Only two to go.

With the playoffs only two weeks away, we can feel the vibe at the complexes change a little bit. We now know what’s on the line, who has clinched and who’s fighting for a playoff spot. Luckily, I won’t have to dress the full list as Division A and B is pretty straight forward with only two teams not making it this season.

Let’s get started.

Week 8

#NR vs Ocean’s 12 was a GREAT game, Vinny Gualano with Freshmen was better than the score indicates, Khan Artists undefeated vs Outsiders this season, Monstars made a statement, Fred Viens triumphantly returned to Division B, Meta Mayhem continues to impress, Drop the mic confuses and Victory Royale could be better than I thought.

Thoughts of the Week

#NR vs Ocean’s 12 might be the most exciting playoff rematch we can hope for.
But then, there’s also Khan Artists vs Outsiders…!
Joey Taylor isn’t easy to replace, but Frederic Viens is a special QB in Division B.
Spring Cleaning is looking worse and worse by the week.
In what could end up being a must-win, Monstars didn’t fuck around.
Down below is my front runners for each award. If you want to win it, show up and ball to your last two games?
Man it’s been hot. Brossard Monday night was pretty bad.
For a “hockey town”, Montreal is feeling this year’s World Cup.
No one feels invincible for this year’s playoffs. I like it.
You can get mad at me as much as you want, I cannot change a call on the field.
It’s good to see guys back from injury playing out there once again.
I’m curious to see who will be playoff eligible for Drop The Mic this season.
The closer we’re getting to the playoffs, the more exciting Division A gets.

Players of the Week

Kendal Mayers: We don’t talk about him much as a rusher, but his size and speed makes him a very difficult rusher to face. With 4 sacks and 2 Pds this week (including a safety), that’s all the proof we needed.
Jonathan Maheu: 0 incompletes after 7 TD before stepping down and playing receiver. I mean…!
Daniel Lazzara: In a duel with Kevin Wyeth, he came out swinging. Sure, he had an interception, on the last play of the first half, but that didn’t matter. 48 points, 7 TD and 288 passing yards.
Sam Mashtoub: 86 receiving yards, 3 TD and a pick on defence. For a guy most people thought couldn’t ball in Div A, he’s proven everyone wrong.

Alex Holowach: Although that perfect QBR continues to elude him, 157.5 isn’t quite bad. 7 Tds, 238 yards and spreading the ball to 7 different receivers. Another impressive week.
Frederic Viens: It looked like he hasn’t missed a snap out there tossing 7 Tds and getting himself a pick-six on defence this week.
Eddy Lee: 4 interceptions, yes FOUR, in one game. Dayyummm.

Recaps

Braves vs Freshmen: Showing up with a different QB (and very different offensive style) Freshmen had a tall task infront of them trying to shock the Braves this week. With Vinny Gualano at the helm, they managed to drive the field well on most of their drives, but the redzone seemed like an entirely different task. Braves marched the field with ease (QB Jonathan Maheu finished with 0 incompletes) and no one was able to cover neither JD Chevalier nor Jarryd Taylor the entire night. With a QB switch over to Mike Pierrecin in the final minutes, one could only wonder how this game would’ve turned out in Jonathan Maheu’s absence.
Khan Artists vs Outsiders: After beating them by 2 points last time, the rematch was bound to be exciting and it did not disappoint. Daniel Lazzara showed up to play and distributed dimes out there for most of the night as his counterpart, Kevin Wyeth, looked a bit inaccurate missing a handful of receivers on key downs and Outsiders just felt off for most of the night. Yes, people need to calm down and realize it’s flag, but if you show up to play, you can’t blame them for trying. Khan Artists continue to improve on a weekly basis and there’s no doubt they’re slowly building a name for themselves as the team to beat in late July this Spring season. As for Outsiders, they might have Kevin Wyeth, but it simply doesn’t feel like enough this season as they now fall to the 5^th seed with another tough outing next week against Monstars. Could Wyeth be a bottom seed in this season’s playoffs?
Dad Bods vs Spring Cleaning: I love to make fun of Sean Avraam, but he’s making it very difficult these days as his on-field persona continues to play well and put teams to shame. The real story here this week though was the Dad Bods’ defence showing up to PLAY. Spring Cleaning’s offence continues to struggle to find its rhythm and Pat Chenard did not look good on Tuesday night. Tossing a handful of interceptions early, it felt like he gave up halfway through the game and was just chucking it up to whoever wanted these balls. The answer? Eddy Lee. Finishing with 4 of the 7 interceptions for Dad Bods (Vinny Gualano got one on the last play of the game and Theo Ojeaha nudged two including a pick-six) he made quite a name for himself out there. Unless Spring Cleaning can figure their shit out in the next couple of weeks and win one of their games, there’s a solid chance they won’t make the playoffs this season.
Le Sports Campus vs 2HD: I might have only caught glimpses of this game, but let me tell you, there was a world of difference between these two backup Qbs. Tam Vilaydeth made a return for one game to replace Mat René and his FPF-rust showed as he struggled to connect with his receivers on multiple opportunities. Nicolas Centomo played well and moved the chains for his team, but a single receiver won’t win you a game in Division B. On the flip side, Frederic Viens replaced Joey Taylor and looked every bit like his award-winning self from last Spring. Connecting with his brother on 4 different TD passes and getting himself a pick-six on defence was only a handful of the highlights that night featured. 2HD looked like an elite contender out there in the second half after a few adjustments on Monday night. Le Sports Campus were caught off guard and couldn’t score for the last 22 minutes as 2HD took this game away from them and never looked back.

