The last stretch.

Seeing how tight the race is in Division A (and B for certain teams), it’s fair to say we’re poised for a hell of a finish. With everything on the line for everyone not named DA Finest, we’re bound to see very exciting games in the next 2 weeks before the real season begins.

It’s not the time to start missing games and sleeping on defence out there; don’t piss your season away.

Let’s get started.

Week 8

Braves looked powerless in the second half against Top Guns, Rainmakers couldn’t muster up a final comeback with only 3 plays left, Incredibles pulled off a great win over STL, but the upset of the week award goes to OTF for their 39-18 win over Drop The Mic, DA Finest get lucky on the last play of the game, Rich & Famous survives against Coyotes and KGP set themselves up for a playoff spot after their win over Kings. All in all, another great week of action. 

 

Thoughts of the Week

• The Theo Ojeaha highlight reel in Division B continues after an absolutely crazy touchdown catch against the Incredibles. Even his Div A teammate Sasha Papich couldn’t believe it.
• Rod Mashtoub continues to be magic late in the 2^nd half.
• As much as we all love making fun of Sam Mashtoub, he’s really getting there.
• Rare Bears’ loss this week has to be the most ridicule thing that happened this week. Not them losing the game itself, but HOW they lost; Jamal Gittens bats down the last play hail mary, it bounces off Akked Moore’s shoulders into Antoine Dansereau’s hands for the win.
• A few weeks ago, Rainmakers at atop the division. They are now the 6^th seed on the outside looking in. Crazy what 4 weeks can do to you.
• With only 2 weeks left in the season, most rosters have gelled into place; everyone with less than 3 Games Played will not be playoff eligible.
• The fact that Paul Lapierre didn’t get a perfect QBR (157.4) with those stats confuses me; he could’ve hardly been more efficient.
• Kings’ defence has been a problem recently. They’ve allowed the second most points all season (307) second only to Broccasion.
• Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan +/- of 178 is completely ridiculous.
• How is only 5 teams out of 12 with a positive +/- right now? I’m confused.
• Lightweight has the second most scoring offence in Division B. No one envisioned this preseason, myself included.
• Can OTF actually finish off the season on a win streak and steal the last playoff spot? I believe they can and their schedule IS favorable.
• Rainmakers is a very different team than what Waste Yout was last Winter. I’m intrigued to see how Daniel Lazzara will fare.

 

Recaps

Division A

• Braves vs Top Guns: In a night filled with excitement down in Brossard, Braves had a very up and down kinda night against the newly favorite Top Guns. Division A doesn’t forgive much and bad nights usually results in losses; Jonathan Maheu didn’t have his best of nights missing key throws and going deep a bit too much for their own good. On one side, Braves had two 4^th downs in the redzone in the first half alone (3^rd overall) whereas Paul Lapierre had 0 incompletes in the same first half. Yet, the game was tied 20-20 at half, somehow. Top Guns got back on offence to start the second half and showed 0 signs of slowing down as Anthony Vendrame became Paul’s favorite target on the night and Braves’ defence couldn’t muster up any sort of solution. With Jonathan Maheu missing a few throws and his receivers definitely not bailing him out late, Braves’ offence stalled and Top Guns seized the opportunity to put the game away and improve to a 4-4 record. Paul Lapierre continues to impress as a QB even in Jamil Springer’s absence and there seems to be no slowing down these guys this season.
• Rainmakers vs Monstars: In a very exciting finish, Monstars managed to stay ahead just long enough to walk away with the W on the night. After going 4 and out on their opening drive, Rainmakers looked bleak, but Rod Mashtoub threw 4 straight incompletes on the ensuing drive to basically reset the game and it was like nothing never happened for both teams. Both Qbs had strong outings aside from their opening drives and Rod Mashtoub really kicked it up a notch late in the 2^nd half buying time in the pocket and making great reads to put his team in a winning position. Bobby Mikelberg continues to impress as Ryan Kastner’s go-to whereas Anthony Brisebois did not have a good night regardless of what the stat sheets displays with one too many drop. Nonetheless, up by 5, Monstars punched in the 1 point convert to make it a 6 point lead and give Ryan Kastner 3 plays to drive the field and tie the game. After a first attempt going incomplete deep to Bobby, Ryan burnt Isiah Allard on a little juke move to buy enough time and deliver a nice strike to a wide open Michael Chitayat down the middle to move into much more comfortable position for the last play of the game. In one of the worse way to lose a game, Ryan Kastner sat in the pocket and delivered a nice ball to Hugo Allamano in the back of the endzone to tie the game, but the pass came slightly too late as Isiah Allard managed to sack the QB right before he released to render the pass irrelevant; Monstars win 39-33.

 

Division B

• Lightweight vs QUAN: In a game that meant much more to QUAN than it did to Lightweight in terms of playoff seeding, one play changed everything. Going back and forth the entire game, both team’s offences were clutch when it actually mattered and scored on all their possessions until very late. QUAN tied the game at 20 with 4 plays left in the first half, but it ended up being enough for us to strike back at them before the break. On the last play of the half, about half way to the endzone, Alex Nadeau-Piuze went higher than most would’ve anticipated and caught an uncontested ball infront of in-awe defenders and allowed Lightweight to head to their benches with a 6 point lead. Down 6 late in the second half, QUAN needed to score to keep their hopes alive and made it all the way to Lightweight’s side of the field, but a tipped ball by rusher Francois Hogue allowed Alex Nadeau-Piuze to step up infront of intended receiver Francois Deslauriers and bring the ball back for six turning a 40-34 lead into a 46-34 game. Without enough time on the clock to make a feasible comeback, QUAN marched the field, scored and got the two-point convert, but the game was already over. The stat sheet shows the rest of the story as Anthony Vendrame and Jamil Springer both emerged as offensive heroes for their teams and both snappers, Antonin Desgent and Francois Deslauriers became much more than simple check-downs for the entire game.
• Kings vs KGP: In your classic Division B game, both teams had impressive plays to display and some not-so impressive to balance everything out. For instance, Marc-André Lapointe’s interception was a thing of beauty, but Mathieu René’s throw that was intercepted by Gordon Hogan was filled with mind-boggling questions as to why did he not simply discard the ball running away from the rusher rather than attempt a miracle in traffic on a not-fourth down. Nonetheless, both teams managed to claw their way back in the game to make the score look somewhat close, but Kings scored in garbage time as KGP had the game put away and only needed a first down on their last possession to blow the whistle and shake hands. When Phil Cutler’s your QB, you know he’s bound to make some magic with his legs and that’s exactly what happened in the last possession; a run for a big chunk of yardage and moving around the pocket to find someone open past the first down marker. KGP wins 35-33 and steal the 4^th seed spot and see Kings fall to 6^th in a very tough spot.
• Incredibles vs STL: I was called crazy for predicting Incredibles to pull off the upset, but I guess my gut was right once more as they won 44-24 on Tuesday night. With Liam Mahoney out for 5 plays on their opening drive after earning himself an OC on STL’s first touchdown, Sasha Papich took the snaps and played QB for the little stint that was. Without doing anything too risky, he got his team in his opponents’ redzone and gave Liam Mahoney a perfect situation to tie the game. Up 20-18 at the half, this was anyone’s game, but Incredibles’ defensive adjustments proved to be fruitful as Dylan Taylor was intercepted by Liam Mahoney on a deep throw and a 32-24 lead took a much more meaningful turn. Punching another one in to go up 38-24, Incredibles were in a very comfortable spot to win this game as long as they didn’t allow anything dumb to happen and the football Gods smiled upon them as Dylan Taylor’s pass to Jameel Greenidge bounced off his hands up the air for Vince Nardone to play catch and run with the errant football. The ensuing score gave Incredibles a 20 point lead and not enough time for STL to fight back; Incredibles improve to 5-3 and take the first seed in Conference A.

 

Players of the Week

Division A

• Anthony Vendrame (Top Guns): With 8 receptions for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns, he quickly became Paul’s favorite target on the night. Oh, and he also got the sole interception of the game, so there’s that too.
• Rod Mashtoub (Monstars): I’ve mentioned it earlier, but he was special down the stretch in his game against Rainmakers buying time and finding the right receiver. His footwork was also quite remarkable down in the redzone.

 

Division B

• Alex Pilon (Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan): Basically all over the stat sheets with 3 interceptions (one for six), 2 offensive touchdowns over 6 catches and 94 yards. Quite the night.
• Yafet Meshesha (OTF): 2 interceptions defensively combo’d with 73 offensive yards and 3 touchdowns is the kind of performance that’ll get you noticed every time.
• Alex Nadeau-Piuze (Lightweight): Although his stats weren’t as flashy as Anthony Vendrame’s on the night (4 Tds), his touchdown to end the half and his pick-six really changed the game.
• Liam Mahoney (Incredibles): 17/19, 200 passing yards, 7 touchdowns and an interception on defence. There’s no doubt he deserves his team’s MVP for the week.

