Division 6D: Final Four/Semi-Final Preview

We are officially down to the final four teams who will do battle for the FlagPlus Football Division 6D championship, as No Fly Zone, Mutation, Cheat Squad, and the Chomedey Chodes all booked their ticket to the Semi-Finals tomorrow night in Laval.

Before we go into the matchups, let’s look at how all four teams got here, as we witnessed a slew of upsets last weekend.

Out of the four games that were played last Sunday, three of them ended in blowouts, as Show Me Dem TDies, Salt’s n a Pepper, and Free Agent Squad failed to show up offensively in their contests, as neither of them scored more than two touchdowns. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, defense wins championships. You need offense to score, put the lights get bright, people get a little tight, defenses can be more physical as most officials don’t want a playoff game to come down to a call unless it’s egregious, and oh yeah, defense travels.

The one game that wasn’t a blowout and actually featured two teams that showed up on offense, was the Chomedey Chodes and Le Speakeasy showdown, that saw the former escape with a (31-25) victory.

The first half of the contest looked like it would be a low-scoring affair, as Le Speakeasy led (12-6) at the break. Cue the fireworks in the second stanza, as the Chomedey Chodes would outscore their opponents (25-13) on the shoulders of four touchdown passes by Quarterback Matthew Bottazzi.

The Chomedey Chodes also showed some smarts with the ball in their hands, as they had two scoring drives of 13 and eight plays respectively in the second half, and a final one of five plays that essentially killed the clock on their opponents.

Le Speakeasy got the ball back with one play remaining, but a hail Mary attempt fell short.

(4) Cheat Squad versus (5) Chomedey Chodes

Previous Meeting: Cheat Squad (25-19) Week 4

In the first meeting, it was a tale of two halves, as Cheat Squad led (18-6) at halftime, and then were outscored (13-7) in the second stanza, as they hung on for the win, even though their Quarterback William Gillespie would throw an interception in the final three minutes of the game. The drive ended on a fourth down stop by the Cheat Squad defense on the last play of the contest.

Coming up big for Cheat Squad in the win was Rusher Josh Notte, who had three sacks and two pass deflections in the game.

Coming into tomorrow, Cheat Squad Quarterback Rémy Dumas continued his hot play with nine touchdown passes, and two interceptions this post-season. He will need to continue to be the difference maker for his team, as they will be taking on the best Receiver in all of Division 6 in Jonathan Bottazzi.

The biggest question that goes into this game is how can Cheat Squad slow down Bottazzi? That task will most likely fall on the duo of Dominic Weidner and William Gillespie, as they are the team’s best two defenders. They will have to work in unison to slow down Bottazzi, while giving time for Rusher Josh Notte to get home will be a key to winning the game. In the first meeting, they were the only team to hold him under five catches, 50 yards, and no touchdowns. That was an impressive performance.

The Cheat Squad defense has given up 19 points in two playoff games, so they will have some momentum coming into tomorrow night. They will need it, because the Chomedey Chodes offense is averaging nearly 35 points a game this post-season. They held them to 19 the first time, can they do it again?

For the Chomedey Chodes, the question they must answer is can they stop Dumas? So far in four starts, no one has been able to, as the rookie has looked superb averaging 10 yards a pass, with a completion percentage of nearly 70%.

To get stops, the Chomedey Chodes will have to rely on their top defenders in Bottazzi, along with Idris Oudhini, Brock Zwicker, and Jonathan Danessa. In the previous meting they held Cheat Squad to 25 points, but that was with Gillespie at Quarterback. Tomorrow represents a much bigger challenge.

Both teams proved me wrong by winning their games last week. This week with a shot at the Finals on the line, I expect nothing less than a stellar performance by each squad.

The last meeting saw Cheat Squad pull off the win as they held Bottazzi in check. While I think he ups his totals tomorrow night, the improvement in the offense under the direction of Dumas who appears to be the better Quarterback will be too much for the Chomedey Chodes to overcome.

Prediction: Cheat Squad (36-29)

(4) No Fly Zone versus (5) Mutation

Previous Meeting: No Fly Zone (30-0) Week 2

*No Fly Zone won by forfeit, but they actually lost the game (18-6)

It is rare when a team goes over the cap both on offense and defense, but that is exactly what Mutation did, hence the (30-0) final score. In the actual game that was played on the field back in January, Mutation used a three-touchdown performance by Coslens Clairveaux, and a suffocating defense to hold No Fly Zone Quarterback Adam Ouici, to 9 of 23 passing for a season-low 54 yards.

No Fly Zone used some elite defensive play of their own in their Quarter-Final win over Show Me Dem TDies, as they intercepted Daniel Caruana five times (yeah, you read that right) and had both Lucas Gonzalez and Finn Nachshen run their INTs back to the house.

The other three INTs came from Ouici, in the rare sighting of QB-on-QB theft. I don’t know if the team gives out game balls, but every member of the defense should’ve received one.

For No Fly Zone to advance, they will need to not only deliver another solid outing on defense, but they will also need their offense to make an appearance as well. That starts will Ouici mixing up his play calling and getting the ball in the hands of this playmakers early and often, as his Receivers in Gonzalez, Nachshen, Ali Alvi, Can Celik and Skyler Fortier can do damage when given the opportunity.

On defense, the unit will need to pressure Mutation Quarterback Simon Girard into bad decisions, by mixing up their coverages, and changing zones after the snap. They also must not allow Receiver Cédrik Gingras-Dubé, to go off like he did last week, as he lit up Free Agent Squad to the tune of four touchdowns.

Not to be outdone on the defensive side of the ball, Mutation got to this point as they posted four interceptions off Free Agent Squad QB Tyler Stewart in their (40-12) victory. A lot of credit goes to Rusher Dave Jean-Baptiste, who recorded a sack, and was able to apply pressure all game long, forcing Stewart into some bad throws.

For Mutation to earn a trip to the Finals, they will need to bring the defense that showed up last week, as well as the one that unofficially smothered the No Fly Zone offense last time.

On offense, they will need their playmakers in Rodney Alcime, Émile Skaf, and Gingras-Dubé to make plays as they have done the entire season and force their opponents to pick their poison.

I think both teams will bring their A-game tomorrow night. I also think Mutation is the better team, and this time they will officially beat No Fly Zone.

Prediction: Mutation (28-22)

Picks

Chomedey Chodes versus Cheat Squad – Cheat Squad (My pick for Game of the Week)

No Fly Zone versus Mutation – Mutation (Upset Special)

Last Week: (0-4) OUCH!!!!

Playoffs: (3-5)

The All-Stars were announced earlier this week, Congrats to all those who were in consideration, as well as those who took home the honors:

Max Guenette (Demons) Best Quarterback

Jonathan Bottazzi (Chomedey Chodes) – Best Receiver

Vincent Richard (Le Speakeasy) – Best Defensive Player

Manny Bizogias (Meat Fiddlers) Best Two-Way Player

That is it for this week. Good luck to everyone in their games tomorrow. One more week until the Finals. The Road Show will be kicking off next week.

Don’t forget, if you haven’t registered for the Spring Season, you need to do so ASAP, because registration ends tomorrow!

The NFL Draft wrapped up their three-day mega event today. I watched Rounds 1,2, 3, and I even tuned into about three hours today. As a football junkie I always get fired up for it. I am not thrilled about some of the players my 9ers picked, and others who they passed on, but we’ll see what happens when we hit the field for training camp.

The draft, NBA and NHL playoffs, MLB back in full swing (pun intended) it’s a sports fan’s dream right now.

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.