Two weeks in, yet blurrier than ever.

Every season, we love to play fortune tellers and predict who will be the #1 seed heading into the playoffs, who will be THE team to beat, etc. I mean, it’s what ESPN and such does, right?

This season, after attempting to predict who would be the #1 teams, I’ve realized I know nothing and this Winter 2019 D4 will be unpredictable. Most of the preseason favorites have lost, at least, one game throwing all of our predictions out the window.

Let’s get started

Week 2

Past Our Prime continues to struggle without their QB1, GameChangers are the real deal, Jagerbomb’s offence needs work, Chris Rivest finally beats 69ers, SMYTDs might actually not be a contender after all, Les Blues Branleurs are still undefeated, GloGang showed off what they’re made of and The Sheriff might just be the hottest team in 4B right now.

Thoughts of the Week

Changing name after one week feels weird.
I guess they’ve showed one too many TDs and ran out?
Craig O’Brien is about to take this division by storm. Mark my words.
Pub Epoxy/Sports Campus have a lot to figure out in very little time.
Wolverines are slowly shaping up to be a difficult team to play this season. Good to see them back out there!
Keyport Lock has the most brutal schedule I’ve seen in a LONG time. I feel bad for them.
Fun Boys have something special this season. Next week’s game vs Soft Serve will give us a good idea of how good they really are.
SWAT continues to lose closely contested games. Will week 3 be different?
The clock is ticking on Team Y.S. Their offence isn’t getting the job done and their schedule is not getting any easier.
Taking off your shirt during a game is not a good sign. It won’t bring you ANYTHING positive.
I’m happy to see GloGang challenged themselves. It’ll pay out soon enough
Will Les Montagnards figure their offence out in time to save their season?
Sebastien Thibault returned for Mad Bears in a losing effort. Good to see him out there again.
The Ice Cream trail… Really, Ontario?
Tonight’s SWAT vs Lonzo Ballers’s game was a VERY close second for Game of the Week.
So many good matchups this week in 4A. The GOTW pick was tough. The Tide vs GHB is going to be a hell of a battle. So is Baby Kangaroos vs Keyport Lock.
*Last minute edit* Pretty funny Francois Martin and I chose the same article image.

Recaps

The Stoics vs 69ers: What a game. Emotional from start to finish, but teams really grinded it out. 69ers were without Dean Demetriou and it showed at times (You can’t really throw seams or skinny posts against the 69ers when Dean is the one playing back there). Did Chris Rivest get lucky in that sense? Maybe a bit, but he left it all on the field and was the best player out there. The addition of Vinny Gualano to The Stoics is paying huge dividends early as he is the type of receiver who will be open frequently in Division 4 and only a handful of players can actually guard him well. Sure, there was some questionable moments in this game (We’ve talked about it on the podcast a bit more in depth), but in the end, I really feel like Shea Harbour didn’t do enough to get his team in a position to win. Sure, he had some nice throws and called nice plays at times, but even without Dean Demetriou, this team should be able to put up more than 20 points on a Wednesday night like that.

The You vs Soft Serve: I only managed to catch glimpses of this game as I was playing on the field next to them, but it was a very tightly contested game. Two of the division’s powerhouses went at it and the game DID not disappoint. The safety late in the game should’ve been a bigger momentum swing in The You’s favor, but Soft Serve managed to rally after the botched snap and put together a nice drive to ice it. It wasn’t Joe Kano’s best outing, but he got the job done and it just goes to show that, although both QBs are very talented, these defences don’t mess around. Matt Litwin, Zack Goldstein, Tim Horner and Justin Peress all managed to pick off the other QB once and I feel like it’s a trend that isn’t about to end anytime soon.

Lonzo Ballers vs Ghosts: I considered this game to be the best game in 4B last week, but with Lonnie Johnson forced to play receiver due to a sore shoulder, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. In fact, considering the outcome and the circumstances, it’s impressive. Lonnie Johnson is a good receiver for this division, but he’s a better QB and Quaid Johnson is the kind of weapon you can’t really replace. Ghosts played whoever was in front of them and got the job done early. Francois Martin was back looking like himself slinging it left and right and fed his two favorite targets; Charles Verreault and Alexis Gaumont properly. Qwyntin Rice dominated as a receiver and I feel like this isn’t the last we’ll hear of him, but overall Ghosts were a more refined team coming into this game and made Quaid pay for stepping in for an injured QB.

Players of the Week

Kevin St-Pierre (Half-A-Star): 4 receptions, 135 yards and 4 TDs. Pretty close to uncoverable.
Fred Mallette (Don’t Mess With Texas): Sure, he threw an interception, but he also got himself a pick-six on defence to go with his 3 passing TDs and 2 rushing. All-around impressive performance.
Zach Zwirn (Baby Kangaroos): 2 interceptions and 2 TDs on 6 catches for 38 yards. He’s no longer “a rising star”.
Steve Sanner (BD Bandits): 5 catches, 81 yards, 3 TDs and 2 interceptions in a winning effort. He was the best player on the field that night.

Jake Titleman (Mean Machine): 12 catches, 139 yards and 3 TD. As reliable as they come.
Jordan Rossie (The Infantry): 230 passing yards, 6:0 ratio and a 141.3 QBR. Can’t think of a better way to kick off their season.
Alexis Gaumont (Ghosts): 71 receiving yards, 2 TD and 5 PDs. Safe to assume he was everywhere at all times.
Nicolas Lessard (Air Force 1): 2 receiving touchdowns, 54 yards, 2 interceptions and 2 PDs. Big play maker.

Power Rankings

Division 4A

Game Changers (2-0): This week’s new #1. I also feel like they’ll remain at the top for a little while.
Soft Serve (2-0): They might just be the best team no one is talking about right now.
EBROS (2-0): 6 points allowed after 2 games is absurd.
Don’t Mess With Texas (2-0): I don’t care whether Moe Khan believes in them or not, I do.
Half-a-Stars (2-0): 12 points allowed in 2 games? Enough said.
Greendale Human Beings (2-0): 6th by “Default” at this point. Don’t sleep on GHB. (See what I did there)
Baby Kangaroos (2-0): We all know they are good, but they simply haven’t played at top contender yet to prove it to us.
69ers (1-1): Aren’t out of the Power Rankings just yet
The Stoics (1-1): Huge win over 69ers propels them into the Power Rankings this week. Can they remain?
Savage Squad (1-1): Overreaction over 1 loss or after their week 1 performance? Key week 3 matchup vs EBROS should give us a real taste of what they’re made of.

Division 4B

Ghosts (2-0): When a top seed beats the former #1 seed, they earn their spot at the top of the mountain.
MTL Originals (2-0): Potentially the best team in the division; I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon.
A-Squad (2-0): It won’t always be blowouts, but these guys are the real deal.
The Sheriff (2-0): Another week, another win? As much as I love to hate on them, they’re a strong contender in 4B
Les Verges Folles (1-0): Their game was moved; doesn’t change how I feel about their current status in 4B.
The Infantry (2-0): They showed us what they could do in Week 2. I’m eager to see how they’ll fare against the top teams in 4B this season.
Lonzo Ballers (1-1): Lonnie Johnson wasn’t 100% to play QB and it weakens their team when Quaid Johnson is the one throwing. They’ll be back at full strength this week.
Les Blues Branleurs (2-0): Off to their best start in franchise history; I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon!
Small Giants (1-0): Still undefeated.
All Hooks (1-1): They’ve been high on my preseason list, but they faltered early. Let’s see how they make up for it in the next few weeks.

Predictions

Game of the Week in 4A: Game Changers vs BD Bandits

Game of the Week in 4B: GloGang vs The Sheriff

**Please note, these are purely subjective and have nothing to do with FPF’s official GOTW filmed product**

Pub Epoxy/Sports Campus vs 69ers: 69ers

Les Hommes de l’Ouest vs The You: The YOU

Savage Squad vs EBROS: EBROS

The Stoics vs Past Our Prime: Past Our Prime

Game Changers vs BD Bandits: Game Changers

Baby Kangaroos vs Keyport Lock: Keyport Lock

Soft Serve vs Fun Boys: Soft Serve

The Tide vs Greendale Human Beings: Greendale Human Beings

Half-A-Stars vs Wolverines: Half-A-Stars

Sphinx vs Jagerbomb: Jagerbomb

Don’t Mess With Texas vs SMYTDs: Don’t Mess With Texas

SWAT vs Lonzo Ballers: Lonzo Ballers

Believe The Hype vs Ballers: Believe The Hype

The Infantry vs Air Force 1: The Infantry

Small Giants vs Ghosts: Ghosts

A-Squad vs Mad Bears: A-Squad

GloGang vs The Sheriff: The Sheriff

Check Out My TDs vs Les Blues Branleurs: Les Blues Branleurs

Team Y.S. vs MTL Originals: MTL Originals

Dream Breakers vs Mean Machine: Mean Machine

Canes vs Les Verges Folles: Les Verges Folles

All Hooks vs Les Montagnards: All Hooks

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…! D3 was a bit out of your depth Eags. Sorry.

Week 2: Blurrier than ever