Moving onto the Quarter Finals with Div 5’s Elite Eight

As we move along in the FPF playoffs, we will be losing readers and viewers on CTA, but the best must move on. From the 16 best teams in both 5A and 5B, we are now left with the Elite 8.

Not much of an intro here as we ‘ve got 8 matchups in both 5A and 5B to dive into, so let’s get right into the thicc (yeah, thick with 2 C’s baby) of things.

Division 5A – Quarter Finals Previews 🔮

Big Fat Bats (1) vs. Les Petites Carottes (14)

Position	Big Fat Bats	Les Petites Carottes
QB	✅
Receivers	✅
DBs		✅
Rusher	✅

Previous Matchup: Big Fat Bats 35 – 6 Les Petites Carottes

This playoff matchup is interesting for several reasons. First, at the time when these 2 teams met back on March 1st, the Big Fat Bats were ROLLING, while Les Petites Carottes were looking for answers and a spark to turn their season around. Mathew Zeppetelli torched the LPC defense for 5 TDs, completing 62.5% of his passes with a 126.9 QB rating while Zachary Cloutier had the opposite kind of day; 1 TD, completing 48% of his passes and a 40.8 QBR. Since that game, LPC has gone 4-2, including 4 straight wins (including the Wild Card victory over Ballers). In the 4 victories, 3 have been under Jason Rayes as QB, so it’s safe to say he will be the Quarterback going in this time. He’s not only been better than Cloutier, he’s upped his own performances from early on in the season, where he had thrown for 5 TDs and 7 INTs in 3 games. In the last 3 games, he’s totally turned it around, throwing 13 TDs and limited the INTs to 3.

Breakdown by Position

QB – With the up and down season LPC has had at QB, but edge has to go Mathew Zeppetelli, even though his play at late has dipped compared to the first half of the season.

Receivers – I love the trio of AJ Zeppetelli, Jordan Lessard and Luca Leccese of BFB. Mathew Zeppetelli has built a playbook that plays their abilities and its proven to be successful. On the other side though, don’t discount Gabriel Jobin and Xavier Brault as top dogs. Brault is one of those receivers that almost no one can cover… Lessard might just be one of those guys, so that will be an interesting WR-DB matchup to watch out for.

Defense – While BFB have clicked and gotten and understood what works on offense, their defense has always been their achilles heel, which always begs the question whether they can outscore their defensive troubles. Adding Jordan Lessard definitely helps their cause, but the height, athleticism and tight coverage LPC can put up, I can’t see BFB putting a defensive effort that is better than the little carrots (the name doesn’t strike much fear, just saying). Still, BFB will point the 35-6 score in their previous meeting, and that’s a fair point. Where LPC have a slight advantage is that BFB didn’t get to see their offense with Rayes under centre whereas the LPC D did get a glimpse of what’s coming. Should be interesting to see how LPC adapts.

Rusher – Easy. Luca Leccese is one of the divisions best. So it’s easy to say he’s the better of the 2 rushers, but Rayes is sneaky quick and slippery. Leccese can’t afford to miss a tackle in the backfield and let it turn into a 20-yard gain that moves the chains. Did he have a good game last time out? 3 sacks says yes, but 3 runs for 52 yards means Cloutier got the edge and the DB’s playing the flats couldn’t come up with a clutch tackle.

Big Fat Bats X-Factor: Anthony Giacomodonato – Giacomodonato had 3 INTs during the season and if he can come up with a clutch INT, using his big size to box out a receiver, the Big Fat Bats would greatly benefit from a stolen possession to give their offense another shot at punching it in for 6.

Les Petites Carottes (5) X-Factor: Zachary Cloutier – So we saw Cloutier as a QB, but in their last playoff game against Ballers, Cloutier was a huge part of the offense as a receiver, with a 100-yard game and 1 TD. They will need a repeat performance from Cloutier at receiver if LPC wants to come out on top, in addition to their WR1 and 2’s contributing offensively. In other words, the LPC top 3 need to outperform BFB’s Top 3 receivers.

Prediction: Big Fat Bats 33 – 28 Les Petites Carrotes – An extra TD and the 2 point converts bring BFB one step closer to the finals.

