Co-ed Week 8 Recap

Another week in the books for the co-ed division and this round of games has brought me a couple of surprises which I will address in this article. Without further ado, let me bring to you the full description of what went down on the fields of the co-eds.

Party Mix vs. Big TDs

Bandana Man Deslauriers told me himself that his main focus is to be consistent throughout the entire game. This particular match up was the biggest proof of that statement and I will tell you why. In the first half he was only able to ensure 6 points for his team, but he delivered in the second half when it mattered most. He tightened up his bandana to ensure the brain was on top of things and he put up 21 points. That being said, he finished the game completing just above half of his passes and he followed that up with 4 touchdowns. What I really appreciate is when a Quarterback keeps the turnovers low and spreads the ball to his team. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done, but Deslauriers was able to ensure he completed passes to nobody other than his team and that was the key in this match up.

His receivers were making his job much easier and he rewarded them by spreading touchdowns out to three different receivers. It appears that the defensive nightmare on the receiving end was from Benjamin Parisien, who made 5 catches for just under 80 yards and 1 touchdown. Lonnie Johnson proved that age is but a number when he was able to produce 6 catches for just under 60 yards and 1 touchdown. Finally, Audrey Le Templier proved to be the biggest difference maker as she was able to find the end zone twice on 3 catches. To me, that’s the ultimate sign of resourcefulness; sure she did not have as many catches as the above mentioned Lonnie & Benjamin, but she did not have to because she was able to get her offense off the field and with a lead.

Saadia Ashraf was back to her old self again as she completed 69% of her passes and 3 touchdowns. Unfortunately for her, football is a game of momentum swings which can switch in an instant. She was feeling great, spreading the ball evenly amongst her receivers, until one critical mistake happened. She threw an interception to Benjamin and although it did not cost her points at that time it put the opposing offense in great field position, where they successfully scored. That was really the crucial moment of the game and that one mistake costed her team the victory. She left the field very upset at herself and I don’t blame her. She is slowly getting back to her earlier self and she will find a way to fix these little errors and go back to being that MVP caliber she showed me.

As mentioned before she was able to spread the ball amongst all her receivers but there were 3 in particular that she connected with for a score. Myles Browne, who is a lethal deep threat, was able to finish the game with 5 catches for just under 50 yards and 1 touchdown. Laurence Pontbriand – who in the games I have witnessed is usually Saadia’s go to gal – was on the receiving end of 2 catches for just above 25 yards and 1 touchdown. Lastly, David Cesari – who is the guy that is considered the safety blanket for Saadia – was able to catch 2 balls for just under 25 yards and 1 touchdown. Those are just the ones that were able to find the end zone but in general she was able to connect with every one of her receivers, and if the defensive players played on offense then she would have very likely found a way to get them involved in the action as well.

If a human body had a switch that can be flipped on, it was definitely a possibility as Party mix struggled in the first half but was able to come out firing in the second half and come away with a 27-18 victory against Big TDs.

Michael Scott’s Tots vs. Flagiuuu

Lefty Evan Ely Nolet had a decent game, but I believe he wished that he would have been able to make easier throws with the ball. He completed less than half of his passes but was able to gain just above 140 yards through the air, followed by 3 touchdowns and 1 horribly timed interception. Those throwing stats did not stop him from running once for 8 yards and capitalizing with a touchdown. The games I have seen from him consistently prove that he finds a way to avoid tackles and sacks. Whether it be a simple juke, or an elegant spin, or simply just dancing around prancing away from opposing defenders he finds a way to get free.

Now Evan also has this way about him to find open receivers when he needs to get the first down or simply for a touchdown. In this particular game he was able to connect with Gerry Gilbert on 3 separate occasions for 65 yards and 1 touchdown. He also makes new players feel like his system is easy to grasp as he was able to find Gabriel Wiseman, who was there to sub in for Zack Alberts-Gill. He found Gabriel (Not the Saint) 4 times for less than 40 yards and 1 touchdown. There was a clutch moment from Phuc Pham, and no I did not make that name up. Phuc is usually a defensive specialist but in this game he was playing on offense and although he was not targeted much the one time he was targeted was when he was able to find an opening inside the end zone for the touchdown.

Flagiuuu’s quarterback was a victim of FlagPlus Football’s jersey policy, as they were not wearing a legitimate number, but that did not stop them from playing what may have very well been the best game of their co-ed season. They completed 13 passes and earned just above 170 yards through the air. That was followed up by 6 touchdowns and 1 interception that proved to have no impact on the outcome of the game. It was clear throughout the game that there was a favorite target for them as the majority of the passes were caught by one player in particular.

That player is Martin Gelinas; come on down you are the next contestant on why was I not covered. Martin finished the game with 9 catches for just under 125 yards and 5 touchdowns. Yes, 5 touchdowns in one game is simply unheard of, but to be fair I witnessed it in a division 2 game very recently. So for Martin to put up numbers like a division 2 player – who also happens to play in division 1 and not to mention a FlagPlus Football Hall of Famer – is ridiculous in the best way possible. Simon Lamoureux was another receiver who had a solid game and came away with 2 catches for 30 yards and 1 touchdown, which was the final nail in the coffin for the opposing team.

Flagiuuu had this game on lock from the very beginning, finishing the first half with the lead and ultimately closing the game with a huge first win 37-26 against Michael Scott’s Tots.

