Categories: Tier 2

Tier 2: The dreaded tie, Beer Belly Brigade finds a QB, World Series prediction, and who is the defender in Tier 2?

A tie is better than a loss, but to most (me included), it feels just the same. It took all the way to Week 7, but we finally had our first one of the season, as Never Overtime and Arouch fought to a (25-25) draw Sunday night in Chateauguay.

For Never Overtime, the team’s best player in Mack Dessources, stepped up in a big way as he made several plays for his squad, on the way to leading all players offensively with six catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns.  His ability to take short passes and explode for big gains was on full display, as he scored 29-and 28-yard TDs respectively.

Still searching for an impact player to replace the loss of Rhami Aboud, the team turned to Tier 1 Receiver Kenny Baye. The former Concordia Stinger had a modest two receptions for 17 yards, but he did score a touchdown, as well as an interception on defense.

Arouch went the unconventional route as only three players caught passes, but the trio all made an impact, as Thomas Legault, Antoine Préfontaine, and Simon Lossier all recorded a TD, with the latter leading the way with two.

Two big moments would end up deciding this game. The first was with six plays remaining in the contest. After Lossier scored a TD, Never Overtime had a chance to win the game. Quarterback Ryan Kharouf completed two passes to Karim Madji for seven and eight yards and ran for one yard. e

The positivity turned into a negative, as with three plays left, Kharouf was intercepted by Lossier. The momentum for Arouch would also be brief, as QB Eric Lalonde found Préfontaine for a four-yard gain, Lalonde would get picked off by Jeff Gay on the game’s final play. Turnovers killed both teams down the stretch.

The second moment came all the way at the beginning of the game, as Arouch didn’t have the minimum five players to start the contest, resulting in Never Overtime receiving a (6-0) lead before the first snap of the game.

For a team in dire need of their first win, failing to show up on time, and giving your opponents free points in a game that you had a good shot at winning, is not a recipe for success.

Adding salt to the wound was the fact that Arouch would lose (28-27) to Backfield Penetration Wednesday night at Marie-Victorin. The loss was a heartbreaker, as Arouch would score a TD on the second to last play of the game on a 3-yard pass from Lalonde to Antoine Préfontaine. Looking for the win rather than forcing overtime, the offense to go for the 2-point conversion instead of the 1-point convo. The attempt would fail, and the zero in the win column remains.

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Looking at the big picture, the point earned by Arouch and Never Overtime, helps the latter maintain their slim hold on the 12th and final playoff spot. For the former, the one point keeps them within striking distance of Beer Belly Brigade, who are one spot out, as well as Never Overtime, Rico Ryders, and The Commission, with four games remaining.

Speaking of Beer Belly Brigade, after losing Quarterback Alex Fafard for the season due to injury, the team went to free agency (I wanted to say transfer portal) to pick up FPF veteran Gab Wiseman. The six-time All-Star is currently throwing in Co-Ed 2 with the Bulls, where he has tossed seven touchdowns to six interceptions with a 47.4% completion percentage. I have score kept several of his games, and those numbers are more a reflection of his receivers than they are of him.

At his best, Wiseman will scramble around to buy time for his pass-catchers to get open and try to exploit holes in the opposing defense. His play on defense will be just as important, as he uses his speed and length to cause turnovers, as he has 124 interceptions, 18 of which he has run back for a score. If that wasn’t enough, he is also more than capable of chasing down QBs, as evidenced by his 224 career sacks.

Beer Belly Brigade will need him to be effective on both sides of the ball, as they have five games left in the regular season to clinch a playoff spot. The task starts this Sunday against Backfield Penetration, followed by matchups with Kiss My Outlaws, Les Monsieurs Chats, Never Overtime, and Fins Up. The climb into a playoff spot will be tough, but not impossible.

Who is the Best?

You guys have spoken, and the votes have been tallied. According to the numbers, Isiah Allard of Les Monsieurs Chats, is the best Rusher in Tier 2, as the eight-time All-Star garnered a whopping 43% of the votes. I can’t argue with that choice, as his combination of size, speed, and athleticism, make him the most dangerous Rusher in FPF.