West Island Boys (4) vs. Rico Ryders (8)

Position	West Island Boys	Rico Ryders
QB	✅
Receivers	✅
DBs	✅
Rusher	✅

Previous Matchup: West Island Boys 39 – 13 Rico Ryders

Sure, WIB beat up RR’s by 26 points, but that was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy back on January 8th, where Mat Yanakoulias was like a deer caught in headlights. Since then. he’s improved his game x3 and we can expect a much closer game now.

Breakdown by Position

QB – We broke down Yanakoulias‘ improved play in last week’s preview vs. Menace II Sobriety, and he annihilated that MIIS defense on his way to 7 TDs. If he has a repeat performance, WIB’s Zack Stacey will find himself in a shootout game, where he has found himself before. The only thing Stacey has going against him, is his Division 6 heartbreak loss to Slippery Slopes. If he lets that get in his mind and the doubt starts to creep in, you could see Rico Ryders come out on top. That said, Stacey‘s receiving crew is much better here and so has his play all season, coming away as the QB of the year.

Receivers – Both receiving cores are quite similar. Both have a clear-cut #1 (Lerner vs. Bayliff) and also have depth that contributes significantly. Both teams can put out 5 solid receivers. It’s interesting because the edge comes to whether you prefer speed vs. height. WIB have the speedier receivers while RR’s have the height advantage. Overall, it’s close, but I give the slighhhtt edge to WIB.

Defense – While the Ryders are coming off allowing just 19 points, to be fair, it was against a rookie Quarterback, but still, they got the job done. That said, against a QB with wayyy more reps under his belt, they will be tested. While I believe both defenses are equal in the deep coverage, I think the difference comes in the flats. Both Daron Migdesyan and Nick Di Maulo play hard and balance each other out, but I trust the other Ryders D members to make a clutch tackle in the shorts to prevent a deep play from occurring. What I will say is that if both the Wrangler and Di Maulo get an INT, Di Maulo is more likely to bring it back for 6 with his quick acceleration and burst of speed.

Rusher – Julian McLaren-Thompson is clearly the better of the 2 rushers, but Dylan Scattolon has the more important role. Mat Yanakoulias doesn’t run and is a pocket passer, standing at 6’5 while Zack Stacey is a threat when running. He doesn’t do it often, but has the escapability to get free and bust for big run downfield.

West Island Boys X-Factor: Anthony Grotto – “Double O” Grotto is a low key redzone threat teams often forget about. 8 TDs on 15 catches. Just sayin’

Rico Ryders X-Factor: Greg Kritselas – When Greg catches balls and makes a guy miss, he gets into a rhythm where the next ball caught also leads into additional YAC yards. Another 3/3/44/1 day would be clutch from him, contributing as the WR3/4.

Prediction: West Island Boys 31 – 31 Rico Ryders – Hey, in my last prediction, I predicted the right numbers for Rico Ryders, just not in the right order (25 instead of 52 lol), now, I’m predicting OVERTIMEEE!

Overtime score: West Island Boys 2 – Rico Ryders 1

The Process (5) vs. Red “Not” Skins (6)

Position	The Process	Red “Not” Skins
QB	✅	✅
Receivers		✅
DBs		✅
Rusher		✅

Previous Matchup: None

Breakdown by Position

QB – Both Quarterbacks put up 33 points en-route to their opening, Divisional Round playoff victories. Funny enough, both QBs put up under 100 passing yards, but for different reasons. Kieljan didn’t finish his game because the remaining 2-3 minutes were played on a different day where he wasn’t in town, due to the loss of power at Hebert, while Noah Groper added 52 rushing yards. More importantly though, between the 2 of them, they only threw 1 interception. Groper has put up the better stats this year, but Kieljan has more experience at the position, which is what makes this, in my eyes an equal matchup.

