Report Cards in Division 3… Part 2!!! Who’s Getting Grounded???
Will Power
01-03-2023 03:18 AM
Alright gang, I’m gonna jump right into the grades as this is a longer article. Believe it or not we’re already in week 8. From now on every game is a playoff game! Here are my grades for the second half of division 3. *** Note: Part of this article was written prior to the games on Sunday February 26th***
Junkyard Dogs (4-1-1)
It is hard to find a weakness on this team. They put up points, averaging over 35 PPG. What makes that even more impressive is that their leading receiver in terms of receptions only has 21. Jason Rossie has done a great job getting everyone involved in the offense. Literally anyone on this squad has the potential to be the WR1 for Rossie. Hugo Allamanno and Rashawn Perry lead the team in touchdowns with 8 each. Then you got speedsters in Notaro, Pincombe, and Benjamin. The mix of youth and experience is what make this team run so well. If there’s one thing they can improve on is giving up 29 PPG. In division 3 that’s not a ton of points, but I know they can shave some points off with that scrappy defense. Overall it’s been a great season for JYD. They sit where they usually do at this point of the season…. with a real shot at winning the chip.
Grade: A-
Key Players: Jason Rossie, Hugo Allamanno, Rashawn Perry
Predicted Record: 6-3-1
KGP Ra (3-2)
What makes this team hard to judge is that they’ve had 2 quarterbacks this season. Ryan Garber has thrown in a few games and so has Dylan Garber. Dylan has looked good when he’s been the QB with 13 TDS and only 1 interception. It’s been a decent start to the season but I know these guys are looking for more. They can be a much better team than their record indicates. They have a ton of FPF and championship experience under their belt. Gabe D’Amico-Mazza, Johnathan Garfinkle, and Khalil Kerr all have 4 TDs on the season. Cooper Young does not have the TD numbers, but leads the team in yards in only 3 games played. I’m sure all those totals will significantly increase once they have their QB situation figured out. One thing I look forward to seeing is how the “other” guys a little less known to FPF will produce once their numbers are called. James Wiseman and David Giroux are 2 underrated players that you cannot forget to take into account when playing KGP Ra. Next up… a matchup against Silent Ticklers. If they play like I know they can, they can definitely pull off the upset.
Grade: C
Key Players: Gabe D’Amico-Mazza, Khalil Kerr, Johnathan Garfinkle
Predicted Record: 5-5
Les Gros Coqs (5-0-1)
Seems like their time in the MFL is paying off. LGC are one of the only few undefeated teams in division 3. Before getting into the stats and all that stuff, I want to talk about their team overall. I have always been extremely impressed with how well organized they are. They know what to do and how to do it. The term TEAM stands for Together Everyone Achieves More, or so I’ve been told. Either way that’s what you get with this group of guys. A team where everyone holds each other accountable. I knew they would be competitive from start to finish, but did not expect this good of a start. They have had their fair share of tight games this season which is always good come playoff time. Their schedule gets a little more difficult to end the season. Very curious to see how many more wins they can pull off.
Grade: A
Key Players: Dom Lefort, Alexis Ferrand, Boris Gagnier
Predicted Record: 7-2-1
Les Maloudes (1-4-1)
Not the season I was expecting from this team. At 1-4-1 the season has been a bit of a letdown. Having said that, they are 1-1-1 in their last 3 games, tied Les Gros Coqs, and seemed to have found their QB1 in Anton Sakiz. He balled out in their last game throwing for 7 touchdowns. If Maloudes miss the playoffs I think it’ll be because of their lack of offensive production. I think they will end up scoring enough to squeeze in though. Sakiz will need to rely on guys like Vincent Morissette and Ludwik Jananji. Morissette has only played 3 games. Getting him his 5 games played will be important for them. It appears that Les Maloudes have had several subs throughout the course of the season. Hard to develop chemistry with guys in and out of the lineup. If they can get some more consistency on that end, they’ll be more competitive.
