D3 Stew: The arm, the finger, OT and Oh so close

D3 Stew: The arm, the finger, OT and Oh so close

It was an exhilarating week of football spanning the div 3 divisional and quarterfinal playoff rounds.

The final outcome largely played out according to script, with only one upset in the first round (Dad Bods) and the four teams with the best season records passing through to the semi-finals. However, each game had some interesting storylines within.

I won’t beat around the bush any longer, let’s dive right in:

Divisional Round Highlights

The Hometown Heroes defeated Purple Reign 46-45 in a thrilling shootout that went down to the final play of the game. Both QBs were nearly perfect in this one, and defenses were left at home as the offenses exchanged score for score all night. Purple Reign defensive captain Francois Deslauriers was rear ended on the highway headed to Brossard, and was forced to miss the game. His unit crumbled without their leader. Anthony Lazzara re-wrote the playoff record book for single games, breaking the record for receptions with 14 and tying the TD record with 6. With 1 play left from their opponent’s 5 yard line, Hometown Heroes QB Erminio Iadeluca went right to his hot receiver, finding him on a triple move on the goal line for the tie. They weren’t interested in overtime, as they went right back to the exact same play on the extra point convert for the win. Heroes head back home to Hebert on Monday with the win.

As expected, the Dirty Dawgs had about a half of football in them against the powerhouse Laval’s Finest. Leading only 21-13 at the half, Laval’s defense made the adjustments required at the break and made quick work of their opponents in the second half, winning the game 45-19. Dylan Taylor was as close to perfect as possible, missing only 1 pass on the night and finishing with a perfect QBR. The lockdown secondary of DPOY Rod Mashtoub and Jamie Ojeaha teamed up for 3 INTs on the night, putting down the scrappy Dawgs team despite a big game from WROY finalist Dave Chitayat. Laval rounding into shape for a big second round challenge.

QB Movement were without their quarterback and leader Myles Gibbon and took a pounding against Top Sauce 40-0. It was the wrong time for WROY finalist Adrien Kellman to dabble at QB, as the Top Sauce defense limited him to just 5 completions on the night. Having Kellman throw was also a double whammy, as it removed one of the division’s top receiving threats from the field. Vince Nardone posted the second perfect QBR on the night, in what was hardly a challenge for a locked in Top Sauce team.

Despite question marks surrounding the KGP lineup heading into this one, it was the missing player from DTM that had the biggest impact overall. Dynamic 2WAY player of the year Alex Pilon informed his captain a few hours before the game that he was in fact injured and would not be attending the match. Suffice it to say that the surprising news must have taken a large chunk of wind out of the sails of DTM, who simply came out flat against a tough opponent. On the other side, James Crowe would play through a shoulder injury, and Jeff Rosenblatt also toughed it out for the gritty KGP boys. Jonathan Garfinkle in particular had a monster game, continuing his hot season with 10 catches for 105 yards and 2 TDs, to go along with a pair of INTs on defense. KGP handed DTM a 38-18 loss, and turned their eyes to a second round showdown with the 450.

2HD blanketed ODB’s 31-0 in a slow-paced defensive grind. ODB’s defense fared well against Joey Taylor, limiting him to under 50% completion and just 3 passing touchdowns. However, the 2HD did an even better job shutting out Antonio Lanni, forcing him to 25% completion and a trio of interceptions. The often unheralded Corey Cook played a major defensive role in this one, consistently blowing up the flats and forcing his opposition off their designed routes. He’s been the heart and soul of the Flower defense this season, and deserves to be recognized as one of the best short zone defenders in the division. 2HD won themselves a second route date with the feisty Hometown Heroes at Hebert.

The only upset from the divisional round, the 7th seed Dad Bods sent the 2nd seed Darksiders packing 32-12 in their rematch from week from week 3. Sean Avraam was razor sharp in this one without longtime trusty sidekick Vinny Gulano, who was wrapping up a 2 game suspension on the sidelines. He kept the play calling close to the vest, repeatedly working snapper Anthony Da Silva to the tune of 7 catches for 71 yards and 3 TDs. It was good to have Rich Humes back in the lineup for Dad Bods as well, who had sat out the previous two weeks with plantar fasciitis. He was able to tough it out on a couple of Advils, racking up 4 PDs in his first game back. Steve Sanner was the star of the night, effectively covering Darksiders top receiver Jeremy “the Panda” Anderson while picking off Fred Morissette 2 times. The Dad Bods would get their much desired rematch against the Brotherhood on Monday night.

