One last time.

From a preseason perspective, the current outcome was somewhat predictable; the ones we thought would finish at the top did and the ones we expected to miss out, well, are currently missing out.

There’s a saying in FPF that the regular season feels like a “warm up” for the playoffs and the real season begins week 12; the saying couldn’t be any truer than it currently is in D1.

You guys essentially get one more practice round before the real season begins and everything’s on the line. Can’t wait for Week 12.

Let’s get started,

Week 10

Braves and DK’s offences really went at it, a new star was born this season, Rainmakers avoided the fatal 0-10 season, STL pulled off this week’s craziest upset and much more in this week’s crazy action-packed games.

Thoughts of the Week

I don’t know what’s more impressive; Matt Kirouac’s sideline catch or his back to back PDs to force the turnover.
I don’t remember the last time a rusher had 20+ sacks in D1. Francois Rocheleau has 23 and one more game left to play.
Was that Rainmakers’ final D1 game?
Samuel Nadeau-Piuze had a pretty dirty catch for an interception this week. He, too, can play defence.
Forfeits suck. That is all.
Top Guns and MNX2.0 are battling for the last seed. Which also means they’re fighting to play Montreal’s Finest in the first round. Even though I believe Top Guns could give Finest a better run for their money, I don’t see either of them pulling off the upset.
BYOB can jump We P.O and earn the bye week if they win this week.
You Can’t Sit With Us can’t go any higher than 5^th due to how things played out.
We P.O could drop all the way to 6^th.
#NR will be the 1^st seed if they win OR, in case of a loss, if Waste Yout or BYOB also wins.
#NR could drop to the 2^nd seed if they lose + Waste Yout and BYOB loses.
Waste Yout cannot finish 1^st seed (Unless they finish with a better PA than #NR, but their current 37 point difference makes it very, very unlikely)
This season’s playoffs are bound to be electric from start to finish; can we be March 24^th already?

Recaps

Monstars vs D-Boys: This week’s game of the week did not disappoint. Great matchup between two top-end D1 teams. This is the sort of game we’ve grown to expect D-Boys to win and, if they want to keep their contender status, they needed this sort of win heading into the playoffs. It was close for a while, but D-Boys made a few more plays and pulled away late in the 2^nd to really keep Monstars at bay. I hate predicting playoff outcomes because, well, I know nothing and it has a much different atmosphere than a game where essentially both teams were playing for pride and seeding but were both already a lock in the playoffs, but I do feel like D-Boys have the edge and would be the favorite if they were to play each other again in a few weeks time.
Braves vs DK: In this week’s high-scoring affair, Braves and DK put on a show and both offences looked absolutely unstoppable (up ‘till the end). To throw for a combined 99 points, both QBs had pretty good outings. Sebastien Crisi-Lauzon came out of nowhere in his first D1 game of the season and finished the night with a MONSTER performance. One can only wonder what would’ve happened if he would’ve been around all season. It’s not that DK didn’t play well, simply that one play changed the game when Rochdi Benabdelkader played ‘Too safe’ and decided to check it down rather than hit an open receiver deep and got intercepted, for six, by Samuel Boisvent. The turnover helped Braves establish a lead they simply couldn’t lose that far into the second half and one can only sit back and hope they play each other again in the playoffs!
Top Guns vs Rainmakers: All season long, I said and hoped Rainmakers would avoid the big 0-10. And they did. If this was their final game, this is a pretty nice way to ride into the sun set. Sure, it’s not winning a championship, but all things considered this is a nice farewell. Considering Top Guns could’ve clinched a playoff seed with this win, playing spoiler might make that final game even a little bit sweeter. Ryan Kastner looked good distributing the ball and Michael Chitayat looked unstoppable out there. Their defence came together nicely in the first half and Jacques Void was the one to finish the night with an interception. As much as this probably pains Top Guns in their fight for a playoff spot, it must’ve felt real good being Rainmakers on Monday night.
MNX2.0 vs Flag Moi L’Sac: In a game where both teams did not look like their usual selves, MNX2.0 didn’t have the roster to match up against the Francois Lebeau-led Flag Moi L’Sac and were, basically, picked apart piece by piece. I’m happy to see MNX2.0 had a roster to begin with and didn’t forfeit; that’s the most important here, but they were no match for their opponents quite frankly. Adrien Kellman made some plays for MNX2.0 and showed he could potentially be one of the next player to emerge in Division 1 or 2 next Winter. Francois Rocheleau continues to amaze on both sides of the ball and he continues to build on his current resume for Defensive player of the Year in D1. If we had an award for rookie of the year, he’d win it hands down.
Waste Yout vs STL: If this was a preseason preview, I would say this game was a must watch. Considering how boths teams have been playing up ‘till this point, I must say, this is an absolute shocker. Waste Yout ‘had money’ on the line saying they’d close out the season undefeated and, most likely, took the last two games for granted; I guess they won’t make that mistake twice. STL can still be a very dangerous D2 team and if they can continue on this streak, they could be one of the toughest team to beat in the playoffs this season. Justene Edwards continues to excel as Theo Ojeaha draws way too much attention and allows for favorable matchups elsewhere and the STL offence is, once again, prolific enough to win them games. Considering the players on this team, on both sides of the ball, there is no reason to believe STL can’t do it all this season.
Gladiateurs vs Braves 2.0: Gladiateurs came out to play, but so did Braves 2.0 in this late Wednesday night matchup. In his second game in a row, after playing in D1 for FMS, Francois Lebeau was all warmed up and ready to go as soon as the first whistle was blown and it showed. Connecting left and right, he did finish with a pretty good stat line, but his first interception, in the redzone, really took a toll on the rhythm of the game as Georges Gariepy read the route perfectly and Braves 2.0 got themselves an early lead. Both teams pretty much went back and forth trading scores as Glads were essentially trailing Braves 2.0 and waiting for that one mistake to capitalize and it did come, but not what they would’ve wanted. Jonathan Maheu jumped a route, intercepted Francois Lebeau and ran it back for six untouched as this score allowed the Braves to take a two score lead on their opponents and essentially seal the deal as the time on the clock didn’t allow for a comeback from Gladiateurs.