Receivers – Red “Not” Skins win this one. There’s so much high-talent depth with Riley Pincombe, Mike Pietrobon, Myles Keiller and even underrated/unknown talent in David St Jean. Not only that, the roster has been constructed so well, that Red “Not” Skins are prepared for any situation. Lose your snapper in Keiller? No problem. Frankie Scalzo jumps in. Lose a QB? Both St Jean and Scalzo can handle the limited reps. Their depth, experience, and higher division play outweighs what The Process can throw out there. While there is depth on The Process, when you start going through the matchups, Perez vs. Pietrobon goes to Red; Baazov vs. St. Jean is closer, so say a tie. Keiller vs. Yan Librati goes to Red again. That’s the depth, and then while Ariel Librati is a fantastic receiver, I’m taking Riley Pincombe in a 1 on 1 (again, it’s close!). Both are sick receivers, but the overall scales tilt in favor of Red “Not” Skins.

Defense – Like the receivers set, the D is close, but the athleticism, play-making and experience leans towards Red “Not” Skins.

Rusher – While I sang the praises of Sacha Douan and even has more sacks than Anthony Gentile, Gentile has those long, lanky arms, that when you think you are escaping, he’s swiping those arms and coming up with timely sacks, or a run for 1 measly yard. Not too mention, of course, that he can bat down passes and take away the middle of the field for Groper. With or without a sack, Gentile plays a more important role, not to mention, he might have the most important job on Saturday, which is to contain Groper and not let him escape for big yards.

The Process X-Factor: Sacha Douan – I’m once again going with Sacha like last week. He is slippery with the ball in his hands. He could come up with a big play if the defense isn’t paying attention.

Red “Not” Skins X-Factor: David St Jean – As the 3rd or 4th option, St. Jean could see the better matchups on defense and could exploit it for a big game.

Prediction: The Process 27 – 28 Red “Not” Skins – Yup, a 1 point victory as this game comes down to converts.

No Friend Zone (5) vs. Backwoods Football Club (12)

Position	No Friend Zone	Backwoods Football Club
QB	✅
Receivers	✅
DBs	✅
Rusher	✅

Previous Matchup: None

Breakdown by Position

QB – While both QBs threw a limited number of INTs, there was a +21 difference in touchdowns and close to a doubling in yardage. Where Liam Gilmore has the leg up is in rushing yards, as there’s an additional method for gaining a 1st down for Backwoodz than NFZ needs to worry about.

Receivers – Hennessy Oraye is the receiver to watch out for on BFC, but didn’t eclipse 400 yards, whereas NFZ had 3 different receivers get to 422 yards or more. The depth at receiver is the biggest disparity between both teams. While Tristan Daniel and Qwyntin Rice are good pieces, they would slide into the WR4/5 slot with NFZ where they are a solid WR2 and 3 on Backwoodz.

Defense – If you look at how BFC faired in the points allowed against teams with offenses: 44 against Him University, 32 against Red Not Skins, 33 against WIB. To be fair, NFZ against teams that have offenses: 45 against BFB, 38 against WIB, 33 against The Process. This one comes down to 18 picks from NFZ vs. the 16 from BFC. Again, very, very close between both teams, but the slight edge goes to NFZ.

Rusher – Nothing other than the 6 sacks stands out from Ganael Lamour. I don’t see any PDs or large amounts of tackles (1), while both Seb Dufour (8) and Lucas Quenneville (7) racked up more sacks than Lamour, in addition to 4 PDs and more tackles after the line of scrimmage. Advantage NFZ here, but the rushers on NFZ need to be aware of the running and scrambling of Gilmore.

No Friend Zone X-Factor: Anthony Pelletier – The big body of Pelletier and deceptively quick feet often leaves defenders guessing where this receiver is going. Reliable hands and route running makes this receiver an X-factor.

Backwoods Football Club X-Factor: Liam Gilmore – Gilmore will need to have his best game of the season. Simple as that.

Prediction: I don’t pick my own games, but should be a good Quarter Final game!