Speaking of Brotherhood, they had very little trouble knocking off a 6-man Lightweight team 38-12, which saw a hobbled Simon Dagenais toughing it out through a knee injury on defense. Theo Ojeaha only needed 9 passes to score 5 TDs in the game, springing his 2 main weapons Omar Jackson and Jamil Gittens. Jamil added his imprint on defense as well, intercepting a misguided heave by Simon in the second half and returning it for the score. Fairly straightforward tune up game for Brotherhood heading into the second round slugfest versus Dad Bods.

Quarterfinals

The Fall of a Hero

The quadruple feature of div 3 action kicked off on Monday night at Hebert with a week 8 rematch between 2HD and the Hometown Heroes. The Heroes were fresh off a thrilling, last seocnd victory over Purple Reign and were looking for redemption after the excruciating beat down taken in the first outing vs the Dans.

The Heroes carried their swagger from the previous game into the opening drive, marching the field and capping off the score to unheralded weapon Michael Gattuso.

The next two drives were sloppy, as both QBs threw their first INTs of the night. Joey Taylor showed some early game jitters, getting picked off by Anthony Lazzara on the Dans opening drive. Erminio Iadeluca couldn’t capitalize, getting to the redzone before returning the favor with an INT to Danny Aylward.

Given a fresh start by his defense, Joey finally got going, punching in the next drive with a TD to Matt Rupcic; the first of his hat trick on the night.

The Heroes continued to move the ball well in the open field, but similar to the previous drive they stalled in their opponent’s redzone. On 4th down at the 3 yard line, they went to the same triple move to Lazzara that won them their previous game. It wouldn’t work this time, as Danny Aylward came crashing through the short middle zone, patting the ball away into the hands of Corey Cook for the interception.

Joey looked to capitalize on Iadeluca’s second consecutive mistake, but he too would come up short once again. The Dans offense looked hesitant against the Heroes aggressive defensive front. On fourth down Joey heaved a prayer over the middle that came up unanswered.

The Heroes got the ball back at midfield with their eyes on the endzone. Iadeluca wasted no time messing around with redzone offense this time, as he hit Lazzara right away on a post over the middle for the score.

With just over 2 minutes left in the half, the Dans offense finally found some rhythm as they picked up the pace. The Heroes defense was still jamming the line and making Taylor earn every yard. They dared him to beat them in tight windows over the top. After a few missed passes, that’s exactly what Joey did, springing Rupcic loose with a seam route for the score.

The Heroes got the ball back with 5 plays remaining before half, needing to make the most of their opportunity. On the final play, Erminio shuffled right and zipped a high pass to the front of the endzone in the direction of his favorite target. Lazzara went up and reeled in the pass at its highpoint, coming down with his 8th TD grab in the last 3 halves of football. The Heroes took an 18-14 lead into the break.

The second half literally started out with a BANG, to the detriment of the Heroes playoff hopes. On fourth down at the Heroes goal line, Joey Taylor scrambled right before heaving a desperation pass cross body to a steamrolling Shaq Lattimore. Lazzara swooped in from the blind side at the final moment for the pat down, but collided full speed with the force before him. Lattimore sprung right up after the contact but Lazzara stayed glued to the ground, with his arm strung out in an unnatural positon. The game was delayed as an ambulance arrived to take the Heroes star player to the hospital. The man who carried the Heroes on his back was now out of the game, and his teammates would have to overcome the emotional and physical blow of losing their best player.

A penalty was assessed on the play and the Dans were given a fresh set of downs at the 1 yard line. Joey Taylor quickly hit Danny Aylward in the back of the endzone for the score. On the pursuing convert, the Heroes rusher made contact with Taylor’s throwing hand (who did a great job selling the call to the refs). The penalty was applied on the Heroes next drive, placing them at their own 1 yard line.