Players of the Week

Sebastien Crisi-Lauzon (Braves): 15 catches, 166 yards, 6 TDs in a single game. Wow.
Jonathan Maheu (Braves): 31/36, 295 yards and 7:0 ratio. If I could have these numbers, I’d be one happy player.
Michael Chitayat (Rainmakers): He balled out in his final game of the season with 85 receiving yards and 3 TDs. Nice way to end things.
Francois Rocheleau (Flag Moi L’Sac): 5 sacks in a single game and so much pressure on the QB that he forced a handful of bad throws. Dominant game.

Liam Mahoney (You Can’t Sit With Us): He put on a SHOW with a 8 touchdown passes performance and 328 passing yards. Not quite the record, but not that far off the mark neither.
AJ Gomes (Clockwork): 7 receptions, 107 yards and 4 TDs. Monster numbers.
Stephan Osman (BYOB): 11 tackles in a single game? Gotta say, he was ALL over the place.
Jonathan Maheu (Braves 2.0): 6 passing TDs is nice, but he also managed the 7^th score with a pick-six defensively; truly dominant two-way performance.

Power Rankings

Montreal’s Finest (8-1): The close outcomes, although consistently favorable for them, makes me feel like being a top isn’t as lonely as some may think.
Flag Moi L’Sac (7-2): No Alex Nadeau-Piuze, no problem, yet.
D-Boys (7-2): If anyone thinks they aren’t as dominant as they used to be, they’ll be in for a hell of a surprise.
Braves (6-4): Finishing their first season in D1 with a record above .500 is quite the impressive feat. Can they flip the switch now that the playoffs are here?
DK (5-4): Lost an absolute barn-burner to Braves this week. I’m pretty sure they want that rematch in a few weeks.
Monstars (4-4-1): They said and did what had to be done a few weeks ago, now they’re cruising into the playoffs; win or loss. I’m eager to see how they perform in Week 12 though.
Got-Skills (3-5-1): Just when you think they’re down, they remind us never to underestimate them; a close loss to Finest shows they’ve still got plenty left in the tank.
Top Guns (2-7): This week’s loss to Rainmakers could come bite them in the ass next week if things don’t necessarily go their way in Week 11.
MNX2.0 (2-7): Currently ahead of Top Guns by 7 PA for the last remaining playoff seed. We’re bound to have an exciting finish.
Rainmakers (1-9): Finished their season on a high note. Well done.

#NR (7-2): After this week’s win, they regain their #1 seed in all Division 2.
Clockwork (6-3): Regaining their early season momemtum at the right time; they’re back in the contender seat.
STL (4-5): HUGE win sees STL skyrocket back at the top of the Power Rankings this week. If they can keep this up, they’ll have a nice target painted on their backs for their entire playoff season.
Waste Yout (6-3): Last week, I went out and said they were THE team to beat. I still believe this to be the case, but they drop a few spots nonetheless.
You Can’t Sit With Us (6-4): After this week’s offensive performance, there’s no more doubting YCSWU and how prolific they can be.
We P.O (6-4): Back to back bad games sees We P.O drop a handful. Now without their QB for a few games, I don’t know what will happen with these guys.
BYOB (6-3): Big win for BYOB in a gritty game. They might not be as hot as they were earlier this season, but they’ve got what it takes to make a nice playoff run.
Terror Squad (4-3-2): One of the weirdest record in the division, I’m sure they would’ve preferred to play last week’s game than be credited a 30-0 mark.
Braves 2.0 (4-4-1): Finding their rhythm late in the season could prove to be just what they needed to be considered contenders in D2 once again. I would not want to face these guys round 1.
Gladiateurs (3-5-1): Their offence sure is prolific, but their defence continue to have up and down performances. Can they fix it?
CLR Forces (3-6): Officially clinched a playoff spot with Served With Ice’s loss this week, they’ll need their full roster once Week 12 comes rolling in.
S Club Legion (4-5): Offensive woes continue to haunt S Club Legion. They’ve got the roster to compete, but fail to execute at times. Hopefully, they’ll be on one of their hot games when Week 12 comes.
Served With Ice (2-7): Officially eliminated from playoff contention due to who they’ve lost to this season, SWI might need to go back to the drawing board this offseason.
Wolverines (1-8): Last week’s forfeit sort of tells the tale of the second half of the season for these guys. After a hot start, they really plummeted.

Predictions

Got-Skills vs MNX2.0: Got-Skills
D-Boys vs Flag Moi L’Sac: D-Boys
Top Guns vs Monstars: Monstars
DK vs Montreal’s Finest: Montreal’s Finest

BYOB vs Terror Squad: Terror Squad
S Club Legion vs CLR Forces: CLR Forces
STL vs Served With Ice: STL
Gladiateurs vs Waste Yout: Waste Yout
Wolverines vs Braves 2.0: Braves 2.0
Clockwork vs #NR: #NR

That’s it for me this week. Hopefully this will trigger you just enough to drop me a message either via email ([email protected]), twitter (@DagenaisFPF) or in person. Remember, I didn’t do this to you, YOU did this to you. Until next time…! Did you look it up Eags? I was right, wasn’t I? Kthanks.

Week 10: Warm-up round