Bombsquad’s Breakdown (Div 1/2) – Week 13

And then there were two. With the D1 finalists already decided, we turn to D2 action this week to find out who will battle for the title. So let us journey back to the past weekend and look at the results.

Countdown to detonation.

2. The Wolfpack fall prey to the One Night Stands as they lose 45-35. The difference in the game had to be the O.N.S. defense keeping Pascal Murray’s completion percentage below 50%, as he was 16-33 for 255 yards and 5 TD’s. O.N.S. gave them chances after turning the ball over on an interception, but Kevin Wyeth managed to reach his second championship game of the season going 16-24 for 285 yards, 7 scores and 1 INT. Tony Lalla ran the field with 94 yards receiving, while Andrew Blevings and Ryan Brewster combined for nine grabs and five scores. On the other side Jean-Daniel Chevalier was the main target catching 5 for 90 yards and 3 scores but it was not enough on this day as O.N.S. makes the finals. Two-way player of the year Mikhail Davidson was unavailable on Saturday, and one has to wonder how his presence would have affected the game.

1. For the second season in a row, Paul Lapierre and Rochdi Benabdelkader have led their team to the finals, as they took down the Mercenaries 34-25. Both QB’s had similar numbers and both really seemed to enjoy throwing to a certain player on the opposing side. Paul Lapierre hit Steph Chartrand of the Mercs twice while Gino Di Fazio hit Godfrey Abu of V.S. twice as well. But the biggest difference in this game was obviously on the scoreboard. The Mercs were unable to get any of their converts and V.S. managed a few of theirs which gave them the 9 point lead down the stretch to seal the Mercs fate. Robbie Robinson did what he could for the Mercs catching 2 TD’s on 75 yards. But the combo of Paul Lapierre and the Hairy one was too much on this day.

Boom. Like the hairdryer Rochdi Benabdelkader tried to use to dry his hair once, yet it committed electronic suicide by blowing itself up, instead of trying to dry that hair.

My Golden Boy this week is Kevin Wyeth for leading his second team into finals. Great team effort to pull it together down the stretch.

My SHOWSTOPPA this week is Godfrey Abu, who had 2 INT’s and a pass defended in their match with the Mercs.

Now for the all-important FINALS PREVIEW!

D1.

The Expos find themselves in the finals for third winter season in a row against Montreal’s Finest, who have lost in the first round of the playoffs the last three seasons. These two teams split their matchups this past season beating each other once.

The Expos have seemed like a team on a mission this season, especially after losing the way they did in the finals last year. They took part of those frustrations out on Old Skool in the Semi-Finals two weeks ago. QB Chad Byers seems to be playing his best indoor ball to date. This team is made up of nothing but talented players on both sides of the ball. Defenders like Pierre-Olivier Brunet, Addley Dufour and Teddy Frenette. Receivers like Ricky Martin, Yves Beriault and Anthony Vendrame. This team is not used to losing. Outdoor, they are the best in Quebec by far. Now they are looking to establish themselves as the best indoors, as well. They can dominate on both sides of the ball. This is a very tough team to beat. But so is their opponent.

Montreal’s Finest has been one of the most successful regular season teams to date. They are always in the top three of their division every season, if they are not number one. QB Kevin Wyeth is having a great year, playing in both the D1 & 2 championship games. The first time a QB accomplishes that feat. Akked Moore and Rochdi Benabdelkader have been threats the entire year, making their presence felt again and again. Throw in two-way players like Nathan Taylor, Marc Champagnie and of course Kishon Thompson and you have an offence that has multiple looks with a speed threat on the field at all times. The Finest defense is second statistically, only to the Expos. Defenders like Karim Binette teamed up with the two way threats make this a very fast defense who can get the job done. Did I mention they have the top offence in the league?

This matchup is one you will not want to miss. Both teams want this game so bad. You can rest assured they will leave everything on the field this Saturday in Brossard. Who will win? Come by Saturday night and see for yourself.

Kevin Wyeth and O.N.S. take on the (more or less) defending champion, Victorious Secret. V.S. pounded the One Nighters in their meeting this season 57-37, as Paul Lapierre has his best game of the season if not his career.

O.N.S. has been a very unpredictable team most of the season. They even finished the season with a losing record going 4-5-1. However, down the stretch this team has shown that they can run with the best of them. The defense which was non-existent most of the season, stepped up huge when they had to. This team seems able to rise to the occasion. The offence can score at will when everyone is on the same page. I have already mentioned the offensive firepower, but on defense there are players who get no love like Corey Cook, Craig O’Brien and Anson Dudek. These guys have gone through the year trying to make plays with no praise. They will need to continue to do so if they want to win this weekend.

Victorious Secret was the second best team in D2 throughout the regular season. You know the faces and the names. This is a fiery team. They play hard and want to win so bad they even breakdown their own team on film. Paul Lapierre has watched video of himself playing QB to get his mechanics down. You know the big names and many of you know Jamil Springer and Jason Prince. But maybe one of the best players no one has heard of is Jean-Michel Alerte. He has been one of the biggest play makers in the playoffs for V.S. He is definitely a player to look out for. All in all, this team is very strong with the best statistical defense in D2. Rochdi Benabdelkader plays on offence with Kevin Wyeth in D1. Does this give him the inside track on how to stop the O.N.S. offence?

Again, this is a matchup you do not want to miss. Both teams have the capability to shut each other down or score on each other at will. I sincerely hate the fact that I must choose a winner in this game. It will be very close and it will be memorable. But in terms of who will win? I will take O.N.S. I believe the offence they run varies from the MTL Finest O but more importantly, O.N.S. looks like a whole new team this playoff season while Victorious Secret can struggle and has shown signs of weakness. That is my pick, but what I will say is if V.S. is to win this game, it will be by Paul Lapierre out dueling Kevin Wyeth. I just think that O.N.S. will complete the Cinderella story, even though I know in my heart that V.S. could very easily dominate this game should the O.N.S. defense of old return.

Best of Luck,

To all that are left.

One will walk out champs,

The other left bereft.

We play all year,

Dreaming to play in this game.

For it is games like this,

Which leads to FPF FAME!!

I wish nothing but the best to all teams left in the playoffs. Feel free to email me your own predictions and scores at [email protected] but until then, another week has been defused.