With his feet nearly grazing the back endzone, Iadeluca took the snap and did something he hadn’t yet done until that moment in the playoffs, he lofted a soft pass right over the middle of the field into traffic. Matt Rupcic’s eyes widened from the middle position, as he cut off his backpedal and lunged forward for the interception. The Dans defense gave Joey the ball right back at the Heroes 5 yard line.

Taylor made no mistake, quickly rewarding Rupcic with a slant route for the score. In less than 2 minutes the Dans had benefitted from a 12 point swing, suddenly propelling them to a confident lead.

The Heroes took the field knowing full well that it would be their last chance to remain competitive in the game. As had been the theme thus far, they marched comfortably into Dans territory before stalling out in the redzone. Brandon Aylward decided to make his imprint on the game from the rusher position. He came up with a big sack on first down, pushing the Heroes offense on its heels. On second down he cut off Iadeluca’s angle on the roll out and got his arms up to knock down the pass. Now desperate on fourth down, Iadeluca heaved a well-placed jump ball to Dom Benevento in the back of the endzone. Benevento, normally sure handed, proved that uncle momentum had left the Heroes for good this season, as the ball slipped through his hands and out the back of the field.

The Heroes were visibly exasperated, with all the wind knocked out of their sails after the injury to Lazzara. Joey Taylor helped put them out of their misery, orchestrating a long, clock killing drive and punching it in to Danny Aylward for the fatal blow.

The Heroes salvaged their pride with a last second TD, but the Dans were moving on to the semifinals with a 33-24 victory.

(Injury Update: It seems that Anthony Lazzara will be alright after what appeared to be an excruciating arm injury. He suffered no more than a dislocation, and appears on track to return in time for spring season. Despite the loss, this is wonderful for news for his teammates and all those who witnessed the incident.)

“It’s more than just a cut”

Amidst all the hoopla on field 3, another highly anticipated week 8 rematch began on center stage, with Top Sauce looking to extract revenge against LGM for a late game collapse a few weeks prior.

Vince Nardone looked to find his groove on the opening drive. He sat back in the pocket and scanned the field, waiting for the last possible second before spraying passes to his athletic receivers, who would eventually shake free from their mismatched defenders. Once in the redzone Vince went to GM Kolethras on a slant route, who sealed his defender on his back and punched in the opening score.

The legendary veteran Alex Lever would not be outdone so easily. He looked as confident as ever on the opening drive, orchestrating a long march that resulted in a redzone pitch to Mathieu Gratton for the score.

Feeling loose after the first drive, Vince opened up the second possesion with a deep shot to a streaking Justin McLean. There was just a bit too much sauce on the pass, as it brushed off his fingertips and fell incomplete. On second down, LGM took away the first two reads, and Vince forced an ill-advised check down over the middle of the field. Antoine Martineau was patiently waiting in the flats for his moment to jump the route for the interception.

LGM had just forced the first crucial turnover of the game, and should have been dialed in, ready to strike. Instead, the offensive huddle was standing around blankly, missing one key component. Alex Lever was delayed on the sidelines, getting his finger taped up. He had appeared to cut a finger on his throwing hand while making a routine tackle on the first defensive drive of the game. But what a cut it was! As there was a trail of blood leading from the sidelines all the way to their team bench. Even the scoreboard was smeared with the debris from the incident.

Lever looked uncomfortable with the ball from that moment onwards. He wasn’t able to get the firm grip necessary for his customary dart passes. As a result, he began holding the ball longer than normal, and when he finally would release it, the ball was wobbly and had none of the zip that we’re used to from him.

Chris Milard is a big game hunter at rusher, and as soon as he sensed blood in the water he pounced on his prey. He instantly sacked Lever for a big loss on first down. Pushed back to 4th and very long, Lever flung a prayer into the endzone that was tipped and picked off by Rob Allen. LGM had floundered their opportunity, and it would only go downhill from there.