Division 5B – Quarter Finals Previews 🔮

Killer Rays (1) vs. No Punt Intended (15)

Position	Killer Rays	No Punt Intended
QB	✅
Receivers	✅
DBs	✅
Rusher	✅

Previous Matchup: None

Breakdown by Position

QB – While I love the progression Tylar Bianchi has made in his FPF career, if you break down the numbers, he didn’t have a STELLAR season. In fact, Jacob Soles put up similar numbers, in that Soles actually threw 1 less interception in 1 less game. That however, comes with Bianchi‘s nature to want to hit the deep ball juuuussstt a little too much. It did however, benefit the KR offense with 6 more TDs from Bianchi‘s arm over Soles‘, again in 1 less game. It comes down to a game stat where if I see 6 TD’s and 1 INT, gimme that game! Advantage Bianchi, but it’s not as far a gap as I initially thought.

Receivers – This is an interesting one, because it depends what you like more. Do you prefer a team with a stud #1 guy, with a very good 2nd WR, trailed with decent depth at 3 and 4 who rack up the yards, but are stretching it with low double-digit TDs (11-10 range)? Or do you prefer four VERY solid WR2’s who spread the ball for yardage, but 3 guys have 10+ TDs. Both are good, but I will always select the team that can roll 4-5 receivers at you, and you have to pick which guy is going to beat you, and the offense is totally okay with whoever you select. Gimme ‘dem Rays.

Defense – While I’m not usually a huge fan of guys solely playing one way, the Killer Rays make it work. They have about half the D who play both ways, and the other half exclusively on defense. The 2 ways in (Tylar) Bianchi, Ryan and Gurberg are matched fairly evenly by (Carter) Soles, Condon and Cadogan. But the D-only players of Mike Delli Quadri and Jalen Wells, combining for 5 INTs and 10 PDs for Killer Rays is SOLID production that Jack Tsonos alone can’t reproduce.

Rusher – Jared Arany. 18 sacks. Discussion ends here.

Killer Rays X-Factor: Chris Genio – He’s the guy no one thinks can do much damage, until he makes a guy miss and is 15 yards downfield. “Lucky” is often said by the defense, until it happens a 2nd time… and a 3rd…

No Punt Intended X-Factor: Jack Tsonos – Iggy Magnets said what? He can’t produce what Delli Quadri and Jalen Wells produce for the Killer Rays? Show him Jack!

Prediction: Killer Rays 33 – No Punt Intended 28

The Penetrators (3) vs. Red Dragons (9)

Position	The Penetrators	Red Dragons
QB	✅	✅
Receivers	✅	✅
DBs	✅	✅
Rusher		✅

Breakdown by Position

QB – First of all, YES! What a matchup! The only thing that makes me sad, is that this is a Quarter Final matchup and not either a Semi-Final or Finals matchup. The Quarterback play (and playbook) of both QBs is excellent and no one has a clear-cut advantage. Just go and watch really good FPF flag football. One mistake though, from

Receivers – I love what both teams have been able to assemble as a receiving cast. Honestly, once again, this is a tie. But, expect big things from playoff performers Nic Fon and Jared Boidman. For Red Dragons, Timoté Nehma-Lacasse has been stellar as an addition to the team and the team will be looking for Samuel Cantin to fill in big shoes for the injured Émile Bolullo. As is with both teams however, if the top dogs are locked, the depth receivers will need to play a large role. Again, both teams possess equal levels of talent and understanding of the game, so the offenses should be cooking!

Defense – The two defenses are athletic and have accumulated roughly the same experience. The difference here is that I think Justin Goodman‘s deep ball is more susceptible to either being picked off or batted down, which is dangerous with lurking DBs. Neither Quarterback has the arm for balls to reach the backline of the endzone, but Guillaume Boulanger throws a safer ball. Let me be clear, both quarterback play a rather safe offense (which is not a diss, rather a compliment). They take what the defense gives them, which is often the shorts. But if I had to pick 1 quarterback to throw a riskier deep ball, that QB to me is Goodman and the Red Dragons have the athletes to make a play on the ball.

Rusher – Another 2-word answer: Vincent Bolullo. 24 sacks. ‘Nuff said

The Penetrators X-Factor: I’m again going with Harry Maurovich. He was key in moving the chains in their previous matchup and ended with 38 yards and a TD. I like him making a similar impact in this one, which would be big, especially with Fon playing (hopefully) in the playoff matchup.