 

Power Rankings

Division A

1. DA Finest (6-2): Sometimes, a little luck goes a long way. Sitting at 6-2, they’ve clinched playoffs and hold the bye for now. I expect them to maintain it going forward.
2. Monstars (5-3):With their fifth win of the season, Monstars are in a very good spot to make a nice playoff push. Can they continue to improve and finish the season on such a high note?
3. Top Guns (4-4): This week’s display continues the trend that Top Guns are a legitimate contender this season. With Paul Lapierre under center, this team is going places.
4. Rare Bears (3-5): Their recent performance against Finest shows what we’ve grown to expect from these guys season after season. I’m no longer worried.
5. Braves (3-5):This week’s performance worries me; when Jonathan Maheu isn’t flawless, his receivers don’t seem to bail him out as much as they did last season. Can they fix it before it’s too late?
6. Rainmakers (3-5): For the second straight week, Rainmakers are at the bottom of my power rankings. Although they played well, key downs ended up being their downfall. They’re also the 6^th seed.

 

Division B

1. Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan (7–1): Back to back weeks demolishing the opposition. It’s not their fault who they end up playing against and they made them pay each time. They truly deserve the #1 spot.
2. Lightweight (6-2): This week’s win over QUAN really pushed them over the top into the #2 seed. They’ve officially clinched a playoff seed too.
3. Incredibles (5-3): This week’s performance against STL as them soaring high once again. The only remaining question is how they’ll fare with Greg Stern’s return looming.
4. Rich & Famous (5-3): Their duel against STL this week will determine how playoff ready this team is. There’s only 2 more weeks to prepare.
5. STL (5–3):Three losses in a row sees them dropping quite a few spots. Can they bounce back against R&F and clinch playoffs this week?
6. Coyotes (4-4): Technically, this has been Sammy Feder’s second loss of the season. With their playoff spot still very much safe, there’s no reason to panic just yet.
7. OTF (3-5): This week’s victory over Drop The Mic shows who this team truly is. If they can fire on all cylinders, there’s no doubt this team can compete with the very best in the division.
8. Drop The Mic (4–4):This week’s loss continues to show the roller coaster season they’ve had so far. As long as they win, they’ll remain safe.
9. KGP (3-5): Their win over Kings allowed them to jump into the 4^th seed and slowly make some noise up in Division B. Their destiny is their own from now on; can they seize the opportunity?
10. QUAN (2-5-1):With only two games left and currently on the outside looking in, QUAN will need some help. Can they find their way back and win out the rest of the way to, at least, help themselves?
11. Kings (2-5-1):This week’s loss stings, there’s no other way around it. This team’s way too talented to be on the outside looking in, yet, that’s where they currently reside.
12. Broccasion (1-7):Chris Rivest was no match for what 6-R had to offer and they learnt that the hard way. Let’s see how they fare this week with, hopefully, a full roster.

 

Playoffs Scenario

Division A

1	DA Finest	8	6	2	0	247	215	12	32	[6-2-0]
2	Monstars	8	5	3	0	302	291	10	11	[5-3-0]
3	Top Guns	8	4	4	0	280	285	8	-5	[4-4-0]
4	Rare Bears	8	3	5	0	245	223	6	22	[3-5-0]
5	Braves	8	3	5	0	230	250	6	-20	[3-5-0]
6	Rainmakers	8	3	5	0	244	284	6	-40	[3-5-0]

• DA Finest is the only team that has clinched a playoff spot. The bye is yet to be determined.
• Rainmakers now sit in 6^th right behind Braves and Rare Bears. Unless they win, at least, one of their remaining games, they’ll remain on the outside looking in.
• Braves’ PA is currently saving them from the last seed. They’ll remain over Rainmakers in any 2-way tie due to their head to head record.
• Although they’ve lost, Rare Bears moved up due to recent events. Winning at least one could definitely make their lives easier though.

 

Division B

1	Incredibles	8	5	3	0	278	253	10	25	[4-1-0]
2	Rich & Famous	8	5	3	0	232	204	10	28	[2-2-0]
3	STL	8	5	3	0	283	254	10	29	[2-2-0]
4	Drop the Mic	8	4	4	0	266	279	8	-13	[2-3-0]
5	OTF	8	3	5	0	228	269	6	-41	[3-1-0]
6	Kings	8	2	5	1	281	307	5	-26	[0-4-0]

• With their most recent loss, Kings now sit at the bottom of their respective division. Unless they win out and DTM losses their next 2, they can pack their bags and put this one behind them.
• OTF’s win over DTM this weekend surges their playoffs hopes to new heights. Only one win away from the 4^th seed and owning the tiebreaker, they basically need 1 more win than DTM in the next 2 weeks.
• Incredibles claimed the #1 seed in Conference A due to their most recent win over STL pushing them to 5-3 with the best divisional record.
• Due to the current scenarios, the only team officially clinched is Incredibles with a 4-1 divisional record. Everyone else could, potentially, drop out of the playoff race!