Grade: D
Key Players: Anton Sakiz, Ludwik Jananji, Vincent Morissette
Predicted Record: 2-7-1
Les Verges Folles (1-4-1)
Since their very impressive week 1 win against G.I.H.F., it’s been all downhill from there. Thomas-Charles Paradis has struggled on the season throwing 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He will obviously need to improve on that to get them some more wins. Les Verges Folles have had success in FPF. They have a very important next 2 games on their schedule. First they got Never Overtime, then Backyard Bullies. Two winnable games. Carl Benola has been big for LVF this season. He may be one of the more underrated players in FPF. He’s going to need to finish with 15+ touchdowns to get them into the playoffs…. No pressure. Hopefully they can build off of last game’s tie to help turnaround the season.
Grade: D+
Key Players: Carl Benola, Shawn Lafortune, Guillaume Beland
Predicted Record: 2-7-1
Preach (5-2)
— Written by Iggy Magnets
After starting the season 1-2, Preach has run off 4 wins in a row to be in the Top 5 teams in the division. This is a team that when they get hot offensively, nothing is stopping them. They’ve put up 45+ points in 3 of their 7 games, which is a testament to their prolific attack. Steve Harripersaud being allowed to throw in Div 3 is like me, Iggy Magnets being able to throw in 5B. We’ve both benefited from the extra season in the Fall Cup not affecting our QB ratings, but everyone is in the same boat, so there’s no advantage gained against those who did play in the Fall.
While the offense can score at will, there are few times where the receivers don’t look perfectly in-sync with Steve which has lead to 7 interceptions already. Normally, this is not too high after 7 games for Quarterbacks playing in Div 3, but it significantly higher than the 1 INT he threw in the Fall and the 2 he threw in Div 3 last Winter. That said, I’m pulling out the flaws in an otherwise division-leading season, sitting 1st in passing yards (1404) and 1st in TDs (35). With all that yardage, he’s produced 7 different receivers with 100+ yards and when in comes to TDs, everyone has at least one. In fact, the player with the least TDs is Will Power with 3; that is some serious ball distribution! Also, if Steve was considered as having a “down” season, in comparison to past seasons, Will Power has a perfect passer rating of 158.3. So now I know that I want a perfect QBR, I gotta hit 85% of my passes, average 16.5 yard per completion and throw 4 TDs on 7 pass attempts. Making the switch from slot to wideout, Marvin Steinberg has not missed a beat, leading the team in both receiving yards (318) and receiving TDs (10).
Defensively, the team is lead by Kevin Smuda and Eddy Lee, and while they only have 3 INTs between them, they are more than that, coming up with key 4th down passes deflected and when Smuda does pick off a QB (Adam Sinagra), he makes sure to bring it back for 6 and ice their game for the victory. Then you have the speedy Noah Groper rushing quarterbacks like a mad man. His 11 sacks are good for the 2nd best so far in the div, and he’s done it in 1 less game.
The rest of the way, Preach are facing good teams (all of Div 3 is good, who are we kidding), but nothing they can’t handle, even if Steve is facing an MFL rival. I think the bigger field in FPF plays to his advantage and he’s a great play-caller and adjusts to what the defenses are throwing at him.
Grade: C — You were expected to be amongst the Div’s best, so the 1-2 slip to the season brings you down a notch.
Key Players: Stephen Harripersaud, Marvin Steinberg, William Power, Noah Groper
Record Prediction: 8-2
Mangoose (6-1)
These guys have been on an absolute tear this season. Their mix of speed and athleticism makes them hard to beat. Nicolas Schaefer has thrown 33 touchdowns on the year and 3 picks. That’s an 11:1 ratio for my mathematicians out there. Of those 33 TDs, 22 have been to either Thomas Coutu or James Drysdale. Coutu leads the team in yards with 562, and Drysdale leads them in touchdowns with 13. People may not realize this, but this team has depth. They have playmakers on the defensive side of the ball as well. Oliver Suri and Anthony Drysdale both have 4 picks. As if Coutu does not already do enough damage on offense, he leads the division in sacks with 12. They have an incredible plus/minus of +119, which is second best in all of division 3. Their only loss of the season coming in a nail-biter against one of the division’s best teams, The Infantry. I’m not really sure how you beat this team. One thing’s for sure, you’ll need to capitalize instantly on their mistakes and find a way to limit Coutu and/or Drysdale.