Blessed by his defense with another chance, Vince was razor sharp for the rest of the game. He danced around in the backfield before hitting Justin Blanchard on a deep post route, setting their team up in the redzone. Next, he led Milard on a drag across the field. Milard turned on the jets and found an open sideline for the score.

Now in clear discomfort and all out of sorts, Lever flung an uncharacteristic back-footed throw into traffic over the middle. Justin Blanchard undercut the pass for an easy INT. As scorekeeper Stefano Berardi so fittingly noted in regards to Lever’s injury: “It’s more than just a cut.”

Vince abruptly dipped the rush and ran in a touchdown from 15 yards out to extend Top Sauce’s lead.

Milard was now exploding off the rusher’s line at a torrid pace. He swallowed up Lever once again on first down for a massive loss. At 4th and 5, with the game on the line for all intents and purposes, Lever couldn’t connect with his receiver on the out route, turning the ball over in LGM territory.

With 5 plays left before half and within range of the kill shot, Vince wasted no time. He shifted the defense to his right with his play call and look off, only to turn back and deliver a dart to Justin Blanchard in the left corner of the endzone.

Top Sauce would take a commanding 27-6 lead into the half. They cruised through the second half to a 46-19 victory and a berth in the conference B semifinals.

They are who we thought they were…

Brotherhood vs Dad Bods was the most highly anticipated game of the night in my mind. There was no love lost between these two bitter conference A rivals, and a myriad of storylines abound heading into the week 10 rematch.

Hall of Famer Vinny Gualano was making his return following his controversial 2 week suspension by the league. Sure enough, the suspension took place in the first encounter between these two teams, when a heated exchange of words resulted in the umpires throwing the book at Vinny, with a slew of objectionable conduct penalties.

The Dad Bods felt like they had the perfect strategy for neutralizing the powerhouse Brotherhood, and if executed correctly would elevate them to a second straight semi-finals appearance. Sean Avraam looked cool and collected on the opening drive, he set up a few slant routes before springing Vinny on a post over the middle for a chunk of yards. He capped the drive off with a TD to snapper Anthony Da Silva in the redzone.

The Brotherhood’s lethal offense took the field looking to reply. There were major question marks surorunding how the Dad Bods defense would account for the vast talent pitted against them. They couldn’t lay a hand on them in the opening drive, as Theo Ojeaha took his usual deep drop, surveilled the field and dropped dimes into the open zones. Once in redzone, he dipped the rusher and connected with a diving Omar Jackson in the back of the endzone.

The Dad Bods game plan was revealed on their next possession. Sean Avraam was peppering his snapper with slants, and the Dad Bods were taking their sweet time milking the clock in-between plays. After a marathon 7+ minute march up field Avraam finally punched in the score with a quick hook to Matthew Da Silva on the front pylon. Dad Bods made the bold decision to go for 2 and Avraam found Jordan Allard on a quick post over the middle. The convert gave them a 15-6 lead and suddenly put them up by two scores.

You could tell that the game plan was working to perfection, as Brotherhood started to feel the pinch and went into a no-huddle offense to make up time. On the third play of the sequence, rusher Jordan Allard had Theo trapped on his back foot, who sailed a pass over the middle of the field that was intercepted by Alex Moreau. Dad Bods delivered the first blow of the game with the crucial turnover.

They continued to squeeze the life out of Brotherhood with yet another excruciatingly drawn out offensive drive. Despite taking his time, Avraam was absolutely dialed in, zipping darts into tight windows to move the chains just as much as needed. He connected with Vinny on a short out route to extend the lead. On the convert he fired an absolute laser to Allard on the corner. As he turned and pumped his fist you could see in his eyes that he was on fire.

With 5 plays until half, Brotherhood began demonstrating their championship attitude. They simply shrugged off the Dad Bod’s momentum, and positioned themselves to take a shot at the endzone. From around midfield, Theo slung a beautiful pass to the left corner. Jamal Gittens outran the double coverage and corralled the pass over his shoulder for the remarkable score. They elected to go for 2 on the convert, and to quote Moe Khan from the sideline: “Jamal ‘The Kitten’ Gittens purred his way in for 2.”