There were a lot of big-time names in contention. The race for second and third place was tight, but it went to Jeremie Patry-Lavoie, and Raffaele Morelli respectively. Deserving players like Ethan Adrian, Kareem Anthony Chilcott, and Emile Descoteaux just missed out by a handful of votes. Some other Rushers in Naz Dhillon, Alexandre Szalipszki, and Lucas Diamantopoulos got slept on. Hopefully every player who didn’t finish first will use that as extra motivation going forward.

This week, I want to look at who is the best defensive player in Tier 2. Just like when I looked at Receiver, there are too many names to mention, so if I don’t type your name here or on the Facebook list, don’t take it personal (see: Armand, Sanders lol). Make sure to add it to the list.

Here are some of the names that come to mind when I think of the best defensive players in Tier 2. Once again, it isn’t limited to these names. I just don’t feel like writing 50 names on the list. I feel like 30 is enough for the article.

Sanders Armand – Hakim Kasbi-Filliatrault

Mikael Arseneau – Felix Fortier

Chris Thelasco – Charles Cossette

Antoine Préfontaine – Jay Yanakoulias

Jonathan Cloutier – Anthony Drysdale

Sam Anastasopoulos – Kendal Mayers

Richie Mondesir – Zachary Brassard

Mathew Simard – Felix Clairmont

Kevin Marcil – Charles Olivier Vachon

Mack Dessources – Marvin Steinberg

Mickael Forest – Massimo D’ipolito

Marc-André Lapointe – Hinsley Adams

Alexi Dubois – Matt Peacock

Jeanslee Alexis – Quaysie Gordon-Maule

Jean-Felix Daloze – Kevin Donnet

*I will put up the poll on FB tonight.

Power Rankings

1.Vultures (5-1)

Nothing has changed from last week. They are still the best team in Tier 2. The Vultures have a game this coming Wednesday with Arouch. A sixth win seems very likely.

Last Week: 1

2. Shake & Bake

After a two-week break, they return to the field this Monday against The Infantry, in what will be a must-watch game in Chateauguay. A win by Shake & Bake would give them first place in both the standings and in the power rankings.

Last Week: 2

3. The Infantry

Another team with a bye last week, The Infantry have a big matchup against Les Monsieurs Chats Sunday night in Chateauguay. Will the time off effect the momentum they gained off their win over Fins Up two weeks ago?

Last Week: 3

4. Idaho Udapimps

It has been nearly two weeks since their (33-30) loss to the Vultures. Idaho Udapimps must be chomping at the bit to get back on the field. They will get a chance to do exactly that this Sunday afternoon when they take on Jagerbomb, in what I expect to be a shootout.

A win would allow IU to maintain their hold on first in the standings.

Last Week: 4

5. Fins Up

After falling (50-35) to The Infantry, Fins Up responded with back-to-back wins over The Commission and Rico Ryders. They have the easiest second half schedule of any team in Tier 2. Apart from a showdown with Idaho Udapimps in two weeks, they face Arouch, and the Beer Belly Brigade. The game against IU gives them an opportunity to make a statement. We will see soon enough how they handle it.

Last Week: Not Ranked

Picks

Fins Up vs Arouch – Fins Up

Beer Belly Brigade vs Backfield Penetration – Backfield Penetration

Idaho Udapimps vs Jagerbomb – Idaho Udapimps (My pick for Game of the Week)

The Infantry vs Les Monsieurs Chats – The Infantry

Shake & Bake vs The Infantry – The Infantry (Upset Special)

Arouch vs Vultures – Vultures

Beer Belly Brigade vs Kiss My Outlaws – Kiss My Outlaws

*Yankees vs Dodgers – Dodgers (in 7)

The matchup that Major League Baseball, and almost everyone wanted. Ohtani, Judge, Betts, Soto, Muncy, Stanton, Freeman, Cole, and Kershaw, the World Series won’t be lacking for stars or big moments. They’re the two best teams in the two biggest markets in the world. Baseball can be boring as watching paint dry sometimes, but I don’t think that’ll be the case here.

Last Week: (2-0-1)

Regular Season: (16-11-1)

Upset Special: (1-5-1)

That is it for This week. Good luck to everyone in their games this weekend and in coming week as well.

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.