Co-ed Semi-Final Preview

I would love to be writing about the four exciting games from the first round of playoff action. Disappointingly, there were two forfeits in the quarter finals. Yes, half the games in the first round of action were forfeits. Savage were forced to forfeit because they only had 1 girl. They couldn’t field the minimum of 2 girls, so Party Mix won automatically. The game between Michael Scott’s Tots and Tigers was also a forfeit. Tigers informed the league they would not be able to field a team, so MST won their first game 30-0 without even having to show up at the field.

Out of the two games that were actually played, one was a blowout. Yin&Yang did exactly what they had to do. They avoided mistakes, limited their opponents rushing yards and marched down the field on offence. The result was a 39-6 win for Y&Y. Black Mamba looked dangerous early. They scored on their first drive to jump out to an early 6-0 lead. Unfortunately for them, that was the only drive they scored on. While this season may have been more difficult for Black Mamba, there are plenty of positives for them to build on. They now know what the FPF game is like and they know the changes they need to make in the offseason to be competitive.

 I have kept the only interesting game of the week for last. A-Town surprised me by putting in a very strong performance to beat Hot-Dawgz 29-18. This was actually the first time all year I saw A-Town play. I was out of town when my team played them in the last week of the regular season and the way the schedule fell, I never saw the tail end of any of their games. I was making all my judgements on this team based on the scores and their stats. It is fair to say that I underestimated them. I was impressed by the team I saw Wednesday. Emmanuelle Bronsard looked very dangerous. She threw three touchdowns and no interceptions to lead her team to victory. What surprised me most from A-Town’s performance was the fact that they limited Maximilien Sadori to less then 15 receiving yards. All season, the best teams in co-ed 2 struggled to contain Sadori. A-Town found a way to make the talented receiver a non-factor in this game. Between Bronsard’s strong showing and their robust defensive effort, A-Town defied my prediction and advanced to the quarter-finals.

Quarter-Final Predictions:

Michael Scott’s Tots (6-2) vs Yin&Yang (5-3)

The last time these two teams met, Michael Scott’s Tots won on the final play of the game. However, that game cannot really serve as a preview to this quarter-final match. In week 10, MST were graced with the divine presence of Sébastien Crisi-Lauzon. Fortunately for everyone who isn’t MST, Crisi-Lauzon isn’t playoff eligible. On the other hand, MST will be able to count on the services of Zackary Alberts-Gill, Rico Tulino and Kenny Boutilier. It remains to be seen if Boutilier’s foot will be well enough for him to play, but it is expected that Alberts-Gill and Tulino will be suiting up for MST on Saturday. MST’s offence will have an entirely new look with those two in the lineup. Last time these teams met, Y&Y knew very well where the ball was going, they were simply unable to stop it. This time around, MST will have many more weapons on offence, and they will distribute the ball much more. Tulino and Alberts-Gill will also have an impact on the defensive aspect of the game. We might not be sure who is going to throw for Y&Y, but we know that whoever is throwing is going to have a much harder time with Alberts-Gill rushing them. Tulino should also strike fear into the heart of Y&Y’s signal callers. In just four games, he managed a team high six interceptions.

Y&Y, will need to adapt on the fly to what MST throw at them. In the first round, Y&Y knew exactly who Black Mamba were and how they played. However, Y&Y have not yet seen this particular MST squad that they will face on Saturday night. On offence, they need to stick with the basics. All season, the force of their offence has been spreading the ball. This team has such a talented corps of receivers that the difficulty isn’t finding an open receiver, but rather choosing which open receiver to throw the ball to. More often then not, that wide open receiver was Matthew Peacock.  He finished the season with 430 receiving yards and ten scores.  On defence, Evan Ely Nolet is going to be facing a minefield of dangerous players. It seems as if every game it is a different player who steps up for Y&Y. Last week, it was Justin Weir who impressed with his three interceptions. However, this week, it could just as easily be Bryan Call or any other of Y&Y’s defenders who come up big.

In the end, I have to give the edge to Yin&Yang (surprise surprise). Last time these teams met, Y&Y were stumped because they didn’t have the athletes to matchup with Crisi-Lauzon. While MST may bring three new and talented faces to this game, Y&Y have both the athletes and the knowledge to find a way to cover them. I am expecting a very evenly matched game but ultimately, Y&Y will win.

It’s a Match (7-1) vs A-Town (2-6)

A-Town played their best match of the season to beat Hot-Dawgz. If they want to have a hope of beating It’s a Match, they will need to play an even better game than Wednesday night’s. Simply put, It’s a Match are a much better version of Hot-Dawgz. Impressively, A-Town found a way to cover Maximilien Sadori. This week their defence will face an even more talented version of Sadori. It’s a Match have the very best receiver in the league in Alexis Labonté. The key to A-Town’s defence will be to find a way to cover Labonté without leaving It’s a Match’s other receivers wide open. However, It’s a Match is much more than just Labonté. If you concentrate all your efforts on covering Labonté then the likes of Charbel El-Sayah and Henry Dam will make you pay. On offence it is very simple; Bonsard cannot throw an interception. As long as she protects the ball, drives the field and manages a few scores then she will have done her part.

The struggle for It’s a Match will be shaking off the rust and finding their regular season form. The last time It’s a Match played was all the way back on March 16th. They cannot panic if they get off to a slow start, they have to trust that they are the more experienced team and that their experience will eventually prevail. On offence, if Benoit Lawlor can get into a rhythm early and complete a pass or two to Labonté, he should be set for the rest of the game. It’s a Match’s defence needs to enter the game with the mentality that they need to produce one turnover. A-Town’s offence was looking very dangerous last week. If It’s a Match can manage an interception, that will shake A-Town’s confidence all while putting the ball back in their offence’s hands.

While A-Town may be riding high after their stand-out performance in the quarters, It’s a Match have been riding high all season. A-Town may give their opponents a good run for their money but I see It’s a Match managing to secure the win and move onto the finals.

Power Rangers (7-1) vs ATH Squad (4-4)

There are a few matchups in this game that I’m really looking forward to seeing. The best of those matchups will oppose ATH Squad’s rusher Catherine Fortier and Power Ranger’s quarterback Tam Vilaydeth. Vilaydeth finished the regular season second in rushing yards and second in rushing attempts. Long story short, he likes to run and scramble behind the line of scrimmage and he is very good at it. This week, that might be a bit harder since he is facing the very best rusher in co-ed. Fortier finished the season with a division high eight sacks, despite only playing six games. I know that when my team faced Fortier, she terrified our quarterback and rushed every single throw he made. If she can have the same effect on Vilaydeth, then ATH Squad will be in great shape.

The other matchup that will decide this game will be Serge Pilon vs Alex Fortier. Pilon has had a career season not just in co-ed, but in every single division he played in. Somehow, ATH Squad is going to have to find a way to limit him. The effort to cover him will most likely be led by the extremely talented Alex Fortier. He led his team in tackles, interceptions and passes defended. If there is anyone who can cover Pilon, it is Fortier. ATH Squad can’t win this one if they don’t find a way to limit Pilon.

While those matchups I just highlighted will be the two to keep an eye on, this game will also be decided by a ton of smaller duels. I believe that Power Rangers have the more complete roster and they will win more of those confrontations and ultimately, they will win the game.

3rd Down for What (8-0) vs Party Mix (2-6)

If you look at these two teams’ records, you would think this would be a slam dunk prediction. However, Party Mix are one of the most experienced teams in co-ed. They know how to perform when it is needed. I was talking to former co-ed writer Stefano Berardi during the games on Wednesday night and he made it very clear that it would be a mistake to count François Deslauriers and Co for dead. This is Party Mix’s last chance to turn their season around and to do so, their star players need to finally step up. Benjamin Léger currently leads the team with 236 receiving yards. That is an average of 40 receiving yards a game. While that is a respectable total, he needs to improve on it if Party Mix are to have a chance to compete.

3rd Down for What have clearly found a winning formula. When you win all eight of your games, clearly you are doing something right. That success started with the stellar play of their quarterback Sara Parker. She passed for nearly 1 300 and threw for 34 touchdowns in the process. Somehow, she only threw five interceptions out of her 153 attempted passes. Oh, and four of those interceptions came in week one. If she can keep up that fantastic run of form, there is very little Party Mix, or anyone, can do to stop her. On defence, 3DW’s success has come from an impressive team effort. While no one player jumps of the page with divine stats, they have four or five players who have had extremely solid seasons. If that defence continues to play as a cohesive unit, Party Mix will struggle to move the ball.

I have already said it; Party Mix are a playoff team and I am sure they will bring their a-game on Sunday. However, 3DW have proved every week that they are the best team in co-ed. This game is 3DW’s to win. Unless they make a ton of uncharacteristic mistakes, they should be moving onto the finals.

Best of luck to all this weekend.