Grade: A
Key Players: Nicolas Schaefer, Thomas Coutu, James Drysdale
Predicted Record: 9-1
Mongoose (4-1-1)
Ever since I started playing flag football I have always stuck to the same mindset. That being flag football is very deceiving. “How so?” you ask. Well, if you look at Mongoose’s team photo you’d think they would be lucky to win even one game this season. The thing is flag is not all about speed, strength, athleticism, or even height, it’s about smarts, and that’s what these guys have. Alexandre Gaudet constantly finds ways of scheming his guys open. Their playstyle is not very fast or exciting. It’s actually quite boring. What does mama always say though? “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” It sure isn’t broken. The least amount of points they’ve scored on the year is 28. A beneficiary to that has been Johnathan Chevalier. He leads the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. His 43 catches are second most in the entire division. Add him with the experience and intelligence of François Deslauriers, Wade Jr. Shallcross, and Ryan Aridi, and you got a team sitting at 4-1-1. Very excited to see how they do in their next 2 games against Les Gros Coqs and Blue’s Clues.
Grade: B+
Key Players: Alexandre Gaudet, Johnathan Chevalier, François Deslauriers
Predicted Record: 7-2-1
Never Overtime (2-4)
Unfortunately I have not been able to catch many of their games. I got to see a bit of their thrilling 31-30 victory over Green Munchs, however. In watching the game I’m almost sure they have played football before. Just by seeing how they communicate and run their routes. After starting off the season 0-3, they were able to win 2 of their last 3 games. They haven’t had the easiest schedule to start the year, having already played Les Gros Coqs, Blue’s Clues, and That’s What She Said. They did beat That’s What She Said in a very impressive 27-21 game back on February 13th. Rhami Aboud has 270 receiving yards on the season on 19 receptions. Good enough for 14.2 yards a reception. Olivier Sabourin has thrown as many TDs as interceptions. Hopefully he can turn it around, because while this team does not have a ton of higher division players, they have a solid core.
Grade: C-
Key Players: Rhami Aboud, Mack Dessources, Johnathan Fabien
Predicted Record: 4-6
Silent Ticklers (5-0)
I picked these guys to make it to the championship game in the preseason and they have not disappointed. This offense is electric. It starts and ends with Jordan Panetta. He absolutely loves the deep ball. Defenses have not been able to stop it all year long. Panetta is averaging 14.6 yards per completion. He has only thrown 3 picks so is careful even when taking his deep shots. There is not one receiver on this team that averages less than 11 yards a catch! Adam Rosen and Daniel Mancini are their top two targets. They have a combined 20 touchdowns and 549 yards. All of these numbers at up to them averaging just under 40 PPG. Their most impressive win on the year was probably their 1 point comeback win against ALPHA DOGS. Tysen Otis Copeland is a great ball hawking safety. He has 3 picks on the season with most QBs try to avoid throwing his way. The sky is the limit for this team. They have the QB, the receivers, two-way players, and defenders to go all the way.
Grade: A+
Key Players: Jordan Panetta, Adam Rosen, Daniel Mancini
Predicted Record: 10-0
Speed Academy (1-2-1)
Speed Academy has played in 3 tight games already this season. While they have a losing record, I can say that I have been impressed with them. They’re averaging exactly 29 PPG and QB Emile Plante has looked pretty good. They definitely chose the right team name to fit their playstyle. Rabbi Bositampen is one of the fastest players in FPF that no one knows about. He is averaging over 24 yards a reception. Jimmy Marneris is averaging over 16 yards a reception while leading the team with 277 yards and 9 touchdowns. Jessica Bositampen continues to make a name for herself. She has 8 sacks in only 3 games. Speed Academy only has 3 interceptions on the year, so it’ll be up to Jessica to continue piling up sacks to get their defense off the field. For this team to go all the way they will need to keep taking the top off of defenses. As the old saying goes, speed kills. This is especially true in FPF. They have a big advantage here that they need to keep exploiting.
Grade: B-
Key Players: Emile Plante, Jimmy Marneris, Rabbi Bositampen
Predicted Record: 4-5-1
That’s What She Said (5-2)
20 interceptions on the season. Twenty! This defense is averaging almost 3 picks a game. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, they have 5 pick 6s. Hard to argue against them having the best defense in all of div 3. Being able to hold The Infantry to only 12 points is a feat on its own. On the offensive side of the ball, their ball distribution is great. TWSS have 4 players with at least 200 receiving yards. You don’t need to look very deep into this roster to see the ballers they have from A to Z. I’m not sure if Phil Pharand was supposed to be a full-timer for them, but he has played 4 games. Definitely a guy you want to be playoff eligible as we all know. I can talk about their defensive numbers for days, but FPF is an offensive-driven league. The big question for them will be if they can put up enough points to compete with the big dawgs in the division. They have scored 30+ points only once. It hasn’t been a problem yet but might be come playoff time. Their final game of the regular season comes against Mangoose. That’ll be must see TV.
