Back to Football; FPF Jr Week 1

Are you ready for some football? Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s that time of year again; FlagPlus Football’s Junior Division is back! 

 

My name is Brent Bodkin, and I will be the writer for FPF Jr once again this season.   

For those of you not familiar with my work, or for you guys in need of a reminder, this weekly article will be your guide for everything FPF Jr this season. 

 

As for what to expect, you guys will get all the latest info, game recaps, a preview of upcoming games, my take on some of the different things I notice at the Stinger Dome on Saturdays, called the ‘Bird’s Eye View’, and the High Five which highlights the top 5 performances of the week. 

 

This season, I will also add a new wrinkle, with feature interviews of different players and coaches throughout FPF Jr.   

 

Last year, was the debut season of FPF Jr, and what a debut it was. Sixty-five kids took part, and got to show what they had on the football field, in an extremely fun, and competitive league.

 

For some kids, last season was about experiencing football for the first time. Whether the youngsters had had seen the game on TV, or were doing it because they had a parent or sibling that played the greatest game in the world, it was now their turn to try it out. 

 

For others kids, it was all about playing for the love of the game, and/or simply finding a place where they could play football, and sharpen their skills during the off-season. 

 

After the success of last year’s inaugural season, we are back bigger and better this year!  

 

For all the returning players and parents, as well as this year’s batch of rookies in all three categories, let me tell you about some of the changes you’ll see this season. 

 

Last year, we had a Freshmen and a Sophomore Division, both of which consisted of 3 teams each. This season, we have grown to three Divisions: Freshman (7-10 years old), Sophomore (11-13 years old), and the newly added Varsity Division (14-16 years old). 

 

Obviously, with more divisions, means more teams. This season, we have expanded to an impressive 16.  

 

Location is another change. This season, instead of having all our games just at Concordia’s Stinger Dome, we will also be operating out of the Stade Hebert Dome in St. Leonard, and the West-Island Dome in Kirkland as well.  

 

The biggest change of all however, is in the number of players this year. From 65 kids in the league, this season, thanks to you guys spreading the word about FPF Jr, we now have 160 youngsters playing the best sport in the world, in the globe’s biggest flag football league. 

 

At the end of the day, all the new and exciting changes, will make this exciting league even better and more fun for the kids, and that’s what it’s all about.  

 

Welcome to all the newcomers, sit back and enjoy the ride. 

 

This past weekend marked the kickoff to the new season.  Before I go any further, let me introduce you guys this year’s set of teams and coaches that make up FPF Jr. 

 

 

Freshman Division 

 

Bruins (1-0) 

Head Coach: Gautama Swaminadhan 

 

Cougars (0-1) 

Head Coaches: Glen Cooper, Trevor Lovig 

  

Ducks (1-0) 

Head Coach: Jamil Springer  

 

Fighting Irish (0-1) 

Head Coach: Vinny Gulano 

Assistant Head Coach: Phil De Kovachich 

 

Musketeers (0-1) 

Head Coach: Gino Di Fazio 

Assistant Head Coach: Julio D’Alessio 

 

Wolverines (1-0) 

Head Coach: Graham Henson 

Assistant Head Coach: Sean Kennedy 

 

Sophomore Division 

 

Buckeyes (1-0) 

Head Coach: Teddy Frenette 

 

Gators (0-1) 

Head Coach: Kevin Kousaie 

 

Hawkeyes (1-0) 

Head Coach: David De Andrade 

 

Hurricanes (0-1) 

Head Coach: Michael Masella   

 

Red Devils (1-0) 

Head Coach: Rich Lachance 

Assistant Head Coach: Catherine Piche 

 

Seminoles (0-1) 

Head Coach: Kevin Wyeth 

 

Varsity Division 

Bulldogs (1-0) 

Head Coach: Paolo Della Rocca 

Assistant Head Coach: G.M. Kolethras 

 

 

Horned Frogs (1-0) 

Head Coach: Tony Lalla 

 

Longhorns (0-1) 

Head Coach: Dave Allen 

 

Spartans (0-1) 

Head Coach: Dylan Garber 

Assistant Head Coach: Jonathan Garfinkle 

 

As you can see, a lot of the coaches listed have a ton of FPF experience. I have played with and against some of these guys, and I can tell you first hand, that your kids are in good hands. The guys in charge of the teams will bring knowledge, fun, and excitement to the sidelines this year. Each player will have a good time, and become a better football player without a doubt.  

 

 

Bird’s Eye View 

 

A couple of things that caught my eye in Week 1, was the amount of Quarterbacks we saw take the field. With so many teams and players, some of whom only met for the first time this past weekend, it’s only natural that positions, plays, and chemistry still needs to be ironed out. 

 

The excitement and smiles I saw not just on the faces of the players, but of the parents as well, is always a great thing to see, and is sure to continue as the season goes along. 

 

I could definitely tell here are more than a few second-year players that not only grew a little during the off-season, but really worked on their game as well.  

There were a lot of new faces that turned some heads in their debut this past weekend as well. 

 

High-Five 

Trey Bentley (Buckeyes) – The second-year Quarterback was simply amazing in his team’s 35-18 victory over the Seminoles, as he 14 of 22 for 242 yards and 5 touchdowns. As someone who has played in the FPF adult league for as long as I have, I can say first hand that throwing for that many yards is not an easy thing to do. 

 

Sam El-Mashtoub (Bulldogs) – My main man, and our colleague Moe Khan’s idol, had a phenomenal Sunday afternoon, as he had a game-high 3 TDs on 5 catches for 84 yards on offense, to go along with a sack, tackle, and an interception, to lead his team to a hard-fought 31-26 win over the Longhorns. 

 

Jordan Murphy (Horned Frogs) – Murphy had a solid 6 catches for 73 yards, 2 TDs to go along with 1 tackle, 1 INT, and a game-high 2 pass knockdowns. 

 

Adam Mahrouse (Spartans) – 2015-16’s fastest player and solid two-way threat, picked up where he left off last season, by having a Week 1 high of 8 receptions for 135 yards. It will be interesting to see what kind of damage Mahrouse, will do this Sunday against the Bulldogs.  

 

Malik Sabourin-Danglade (Ducks) – Talking to his dad Fabian before the game, he was telling me how excited he and his son Malik, were leading up to his team’s against the Cougars. The excitement was more than justified, as Malik played a great game. The rookie recorded 2 tackles, 2 INTs, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and played a key role in helping his team come away with hard-fought 13-12 win. 

 

That’s it for this week, I will be at back next week, with a recap of Week 2, and obviously, a preview of Week 3. I look forward to watching more teams live in person so I can give them the due coverage they deserve! Enjoy the games. If you have any questions, I will be doing the scorekeeping every Saturday for the games at the Stinger Dome. Feel free to come over and say hi. 

 

See you at the field!