A nailbiter between two favorites; week 7 predictions

Another week in the books and the playoffs are just around the corner. The standings are getting a little jammed at the top. It looks as though four teams are fighting for the first round bye which gets them straight into the semifinals. However as some players pointed out they rather not have the bye because they prefer to play in order to maximize the season. Any way you look at it, it will come down to the wire.

Before I recap last week’s games, next week there I’ll also examine who are the leading candidates for the following four awards: Best QB, Best Receiver, Best Defensive player and Two-Way player.

 

Week Six Recap

Dagwoods 41-Polvige Tech 32

Polvige Tech is spiraling and they’re not able to figure out how to stop the bleeding. Last week Angelo Kalaidopoulos (known to many as Aggie) filled in for Jon Moodie as the QB. In the first half it seemed like Polvige Tech was going back and forth with Dagwoods. Vince Mancini was a bright spot for Polvige Tech defense by rushing Lonnie Johnson well however the defense couldn’t create any turnovers. On the flip side the Dagwoods defense led by Stuart Goldsmith, Mike McLean, Mike Beriault, Rob Allen and Harvey Schafer did a good job on Polivge receivers. However with Angelo’s quick legs, the rush by Corrado Silvi and at times Mike McLean wasn’t effective. Case in point was the 2 point convert Angelo ran in the first half to make the score 21-20 and keeping his team in the game. Second half started with Rob Allen, as he does so often when his team needs him, intercepting Angelo and then on offense scoring a TD of his own to put Dagwoods up 34-20. From that point forward, Dagwoods never looked back and went to win this contest against their “other half”.

On a side note we saw a familiar face that hasn’t been seen in FPF for a while. I am referring to Eugene McLaren who suited up for Polvige Tech. He was playing defense mostly and did a great job locking down defenders on short and deep patterns. He would be a huge help for this team if he qualifies for playoffs.

Relics 31 – Venom 6

I picked Venom to win this game because after their win last week against Polvige, I felt they had finally learned their strength was to play well-structured football that involves short passes and using the clock wisely. However it seems they did the opposite this time around. On the other hand, Relics were missing both their QBs due to injury (Jeff Rosenblatt and Cory Pecker) and they decided to go with Shawn Payne. Now after watching this game, it was evident that Venom can learn a lot from Relics. Shawn Payne played the position in the simplest way possible. He called for simple and easy patterns. He rarely went deep and made every pass count whereas Nike Hatziiliou was forcing errant passes which weren’t always necessary. At least 3 out his 5 INTS came on those types of passes. Venom receivers were trying too hard to create separation but Relics weren’t playing man coverage so all they had to do was run were small hooks and slants. I’m not sure what Nik’s game plan was but it should have been like Shawn Payne’s who was more than impressive last week.

Even defensively Venom wasn’t as aggressive as they were a week ago. They were giving Relic receivers too much space that gave them easy catches. At the half, Relics were up 25-0 so game was pretty much over by then. An unnamed player from Relics was saying that Shawn Payne is the pinnacle of what a good QB looks like. He plays hard, keeps it simple, doesn’t take chances, plays a calculated game and most important doesn’t think he’s above anyone else. I don’t know if there was a hidden message in that statement but I definitely agree.

 

Hitmen Retro 42 – Monster Football 41

This was by far the best game I’ve seen all season in the 35+ division. It was a battle between two squads who had full benches and came prepared to battle. Monster brought in a new player from the 416 in Gary Sooman, who played on defense and was covering deep especially on Andrew Carruthers side. You could tell both teams really wanted this victory. So the stage was set and Hitmen started with the ball.

On the second play, Bruno Petrilli picked off Chris Moufrage and the tone was set. Monster answered by scoring a TD and getting the 2 point convert. The Hitmen responded by tying the game. Monster struck again with a 40 yard TD to David Richter who went right by Carruthers to score. At this point, Hitmen were not covering the deep ball well at all. Their secondary looked suspect whereas Monster was playing very aggressive on defense and to some extent, they were ball hawking. A crucial play came in the game when Carmine Pollice was dragged down by Shawn Costello and the far referee threw a flag. Carmine not having realized the flag was thrown already looked at the referee near him and lost his cool which resulted in an OC penalty and five plays off. Jeff Brown replaces Carm on offense and gets a TD on the same drive in the back of the endzone which was followed by 1 point convert by Dave Mallais and the Hitmen were up by 1. Just before the half Jeff scored another TD followed by another successful PAT. Jeff Brown also got the INT off the Hail Mary pass by Monster on the last play before the half. At the half, the game is tied at 22.

One interesting thing I noticed is Andy Peterkin’s rolling snap to the right, which means he’s already 4 steps to his right which is an advantage if he wants to run and gives him a few extra yards away from the quick Dan Hilton (rusher for Hitmen). 

The second half was pretty much the same with both teams exchanging TDs and going back and forth. Towards the end of the game, Monster were up by 7 and on the Hitmen drive, Glen Cooper had a chance to pick it off and seal it but it was unexpectedly dropped. Right afterward, Carmine Pollice gets the TD and Hitmen trailed by 1. For two weeks in a row, Hitmen decided to go for 2 point convert and get the win. Chris Moufrage rolls right and Kevin Wilson misses a sack by inches and falls which give Chris enough time to find Dave Mallais in the end zone for the 2 point convert.

Monster had at least 8 plays left in the game to get the go ahead score. On the first three plays, Andy couldn’t get anything going and seemed like he was trying to force it a little. On 4th down and 5 plays left, Andy overthrew Craig O’Brien which sealed the win for Hitmen.

What an incredible game and the season series is now 1-1. The next time these teams meet will be in the playoffs and it might be for the championship!

 

UNSUNG HEROES

 

Karim Yasmine (Dagwood) – Karim made two clutch catches that kept the drive going. Also he runs his routes well and you never heard a word out of him.

Mike McLean (Dagwood) – Even though their whole D plays well consistently, Mike McLean also rushes. He had a huge sack at the end of the half against Angelo to prevent them from scoring.

Ryan Etinson (Relics) – Their snapper is also their leader and more important, he make the catches when needed. You might see 2 or 3 catches but those catch always come at the time when it is most needed such as 3rd downs.

 

Week 7 predictions:

Monster Football vs Relics

After a tough loss last week, Monster football should bounce back. Relics defense who had 5 INTs against Venom won’t have those numbers again and will not have the same space on offense. If Shawn Payne is throwing again, he’ll have to make quicker decisions and face a fast rush in Andy Peterkin. Relics D can definitely handle Monsters’ offense but as the game goes, Monster will be pull ahead. Monster Football will pull out the win.

 

Polvige Tech vs Hitmen Retro

After back to back last minute wins against Relics and Monster Football, it’s hard to pick against Hitmen. Also it’s hard to pick Polvige Tech because they’re sliding faster than a skier on a steep slope. Chris Moufrage is unstoppable and is surrounded by many studs on both sides of the ball. I am picking Hitmen Football to win this easily.

 

Venom vs Dagwoods

I hope Venom learned their lesson from last week and try to play more within a system by maximizing on their strengths. It will still be tough because Dagwoods are 5-1 for a reason. They are a complete team who can come at you in different ways. Therefore look for Venom to drop to 1-6.

If you any suggestions for what should be covered, written or done please let me know as I am also your scorekeeper every Thursday night. Aside from tracking me down at the field, my email is [email protected] and I can also be reached on Facebook.

 

Thanks again for reading, good luck in your games and see you next time.