Despite their excellent start, Dad Bods only carried a 22-14 lead into the half and Brotherhood had the ball out of the break.

Whatever adjustments the Dad Bods defense made at halftime paid instant dividends. Vinny caught Theo in his trap on the first drive, shooting deep at the last second and undercutting the deep ball for the interception.

Dad Bods continued their methodical approach from the first half, milking yet another long drive while positioning themselves in their opponent’s redzone. This was the moment they were waiting for, a chance to take a commanding 2 score lead and force the Brotherhood into a desperate trail position. Sean Avraam, the master of redzone offense, positioned his troops and calmly took the snap. Just then, for some inexplicable reason, as if fate itself was pulling the strings, he threw a pass to the back of the endzone to a spot where only Omar Jackson was standing. Interception Brotherhood. Advantage lost.

With a chance to tie, the Brotherhood eagerly began marching. They quickly maneuvered their way into Dad Bods territory. But yet once again, the Dad Bods pugnacious star Vinny Gualano would come through with a timey play for his boys. Theo sprawled around in the backfield before heaving a jump ball off his back foot. The throw unexpectedly came out flat, and Vinny sealed off his receiver and took away his second interception of the game.

The Dad Bods then commenced what was by far their slowest drive of the game. After throwing a trio of interceptions, Theo was visibly frustrated on defense, pleading with the officials to hurry up the Dad Bods huddle count. Avraam prolonged his torment, waiting until the 10 second warning each time before taking the snap.

The Dad Bods once again found themselves in familiar territory, in the Brotherhood redzone with a chance to ice the game for good. Avraam tried 3 times to squeeze a pass through the front of the endzone. The Brotherhood defense would not have it, as they clamped down and knocked the pass down each time. On fourth down he heaved a touch pass up to Jordan Allard, but the ball was high and sailed out of the endzone. The Brotherhood reclaimed the ball at their own 1 yard line with just over a minute remaining.

Brotherhood was now fired up. They had willed themselves yet another lifeline in this game, and they didn’t seem to care that they were down 8. They looked like they were marching to steal the win.

With 5 plays left at midfield, Theo set up camp and decided to take his final stabs at the endzone. He heaved a deep pass to Quaysie Gordon-Maule in the back of the endzone on first down, just brushing off his hands for the incompletion. On second down he launched a post to Omar Jackson at the back goal line, but Alex Moreau was just able to get in and punch the ball away for the pat down. On third down, with 2 plays remaining, Theo took a deep drop before firing a bullet to the back right corner of the endzone in the direction of Vinny and Jamal. Vinny jumped up for the Pat down but Jamal jumped much higher, securing his feet on the way down for the score.

Brotherhood now needed the 2 point convert to tie. They ran a flood play to the right side, catching the Dad Bods in lanes. Omar broke out in the front of the endzone and Jamal trailed along the back. Vinny was caught in no man’s land when Theo fired a bullet over the top to Jamal, who tapped his feet in bounds before flying into the net. This game was going to overtime.

Dad Bods started with the ball, but neither team could convert in the first round.

Avraam sailed a pass well over his receiver’s head on their second play. Theo elected to try for 1 and finally broke the deadlock with a slant to Omar on the front endzone.

Dad Bods desperately needed a point to survive. They elected to go for 1, and Avraam ran the quick out – deep in combo to his left. He tried to hit Vinny on the deep in but Jamal undercut the route for the INT. Brotherhood began celebrating until the referees drew their attention to the orange flag on the ground. A holding call against Ryan Dobbs would gave Dad Bods a fresh chance. Now going for 2 from the 5 yard line, Avraam found Allard on the slant in for the huge lead.

Without much thought Brotherhood elected to go for 2. The game was ending on their third attempt one way or the other. They looked confident coming out of the huddle, as if they hadn’t even considered that this could be their final pass of the season. Theo took the snap, calmly waited a split second and fired a rocket to a cutting Jamal on the goal line. Catch made. Game over. Brotherhood had completed the improbable comeback and were moving on to face 2HD in the semi-finals. Dad Bods would be having nightmares of their missed opportunity for days to come.