Red Dragons X-Factor: Tommy Caetano was the similar chain mover, and tackle evader that the Red Dragons couldn’t figure out. If he makes more guys miss and finds the endzone again, that will be 1 much needed touchdown for the Red Dragons.

Prediction: The Penetrators 31- 31 Red Dragons

OVERTIME: The Penetrators 2- 3 Red Dragons (after 4 Rounds)

Primal (4) vs. Les Bleue Dry (7)

Position	Primal	Les Bleue Dry
QB	✅
Receivers	✅
DBs	✅	✅
Rusher	✅

Breakdown by Position

QB – Primal win all these matchups, starting at QB. While I like Juneau, just take a look at the last game Mederic “The Wizard” Lauzon had against What Could Have Beens. He simply TORCHED that defense on his way to beating a tough What Could Have Beens squad. He was sensational in that game, completing a ridiculous 95% of his passes for 224 yards and 7 TDs. Crazy!

Receivers – While Les Bleue Dry have a solid WR1 in Eric Namts who is shifty and can make guys miss after the catch, they don’t have the depth and talent to go head to head with Primal. Chabot, Shelder, Jean-Philippe Régnier. Too much offensive firepower for Les Bleue Dry to answer back with.

Defense – This one is closer and I call a tie here. Les Bleue Dry are good at attacking routes, especially in the redzone, so Lauzon will have to attack the back of the endzone.

Rusher – Philippe Barbeau is constantly deflagging quarterbacks, even if he didn’t get to Iggy Magnets. Still, he was there every play, in case a ball was pulled back by the QB. I understand how the sack total got to 14. Don’t double clutch, Fred, or it’s a sack!

Primal Dry X-Factor: Alexandre Roel – If Roel can come away with another playoff INT and give Primal and Lauzon another possession to score, it made the difference last game and could make the difference again.

Les Bleue Dry X-Factor: Samuel Sicard – If Sicard can have an influence both ways, offensively and defensively with a 3/4/40/1 offensive stat line and an Interception, this is huge for Les Bleue Dry to stay in it.

Prediction: Primal 39 – 26 Les Bleues

Green Monster (5) vs. Vick in a Box (6)

Position	Green Monster	Vick in a Box
QB		✅
Receivers		✅
DBs	✅
Rusher	✅	✅

Breakdown by Position

QB – Pat Jazon had a great playoff comeback, but if we’re putting head to head against Jeff Tayeh, Jeff is the superior QB overall. Both quarterbacks put up 25 points in their divisional round victory, and 25 might be a number that wins this defense matchup. Jazon needs to be careful against Max Burah and Craig Browning while Tayeh needs to consider throwing away from Jonah Burgess, Darnell Kevis Riley and David Vlad. This game will be a race to 4 TDs, and I think Tayeh reaches that mark first, but can Jazon pull off another electric comeback?

Receivers – There’s simply more depth on Vick in a Box at the receiver position with more skill sets across the board: jumping, catching, speed, evasiveness. David Vlad is a MONSTER, but 1 guy with a certain skill set limits the way the offense can move the ball.

Defense – I told you. It will always be Green Monster.

Rusher – Both rushers have 12 sacks on the season, but Seb Dufour has that ridiculous 15 PD statline. Either way, this is not a game determined by the rushers on every down, however, whichever rusher can get a sack on 3rd down late in the game to force a 4th and 12, 4th and 15 situation puts their team in a great situation.

Green Monster X-Factor: Yotham Beauvais – Beauvais was CLUTCH, stepping up his offensive game big time against Pocket Rockets. A duplicate performance from him would definitely be an X-factor Vick in a Box would not be expecting.

Vick in a Box X-Factor: Mikey Schwartz – If Mikey can have another 2 catches for 28 yards, and add a touchdown, that helps the race to 4 TDs I mentioned in a huge way to compliment Browning and Burah who will be smothered in the redzone.

Prediction: Green Monster 20 – 21 Vick in a Box

Epilogue 👋

Alright Div 5, that does it to preview the Quarter Finals! If you want more content, there’s always more! Here’s our podcast, Calling The Audible from this past Friday with Moe Khan, myself and Eagle at Master Control: