis last fall in tier 1. After going 6-1-1 season and throwing for over 1500 yards and 40 TD’s, Royaume Luminaire made it to the finals but were unable to walk away on top. I see them seek revenge this winter after pairing up once again with Aj Gomes and Nicholas Groppini where Urgence Medic won Div 2 last winter. Currently (0-1)

4. Flag moi l’sac: A team I am less familiar with as these winter warriors who I have not had a chance to play against yet, are entering their 11th season as under the name Flag Moi L’Sac. Hall of Famer Alex Nadeau-Piuze can clinch his 10th all star and 2nd championship if he is able to throw another 60 TD season. Currently (1-0)

5. The Jamesons: Great to see so much competition in division 1 this year as a team like the Jamesons are almost left out of the top 5. But how could I put any other teams ahead of them. Led by Quarterback Jeff Rosenblatt and a plethora of weapons. James Tyrrell, James Ohayon, Kalil Kerr & Anthony Brisebois. I think this team can be a dark horse and even stay undefeated until their week 9 matchup against the Allstars. Currently (0-0)

Div 2 

1. Bless Up: A stacked roster in division 2 as always the blessed crew have been a favorite to take it all but havent been able to do so in 2023. Last spring was a finals loss to Poseidon’s Kiss, Fall a Semi-Final loss and finally last winter a Quarter Final exit. But from an unbiased member of Poseidon’s kiss this team is legit and will be in contention for the #1 seed. Currently (1-0) 

2. Poseidon’s Kiss: All I can say about my team is that we’re hungry for more and anything less then a championship is failure. Rocco can get the job done and were looking forward to getting on the field with all of you. (Currently 0-0)

3. Run it once: Another Jeff Rosenblatt team appears on these rankings as run it one have had a few successful season but haven’t been able to make a finals. I do believe that Jeff will have an outstanding season and be a top candidate for QBOY. (Currently (1-0)

4. Cap friendly Braves: The Cap Friendly Braves went 7-1 last fall cup and lost in the semi final. This team seems like they play more to enjoy themselves rather then must win as the team even had William Trottier throw in a quarterfinal in tier 1 so that Joe Maheu’s qb rating wouldn’t be counted so they could squeeze in more of their players under the cap. Either way this is still a tough team to beat. 4 on this list might be a little low. (Currently 1-0)

5. Dirty Birds +: Dirty Birds + seems like an upgraded version of Quaid Johnsons div 3 Qb team and im loving it. Most of the div one squad The Jamesons, the team is build with the base of James Ohayon, Anthony Brisebois & Khalil Kerr. With the additions of Jordan Mclaren and Justin Blackie this roster is loaded from top to bottom. Will Quaid finally have his breakout year at Qb?

Yearly award prediction winners 

Div 1 

QBOY: Joe Maheu- Braves, I predict the Braves and Joe Maheu to be one of the teams with the best record and most touchdowns. Maheu has shown the ability to throw 50 or more touchdowns in a season with less then 5 ints and that is what I am predicting we will get. A great start as he threw for 5 tds and 0 Ints in week one and I believe that will be his standard. 

WROY: AJ Gomes- Royaume Luminaire, one of the best receivers in FPF pairs up with one of his favorite QB’s and take on division 1 while Dan Lazarra sits out this winter season due to injury. Coming off a tier 1 WROY AJ caught 18 TDs in 8 games and has the ability to do much more with the one or two extra games! Keep an eye out for some huge games from Aj this season as Jesse Dupuis loves to feed the beast. 

DPOY: Zach Alexis- Party Crashers, With his CFL experience as a DB, his indescribable speed and solid hands, Zach Alexis has the ability to secure one INT a game and wouldn’t be surprised if he ended with 1 INT a game. Note to Div one Qbs throw away from this man! 

2-Way: James Drysdale- Braves, James Drysdale has been a rising star in this league and I think James has the opportunity to reach the top of his game this season. I know there are a lot of mouths to feed in this Braves offence but I do believe they are going to be one of the highest scoring teams so there will be plenty of touchdowns to go around. James’ speed, height and route running truly make me a threat across the field. James has had multiple season with 14+ receiving touchdowns and 4 or 5 picks. If James can have his routine offensive stats and get to 5 INT’s this season, this award is his. 

Div 2 

QBOY: Jeff Rosenblatt- Run it Once, Jeff Rosenblatt has climbed his way into division 1 & 2 and has been a great QB and an even better GM. Jeff is able to put his team in the best possible position to win every week. His height make shorter rushers like myself useless at times and he is able to sling it by all angles so getting in his passing lane doesn’t really exist. Jeff knows exactly how to ware down rushers with his quick passes and quick reads. Carving up defences last spring Jeff threw over 55 touchdowns in division A and B and I expect him to have the same kind of output this season. Jeff is my clearcut QBOY favorite here at the beginning of the season. 

WROY: James Ohayon- Dirty Birds +, Last season with Dirty Birds in tier 2 James Ohayon suited up for 7 games and was able to haul in 265 yards and 8 touchdowns on only 18 receptions. I believe Quaid will rely heavily on James this season in division 2 on offence as they will face tougher opponents and tougher defences then they did in tier 2. Just in 2023, James has had 3 14 or more touchdown seasons and I expect him to surpass that this season. I predict James to lead the division in tds with 18 or more and be the best WR in division 2. 

DPOY: Emile Chateauvert- Cap Friendly Braves, Playing the rusher position myself, doing so week after week  at a high level is TOUGH. Rushers might also be under appreciated at times, so I thought I would give some love to one of FPF’s latest top rushers. Emile Chateauvert has had 10 and 9 sacks in both Spring and Winter last season for the Braves. Another output like that and Emile could be looking at a DPOY. 10 is great but 12 in my opinion would lock it in for him. 

2-way: Jeanslee Alexis- The Stoics, Coming off a huge Tier 1 Championship under center, the insanity athletic Jeanslee is playing both ways at WR, DB here in division 2. I expect big numbers coming from him as his speed is unmatchable and he can run by anyone and make everyone miss. On Defence Jeanslee gets tested more then you one think due to his smaller stature but his speed and awareness allows his to make play after play even on the defensive side of the ball. He can do it all and he showed it last season especially in co-ed 1 where he had 6 INT’s 4 PD’s and 2 TD’s just on defence. As a valued member of the Stoics offence I believe he will get the touches to put him in the forefront of this conversation for the award.  

Division 1, Week 1 Headlines 

Braves take down All-stars to begin the season 

A huge game to kick off the Div 1 season, we got the two top dogs to battle eachtoher for the first win of the season. In my pre-season predictions I have Allstars over Braves so my prediction for this game would of been Allstars by one possession. But l would have been wrong as the Braves took this one 41-30. Joe Maheu was the star in this one and he was near perfect with 200 yards, 5 Td’s and 0 INT’s but it was actually his performance on defence that really impacted the game as he was able to pick off Wyeth once which ultimately gave the Braves the lead and the win. The offences were rolling for both teams as they scored 5 and 6 touchdowns respectively but it was the Braves that were able to connect on their extra points. Crazy enough the Allstars went 0-5 on converts and I sure they’ll make that a focal point in their game-plan next week vs Party Crashers. 

FFN takes a big loss to Flag Moi L’sac

A new squad with Jarryd Taylor under center after he spent spring and fall throwing as a second QB. He got the itch to throw every down and be the full time signal caller. It is a squad filled with talent as the team is made up of great football players like Jaylen Greaves, Juwan Edghill and Corey Williams. I think this team will be competitive but will need to form chemistry together and with their QB before racking up wins. In their first game of the season, Flag Moi L’sac did not miss a beat and the FFN defence struggled. They allowed 50 points and were unable to create any turnovers. Alex Nadeau-Piuze almost had a 100% completion percentage as he went 14 of 15 and 6 for 6 on converts. FFN will need to regroup and fix their defensive game plan if they want to be competitive. 

Division 2, Week 1 Headlines 

#NR squeezes by in a 1 point Win

The closest game in either div 1 or 2 was a nail bitter as #NR came away with the win. NR led by Travis Moses was able to hang on to a 1 point lead after leading 19-12 at halftime. Joey Taylor is back under center with 2HD and had a rough first game as he threw 3 INT’s. I would expect NR to have more of a lead with that many turnovers but the 2HD defences stood strong as they held NR off 3 times on 4th down. As the game winded down 2HD marched own the field and scored the final TD and made the decision to go for 2 instead of tying the game and heading to overtime. The 2-point convert was unsuccessful and #NR came out of this one on top.  


The Stoics Offence off to a Hot Start

Chris Rivest has continue to climbed the divisions here in FPF and rightfully so as his play keeps improving. Last Winter Chris was able to end the season with 47 touchdowns and 2k yards. With studs like Felix Boutet and Jeanslee Alexis, Chris has the real possibility to throw over 2k yard and finally hit the 50 TD mark in a single season. They did just that in week one as they had a great 39-18 win over Terror Squad. What Chris and the Stoics offence did this game really has me impressed, not because of the stat lines they produced but because of who they put up these stats against. This Terror Squad defence is truly scary as they had Isiah Allard, AJ Gomes and Nicky Farinaccio. But this didn’t waver Rivest as he diced up their defence for 4 touchdowns and 0 INTs. They also went 3 of 5 in converts and just ran away with the score board in the second half scoring 26 points. What a way to kick off the season for The Stoics. 

Thats all for the first edition of Div 1 & 2. I do apologize for being late to the party with my articles as I was on vacation last week. I will get another article out before week 3 begins with some previews, game recaps and more Division 1 & 2 news!