Slicing and Dicing

As if we hadn’t already been treated to enough fantastic games thus far, the late night showing on center stage between Laval’s Finest and KGP wound up being by far the prettiest game of the night.

Laval’s Finest had beaten KGP by a touchdown in week 3, but speaking to their team captain before the game it was apparent that they were concerned about KGP’s ability to score with ease on offense. They knew that they couldn’t take the boys in yellow lightly and would be in for a dog fight.

KGP started with the ball and validated those initial concerns. Phil Cutler put together a slow, methodical drive, positioning his offense at their opponent’s goal line before finding Jonathan Garfinkle in the back of the endzone on third down.

There’s always concerns that a QB will come out cold when he sits too long to begin the game, but Dylan Taylor is a professional and made quick work of the KGP defense on his first drive. He marched to midfield before springing Jamie Ojeaha on the post with a soft touch pass.

Cutler changed the tempo up on the second possession, completing just one pass before taking a deep stab at the endzone. He shuffled right and pulled the defense with a beautiful look-off before heaving a perfectly placed ball to Garfinkle down the left sidelines. Coming off a 100 yard, two-touchdown and two-INT performance in the opening round, we got the feeling that we were witnessing the birth of a star in Garfinkle, who was once again proving uncoverable with his impressive agility and twitchy route running.

Dylan Taylor was dialed in during the first round, only missing a single pass all game against Dirty Dawgs. He didn’t skip a beat in this game either, quickly responding by dropping another dime in the bucket, this time with a touch pass to Rod Mashtoub on the corner route for the score.

Cutler began with a pass to Garfinkle on the next drive, who danced his way around the initial tackler before accelerating past midfield. Both QBs were proving to be too hot for the opposing defenses, as Cutler laid a perfect touch pass over Mashtoub and into the hands of James Crowe on the corner for the score.

Laval got the ball back with 5 plays remaining in the half. Dylan was virtuoso on offense, chopping down the field with each pass before punching in the score from close to Mashtoub on the final play. KGP would take a 21-19 lead into the break.

Laval came out of the break with an extra strut in their step. You could tell they were in for an even bigger half than the first. Dylan froze the defense with a sweet hook-and-go to Mashtoub down the left sideline for the opening score. Laval opted to go for 2 and reclaim their lost converts. Dylan dipped the rush with ease and found Mashtoub lurking along the back of the endzone for the extras.

DPOY Rod Mashtoub was flying all over the field in this one. He locked down the right corner and came crashing through for a pat down on first down. Despite his efforts on the right side, Laval’s 4-1 alignment was leaving massive holes over the middle of the field. The savvy Cutler quickly spotted them and started marching with hooks to snapper Jeff Rosenblatt. With KGP in Laval territory, the defense finally came up with a big play when rusher Nick Bekelis pushed KGP back to midfield with a sack. However, on the next play Cutler demonstrated the high flag IQ that’s made him a deserving HOF candidate. Using Bekelis’ surging confidence against him, he called a hard count, forcing the rusher to jump the gun by several steps before Cutler received the snap. With no pressure to worry about, the KGP QB let his twisting play call unwind before connecting with a wide open Garfinkle for the score.

Laval quickly got to midfield, looking to retaliate. After getting beat several times early, KGP rusher Gabe D’Amico-Mazza finally seemed to break through for his team with a huge sack on Dylan Taylor. However, it just wasn’t his night, as the referee in the backfield called him for holding instead and moved Laval up 5 yards rather than pushing them back 10. Dylan quickly took advantage of his opportunity, putting the ball up high in the endzone for Jamie Ojeaha, who climbed the ladder and got the score.

Midway through the second half, KGP and Laval would once again exchange scores. Garfinkle caught his fourth TD of the night to put KGP ahead, and Theo Bekelis responded by taking a routine slant and dancing his way through several tacklers with some fancy hip work.

A holding call against KGP on the extra point allowed Laval to go for 2 from the 5 yard line. Dylan went right back to his trustworthy snapper, hitting Bekelis on the out for the score. With 2.5 minutes left KGP had the ball and were down by 8.