Grade: B+
Key Players: Marc-Olivier Beauchamp, Mike Pierrecin, Jean-Michel Alerte
Predicted Record: 6-4
The Infantry
A team that will always be in the mix by the end of the season. It’s hard to determine whether they are better on offense or defense. They have two-way players that are as effective on both sides of the ball. Their team starts with their trio of playmakers in Rory Semerjian, Sean Semerjian, and Quaysie Gordon-Maule. They have a combined 19 touchdowns and 7 picks. Corey Walwaski is as smart as they come at the quarterback position. He is able to thread any needle, which is why I’m surprised to see he has already thrown 9 interceptions. It’s a trend I do not see continuing. He is just too good a QB. In the one game he missed, Sean took over as QB and put up 34 points. The Infantry have the luxury to put anyone anywhere on the field because of their athleticism. Mike Collard is another important player for this team. He does not always put up huge numbers, but is clutch in moving the chains. I look for him to have an even bigger role come playoff time. The Infantry have all the ingredients they need. They will be a tough out for any team.
Grade: B
Key Players: Sean Semerjian, Rory Semerjian, Quaysie Gordon-Maule
Predicted Record: 8-2
The Stoics (3-3)
No cap, they have done a lot better than I thought they would. Maybe that’s on me. I didn’t give them the credit they deserved. They have championship experience and yet I feel like people still doubt them. Well, at 3-3 and already having beaten Blue Chips and Blue’s Clues, they are proving doubters wrong. Similar to what I said in a previous article, they really are a team. Everyone has a role, either big or small, and executes it with the best of their ability. No one will mistake them for being an athletic bunch, but don’t question their will to win. Chris Rivest has thrown 30 TDs on the year and 5 picks. Giving him a QBR of 119.4. Not too shabby. More than that, Chris is a leader on this team. He is the glue that keeps them together. Vincent Cheung is his main partner in crime. Cheung has 41 catches, 359 yards, and 10 TDs in 6 games. Seth Galina has not put up a ton of numbers on the season, but is a valuable piece to this puzzle. If you asked me if they had a chance to win it all prior to week 1, I would’ve said heck no. Now? I’d say, why not? Every sport has its Cinderella story. Why can’t The Stoics be the team to ruin all of our brackets? Well, they can.
Grade: B+
Key Players: Chris Rivest, Vincent Cheung, Cesar Garcia-Diaz
Predicted Record: 5-5
Une Phrase Bien Fournie (2-5)
Despite being 2-5, they have put up 32+ points in 3 of their last 4 games. Their offense is starting to find some rhythm. This is Xavier Bilodeau‘s first season in FPF. He struggled to start the season off, but has thrown a season-high 5 TDs in his last 2 games. From what I’ve heard, this is a tackle football team taking their talents to flag. We all know how different a game tackle is from flag. That’s why these guys get a bit of a pass from me. They have 3 games left. All of them being winnable. They should be able to win at least 2 of them. One player that has been used to flag for a while now is Yvan Desjardins. In 7 games he has 2 TDs and 20 receptions. I can see him getting more TDs and receptions in his final 3 games alone. Vincent Dethier has been Bilodeau’s main target. He leads the team in yards (by a significant margin) having only played 5 games. He also has 6 interceptions with 2 pick 6s. Talk about a two-way baller. Une Phrase Bien Fournie will make the playoffs. The question is whether or not 10 games will be enough to get them ready to face the cream of the crop in the division.
Grade: C
Key Players: Vincent Dethier, Yvan Desjardins, Donavan Martel
Predicted Record: 4-6
Bold Prediction: It won’t snow at all in March!… Who am I kidding?
Hope you enjoyed the article. Sorry for the long delay, no excuses. Next article I’ll get back to the usual format of game previews, game picks, ballers of the week, and all that stuff. See you all at the fields! Until we meet again…
Stay Blessed