 

1	Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan	8	7	1	0	356	178	14	178	[5-0-0]
2	Lightweight	8	6	2	0	286	264	12	22	[3-1-0]
3	Coyotes	8	4	4	0	238	289	8	-51	[2-2-0]
4	KGP	8	3	5	0	267	290	6	-23	[2-3-0]
5	QUAN	8	2	5	1	272	276	5	-4	[0-4-0]
6	Broccasion	8	1	7	0	217	341	2	-124	[1-3-0]

• Broccasion now sits dead last with a 1-7 record. Due to the inexistant possibility of a 3-way tie for 4^th seed and their loss to KGP, they are now eliminated from playoff contention.
• QUAN slid to the 5^th seed after this week’s loss to Lightweight. Their poor divisonal record is rendered irrelevant due to their 1 point tie. They’ll essentially need to get one more win than KGP in their next 2 to take back their playoff spot.
• KGP strong-armed Kings into the playoff with a win this week. Their destiny is in their own hands; as long as they win, they’ll retain a playoff seed.
• Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan and Lightweight has officially clinched a playoff seed.
• As long as Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan wins or ties one of their next two games (or Lightweight loses one), they’ll remain the #1 seed in Conference B.

 

Matchups to Watch

Division A

• Emile Piché vs Rod Mashtoub: If the last few weeks taught us anything, Rod Mashtoub is magic when he can move in the pocket with ease. Unless Emile Piché is able to take that away from him, he might continue to impress us all for yet another week.
• Kevin Wyeth vs Daniel Lazzara: In his debut with Rainmakers, Daniel Lazzara will face Division A’s best QB in a duel. With his team’s playoff hopes on the line, can he beat Wyeth?
• Marco Masciotra vs Top Guns’ pass rush: With his ability to run limited, I’m curious to see who will Top Guns send as a rusher; Paul Lapierre due to his imposing size and ability to take away lanes or Jonathan Lyristis to force quick throws?

 

Division B

• Justin Blanchard vs Mathieu René: If 6-R wants to limit Kings’ offence, they’ll need to maintain Mathieu René in the pocket and take away his scrambling ability. This all starts with their rusher Justin Blanchard.
• Patrick Chenard vs Ryan Perry: There’s only a handful of players who can guard Ryan Perry in Division B; Patrick Chenard is one of them. This matchup is bound to be one to watch closely.
• Sasha Papich vs Kyle Lebofsky: Broccasion’s success starts with Kyle Lebofsky and his impact on the game. That’s where Sasha Papich comes into play; if he can restrain him just enough, Incredibles could very well improve to 6-3.
• Francois Hogue vs Sammy Feder: When he has enough time, Sammy Feder is unstoppable. His ability to move in the pocket and buy time for his receivers to break open makes him a top QB in his division. If Francois Hogue can take that away from him, we might be able to come out on top.
• Rich & Famous’ secondary vs Theo Ojeaha: Simply put; can anybody on R&F stop Theo Ojeaha? Will Dylan Taylor’s recent slump piss him off enough to feed Theo ridiculously?
• Yafet Meshesha vs Justin McLean: Lining up naturally infront of each other, this will be the best matchup of the week. Can either player contain the other?

 

Picks of the Week

Division A

• Monstars vs Braves: Braves
• DA Finest vs Rainmakers: DA Finest
• Top Guns vs Rare Bears: Rare Bears

 

Division B

• Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan vs Kings: Six Fast Guys Minus Ryan
• Drop The Mic vs QUAN: QUAN
• Broccasion vs Incredibles: Incredibles
• Coyotes vs Lightweight: —-
• Rich & Famous vs STL: STL
• OTF vs KGP: OTF

 

That’s it for me this week. Hopefully this is what you’ve all grown to love and expect out of me for your weekly readings. If it isn’t, you can send any sort of formal complaint to Paolo Della Rocca via twitter (@PeezeFPF) so I can keep tab and act like I didn’t know about it. Otherwise, if you have any comments, feel free to hit me up either via emails ([email protected]) or twitter (@DagenaisFPF). Until next time.