Mashtoub made the final drive difficult for KGP, coming up with a quick tackle on first down, and swooping in for a pat down on third down. Cutler remained unphased, as he moved the chains on fourth down with a quick hook to Gabe. With 4 plays left in Laval’s redzone, went right into the heart of Laval’s defense, firing an out route to Crowe against Mashtoub. Crowe had a step and did a great job securing the pass along the tight sidelines. KGP had scored the necessary touchdown, but still needed the 2 point convert to tie.

Making a gutsy adjustment, Theo Giannikos lined up at rusher before Cutler for the convert. Laval’s Finest had done their homework and guessed correctly that KGP would pull back a halfback for the pitch option. Laval instantly had a second rusher glued to the halfback and Cutler was forced to scramble right at the last possible moment. With Giannikos now on Cutler’s hip, he heaved an off-balance wobbler to the front of the endzone. Bekelis was waiting for an easy INT and returned the convert uncontested to seal the victory for the 450.

Predictions

Brotherhood 2HD

The last time these two teams met in week 2, Brotherhood’s defense completely stifled Joey Taylor, holding him to a mere 7 points. For some unknown reason, 2HD feel like they have the advantage against Brotherhood this time, hoping to draw them while the Dad Bods-Brotherhood game was still going on. I can’t see the angle they claim to possess, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t have a few tricks up their sleeves for the rematch.

2HD keys to success:

The Dans defense has been simply incredible thus far in the playoffs, shutting out ODB completely before gaining 3 turnovers against an offense that was coming off a 46 point explosion. They will definitely throw a bunch of different coverages and looks at Ojeaha in an attempt to confuse him. Similar to Vinny Gualano in the Dad Bods game, Mat Rupcic is an impact defensive player who can bait a QB off the snap and make up a bunch of ground in a hurry. In Rupcic, Shaq Lattimore and Danny Aylward, the Dans actually have a secondary with the speed and athleticism to match up with the Brotherhood receivers. 2HD will have executed their gameplan perfectly if they can start making Theo heave jump balls to Omar and Jamal. The Dans always find a way to come up with 50-50 balls.

On offense, Joey Taylor will need to mirror Sean Avraam’s game in the first half. He’ll need to milk the clock with slow, drawn out drives and keep Theo on defense as long as possible. The difficultly will certainly come when Brotherhood switch to man coverage, as Joey doesn’t zip it quite as fast as Sean. He relies more on savvy head fakes and look offs to manipulate the defense. When Dobbs rushes he should be able to buy the time required to break down Brotherhood’s coverage, but once they switch to Quaysie at rush he’ll need to be sharp. As much as teams think they can pick on the fourth and fifth defenders when Quaysie rushes, the Brotherhood stars read the QB’s eyes better than any other team and can close ground in a hurry. Plain and simple, Joey will need to play his best game of the playoffs so far, and be nearly perfect.

Brotherhood keys to success:

Theo definitely looked off for stretches of the Dad Bods game, but he instantly turned it on in critical moments when the game mattered most. I think that with a long awaited trip to the finals in sight, he won’t wait as long in this encounter to turn on his A game. As much as the Brotherhood’s success on offense comes from hero ball with Theo heaving it up to his big men, they’re at their best when they play the short game. I’d like to see Quaysie used more on short slants and hooks over the middle in this game, as he’s devastating when he gets the ball in space. Saad Majid should be used on hooks once in a while to keep the corners honest. If Shaq and Rupcic don’t respect the short game and begin to roam, they could swoop in from the blind side and make a big play.

On defense they’ll want to stick to a tight man coverage, and force Joey to beat them with tough throws. Joey might be the best QB in the division for picking apart zones, so man coverage figures to be their best bet. At rusher, they’ll want to mix Quaysie or even Jamal in often. Everyone knows that you can’t stop the Dans without an effective rush.

Score: 38 – 30 Brotherhood

I trust the Dans to have a well-designed gameplan up their sleeves. They haven’t gotten this far in their FPF careers without overcoming the odds innumerable times. Still, I don’t think that there could have been a better gameplan than Dad Bods had, and Brotherhood still willed their way to victory. In a similar style of game, I expect brotherhood to turn it on in the second half and do whatever it takes to book their ticket to Brossard. The Dans will punch in a last minute score to cut the gap, but Brotherhood will have locked it up with time to spare.