Straigh off the Couch vs. ATH Squad

Sara Parker did not have a great game but she also did not have a bad game. She finished by completing less than half her passes for just under 80 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Unfortunately for her she was playing against a team that was very quick to get to her and did not give her much time to make plays. She was sacked 4 times but that is only because her snapper had a rough time. She was sacked once by Edouard Gagnon and twice by Catherine Fortier but to be fair those two are quick and I would have probably been sacked twice as much as Sara. Unfortunately she wishes her interception could have been prevented, as it was thrown behind her intended receiver into the sure hands of Jessica Gosselin.

One of the bright spots for Straight off the Couch was the play of Kevin St-Pierre, who was able to make some big plays under the circumstances. He finished with 6 catches or just over 50 yards and 1 touchdown. The touchdown came from a very common route; it was a drag route that was caught by Kevin then he split two defenders and was able to scoot into the end zone for the first score of the game. That was a promising start for Straight off the Couch but it was unfortunately the biggest splash of their game.

Marc-Antoine Jetté, with his signature Magnum P.I moustache, had a conservative game. He too completed less than half of his passes for just under 90 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. The difference is that he was not afraid to throw the ball to his main guy for easy receptions and three scores. He could have had more but unfortunately for him he threw an interception in the end zone that essentially killed the momentum for the time being. That did not stop him from going back to what he does best, which is find open receivers while moving the ball and finishing off key drives to secure the victory.

Edouard was his main guy when he needed big plays and scores, as he was able to find him 5 times for just under 60 yards and 2 touchdowns. The first score was the quickest, as he was found on a drag route where he discovered a huge opening in the defense and carried it into the end zone for the score. The second touchdown was the one that put the game away, as he caught the ball on an out route, made a defender miss and made quick strides into the end zone. Now the touchdown that allowed ATH Squad to play with a lead was caught by Jessica. Jessica was the go to target when they were very near to the endzone, and that is when she ran a curl route. She was able to get spacing from the opposing defensive back and she caught it when Marc-Antoine put it perfectly for her to make the play.

What started off as a game that had the potential to come down to the wire was avoided when ATH Squad was able to be a defensive nightmare and come away with a 21-6 victory in this mid-table matchup.

TC vs. It’s A Match

Vanessa Birri came to play and play well; I am sure that she is beyond happy with her performance and she hopes this level of play continues. She completed 67% of her passes for a little less than 190 yards, she also added 5 touchdowns to 3 different receivers and most importantly she never gave the ball away. I always say that ball control is the key to success at quarterback because frankly if you give the ball away to the other team you never really have a chance to pour on the offense. Although Vanessa was smart with her passes and her play calls; she also never risked a turnover because she always put the ball in a position that only her receiver can make the grab.

As I stated before she connected with 3 different receivers for touchdowns but that is not all. She was able to connect with 7 different receivers throughout the game and she never hesitated or lost trust in her receivers. Jacques Void was the main guy in this equation as he finished with 6 catches for over 90 yards and 3 touchdowns. Each touchdown being better than the previous; his first touchdown was a fly route where he just turned on the jets and found the end zone. The second touchdown was a comeback route where he caught it then he scooted by 2 defenders and escaping a third before finding the end zone. His last touchdown sealed the game, as he ran across the back of the end zone without stepping out and came down with the catch.

Emilie Carrier was also a preferred target as she finished the game with 5 catches for fewer than 40 yards and 1 touchdown. Her touchdown came on a corner route where the ball was a little bit high but that did not stop her from leaping up and coming down with the score. Emilie P. Badoux was the last receiver that found the end zone, as she was also able to get open in the corner of the end zone for a nice toss and grab for the opening score of the game.

Benoit Lawlor had a relatively good game although his team was unable to secure the victory. He completed less than half his passes but still managed to obtain just above 170 yards passing with 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. To be fair neither one of the interceptions were his fault, as he just could not catch a break. His first interception of the game deflected off two players before ultimately falling in the hands of Sabrina Gervais. Who also had an interception on the final play of the game when Benoit just wanted to get a score to leave the game on a positive note. His second interception of the game was simply unpreventable; he had an open receiver so he threw the ball to them only to be caught by a sprinting Maxime Paterson who then was able to return it for a score. In the end, it was the proverbial knife in the heart for Benoit’s team.

Putting the interceptions aside, because they were clearly earned from a stellar defense, Benoit was able to connect with 3 receivers for touchdowns. His main guy was snapper Lovinski Gelin, who caught 7 passes for just over 70 yards and 1 touchdown. His touchdown came on an out route, where at full speed he was able to keep both his feet inbounds for a touchdown. Charbel El-Sayah was a big man on the hunt for the end zone. He finished the game with 2 catches for over 60 yards and 2 touchdowns. The first of which was a big man post route. H caused a defender to miss the tackle and then hustled to the end zone. His second touchdown came off a go route where he put on them speed shoes and was able to find himself alone in the endzone for the easy score. Lastly, Alexis Labonté made 2 catches for just over 20 yards and 1 touchdown. His touchdown came off a fade route where he managed to find himself open in the corner of the end zone for the score.

This game was certainly exciting and it was an offensive barrage. It was back and forth until the unfortunate pick six from Benoit and after that TC took over and came away with a 40-25 victory against It’s A Match.

That’s it for me this week. If you guys have any comments, complaints, criticism, I can always be reached via email ([email protected]) or twitter (@FPF_Stefb) or in person at the fields. Thanks for reading my self-proclaimed masterpiece.