Power Rankings

Khan Artists (5-2-1): They’ve beat the previous #1 convincingly, they deserve this week’s top spot.
Braves (6-2): Once again, #2 only due to who others have played and beat, Braves remain one of the favorites to win it all this season.
#NR (5-3): 5-3 and currently holding the 3^rd spot in the rankings (and standings). With Cory Pecker, they’re a special team.
Monstars (5-3): After a slow start, Monstars kicked it into second gear and hasn’t been the same team since. Could they re-emerge as a favorite by season’s end like we’ve all predicted preseason?
Outsiders (5-3): Their lack of firepower on both sides of the ball was in full display this week against Khan Artists. Can they really flip the switch in the playoffs once again?
Ocean’s 12 (3-4-1): These sort of losses remains confusing to me; they had the other team struggling, but a costly mistake turned a W into an L. Can they avoid the infamous mistake when the real season begins?
Spitfire (2-6): Another bad loss for Spitfire and they sink deeper into the 7^th hole. Unless they manage to upset Braves this week, their season is officially over (for playoffs purposes anyways)
Freshmen (0-8): This might not be the right season for them, but there’s no doubt they’re learning plenty to come back next season in the right division and dominate.

Meta Mayhem (6-2): They haven’t showed me a reason to doubt their #1 rank this week. They remain the top dog for yet another week.
Underachievers (7-1): Another week, another W. Underachievers are set for a week 10 battle to determine the #1 seed in the playoffs.
Dad Bods (7-1): You guys are making it harder and harder to say bad things about you. With a defence playing this well, Dad Bods look nothing like last Winter’s team.
Victory Royale! (6-2): Week-in and week-out, they keep winning their matchups. They could skyrocket their stock with a win this week against Dad Bods though!
2HD (4-4): Maybe Joey Taylor isn’t as essential as we thought he was? Or maybe his backup is just a special player. Either way, 2HD are trending in the right direction.
Drop The Mic (3-5): Essentially “safe” to make the playoffs due to other teams’ situation, Drop The Mic got two more weeks to prepare for this season’s playoffs race.
Le Sport Campus (2-6): I won’t put too much stock into last week’s game in Mat René’s absence, but they can’t afford to drop this week’s game.
Spring Cleaning (2-6): Their defence struggles to stop opponents and their offence doesn’t score. It’s getting worrisome.
LGM (2-6): Technically not eliminated, their current H2H with Le Sports Campus and Spring Cleaning is really hurting their chances. Can they upset a team in the next two weeks and make the playoffs?
Prospects Squad (1-7): With a very winnable schedule in the next two weeks, Prospects Squad have a unique opportunity to win-out and make the playoffs. Will they?

Individual Award Predictions

With only two weeks left, I’ve decided to share my current front runners for each award (since so many of you send me questions and thoughts regarding this on a daily basis now).

**This list is in no way official and it isn’t exclusive. There’s more than 1 candidate per award, I’ve just named the one currently leading the way after 8 weeks.

Division A

Quarterback of the Year: Kevin Wyeth

Receiver of the Year: Zack Jauniaux

Defensive Player of the Year: Jonathan Maheu

Two-Way Player of the Year: Pat Jerome

Division B

Quarterback of the Year: Alex Holowach

Receiver of the Year: AJ Gomes

Defensive Player of the Year: Vinny Gualano

Two-Way Player of the Year: Justin McLean

Predictions

Monstars vs Outsiders: Monstars

#NR vs Khan Artists: Khan Artists

Ocean’s 12 vs Freshmen: Ocean’s 12

Spitfire vs Braves: Braves

2HD vs LGM: 2HD

Prospects Squad vs Le Sport Campus: Prospects Squad

Underachievers vs Spring Cleaning: Underachievers

Meta Mayhem vs Drop The Mic: Meta Mayhem

Victory Royale! Vs Dad Bods: Dad Bods

That’s it for me this week. I know it might not have been the longest of articles, but, to be fair, you guys haven’t even started playing yet! I’m looking forward to Sunday and the season’s kickoff. I’ll be scorekeeping Tuesdays in Brossard, feel free to stop by and say hi! Until next time…! Hogwarts, really?

Week 8: Two more to go