Laval’s Finest Top Sauce

Similar to the game above, the first time these two teams met also resulted in a blowout victory for the favorite. The stakes are drastically different this time however, and Laval’s Finest will be without the best player on the field. Rod Mashtoub’s season ending ankle injury will completely change the dynamic of this game, tilting the odds back towards Top Sauce

Top Sauce keys to success:

As much as Top Sauce’s defense has been a force all year, this is Vince’s moment at QB. Of the four remaining QBs in the tournament, he’s the one with the most to prove this week. If he can deliver the goods against an experienced, championship caliber team like Laval’s Finest, he’ll be one step closer to solidifying himself as an elite QB at this level. He’s been nearly flawless so far in the playoffs, but he can’t wait for his defense to propel him with a big stop in this one, he’ll need to come in laser sharp from the beginning.

Working in his favor is the stable of man-breaking receivers in his backfield. McLean, Blanchard and Milard are all unguardable after 7 yards downfield. If Vince can cook up enough time in the backfield with his shifty footwork, he’ll have openings for his deep shots, especially without the outstanding Rod Mashtoub patrolling the secondary.

On defense, the matchup between Chris Milard and Dylan Taylor will be entertaining. Dylan is primarily a pocket passer, but he’s at his best when he can wiggle a bit in the backfield. Last game we saw him consistently whip the KGP rusher with hip fakes before rolling out a few yards and breaking the defense apart. Chris is a different beast at rusher, and will need to keep Dylan in the pocket all game. Without Mashtoub, expect Theo Bekelis to get all the work he can handle. It’ll be interesting to see which Top Sauce defender is tasked with guarding the snapper, but the best bet might be a bracket coverage forcing him to the side with help.

Laval’s Finest Keys to success:

There’s no doubt that losing Rod was a major blow for this team. Still, they’ll need to buy into a “next man up” attitude at this point and transition their rhythm from the previous games. Dylan has been spectacular thus far in the playoffs. In two games, he’s completed 34 of 38 passes, with 13 TDs versus a pristine zero INTs or sacks. I doubt that he’ll be able to match that output against Top Sauce’s stout defense, but that level of hot play doesn’t wear out very easily.

It’ll be interesting to see who provides the third outlet for Laval after Jamie and Theo. Zach Zwirn had a big season for the 450, but he often benefitted from favorable matchups after opposing defenses spent their primary resources on the other 3 weapons. This will be his moment in the spotlight, as he’s sure to garner attention from one of Top Sauce’s primary defenders. He’ll be forced into a bigger role than the first two games, and will have to make some big contested plays for his team to thrive.

On defense I think that Theo Bekelis could slide into Mashtoub’s role as a deep secondary. He doesn’t provide as much range as Rod, but he’s a gifted athlete and plays hungrier than everyone else on the field. There’s no doubt that Rod was the foundation of their defense, but the rest of this unit is about as professional as they come. Everyone fits perfectly into their roles, so someone else sliding into Rod’s spot should not throw off the chemistry of the unit. With Theo likely thrust into full time coverage duties, it’ll be on Nick Bekelis to hold down the rusher spot on his own. He’s a speed demon who explodes off the line and has a low center of gravity. Still, Vince is about as shifty as they come in the backfield, so this will definitely be a waltz that should go on all night.

Score: 34 – 33 (OT) Laval’s Finest

This game is too close to call in regulation. Both sides get a stop or two, but match themselves pretty much score for score all night. Once in overtime, Dylan is excellent in covert situations. Laval pull off the gutsy win and move on to face Brotherhood in Brossard.

That’s it for this week! Round 2 of the FPF playoffs is officially in the books, and the semifinals are set to start up soon. If you have any feedback, concerns, comments or just want a shoulder to lean on you can reach out to me @alexholowach1 on Twitter, or hit me up on Facebook. Make sure to check back next week to find out how the semifinals shook out!