Bombsquad’s Breakdwon (Div 1 & 2) – Week 2

Welcome back, friends and enemies. Not sure if there are any enemies out there but better safe than sorry. Week 2 is now in the books and this week’s action followed suit from the Spring session with some Div 2 teams upsetting the big boys and an almost toppling of the Champs! But enough to be said, let the action speak its part and I shall stand back and watch the words unfold.  Let’s begin!!

 

Countdown to detonation.

 

8. The Gladiateurs got a good run for their money from the Hall of Famers winning 37-32.  This game had some stellar performances on both teams. In a losing effort, Adam Crystal showed he can excel in the higher divisions as well, catching 4 TD’s on 12 receptions and 152 yards receiving. Was anyone even trying to cover him? DAMN!! Justin Smolar tossed 5 TD’s and 263 yards but a pivotal 3 INT’s, which you would think is the reason they lost. But on the other side, Francois Lebeau was definitely not on his game as he threw 5 touchdowns but 4 interceptions as well! Philippe Leduc was his horse this week catching 7 for 75 yards and 2 TD’s while spreading the ball amongst the rest of both teams apparently. Both teams look good on both sides.

 

7. The boys with the trade mark in their name, TG and little r thingy, fall to the Rainmakers 32-18. Ryan Kastner was on his game. Even though he threw 2 interceptions, he was 24-29 for 218 and 4 TD’s while running for another against a strong team. Tossing 2 of the TD’s to C.A. Sinotte. On the other side, Paul Lapierre is still building chemistry with his Demon/Old Skool mashed up team. Jacques Void remains his main weapon catching 2 TD’s and center Mark Deslauriers caught 5 balls and a score as well, which is good to see, moving forward. But Lapierre was 12-26 and that just won’t win games.

 

6. Montreal’s Finest had to claw for a victory against the upstart Ducks squeaking in a 40-39 victory. Kevin Wyeth really did not look himself tossing a pick 6 into the waiting arms of Kenny Baye who picked Wyeth twice. Wyeth also used only 3 receivers for all 14 of his completions. On the other side, Manuel Crisi-Lauzon put up very similar numbers in the losing cause. Tossing 5 TD’s and 2 INT’s as well. Three of those TD’s were to receiver Francois Martorello who only seems to catch touchdowns a la Chris Carter. The Ducks are maturing in game play and the Finest did not seem to be on their game on this week. Let’s see how the rest of the season plays out.

 

5. In an upset, the Div 2 (cough, cough) sorry, Div 2 (cough) Purple Haze defeated the Express 25-12. The Haze still won despite Rick Nincheri throwing 3 interceptions, 2 of which were to Nicolas Arsenault-Hum. But Nincheri knows how to use his players throwing passes to 7 different faces and all 4 TD’s to different receivers. On the other side, Patrick Chenard seems to be still getting the rust off his arm as he equalled his TD total for the game with his INT total, tossing 2 of each. This team will definitely get it together soon and they have the defence to stop strong teams as well. But it was the Purple Haze who screamed victory from All Along the Watchtower.

 

4. The Mercenaries barely defeat the Top Guns 18-14.  The Mercs were without some key members but no less this game was a defensive battle. Lucky, Di Fazio has weapons like Adam Bailey, J.R. Verger and Garret Taylor on his side. On the flip side Mario Perreca is still trying to find his way. With 12-32 passing you are not going to win many games. This team is loaded with speed like Nick Gaudreault, who scored the 2 touchdowns for the Top Guns. I think it is time for them to discover where their strengths are and embrace that. As for the Mercs, it was business as usual.

 

3. The Pantheres win a shootout with the Wild Boys 32-31. Both QB’s made sure not to make many mistakes as both Mike Grilli and Mathieu Rene threw 5 TD’s a piece. Grilli used his favorite target, Dany Ostiguy most of the time, throwing him 7 balls and 2 scores while Rene focused in on big man Laurent Foucault who had 3 scores on 5 grabs. These teams seemed very evenly matched and the Wild Boys seem like a much better team than their record reflects. The Pantheres just seem to be building up week to week and this week they grabbed the W.

 

2.  The Wolfpack got neutered by the now Div 2 Terror Squad falling 32-24. Pascal Murray and the boys put up a good fight with Murray connecting with 6 receivers but still only 4 scores and an INT. The usual suspects carried the load with Remy Pare and Alex Cavanaugh doing the yardage and scoring. While Tam Vilaydeth remembered that he has Pat Jerome on his team throwing him 7 balls for 104 yards and 4 touchdowns. At least he used the rest of his team as well giving Maxime Paterson 5 grabs and Sadrak Gervais the other TD pass in the game. Beware of the Wolfpack, they always wake up. Meanwhile this Terror Squad is looking to be a force.

 

1. In the most shocking result of the week in my opinion, the Div 1 Bills fell to the new kids on the block Flag Moi L’Sac. Chad Byers didn’t have a horrible game tossing 4 TD’s and 2 INT’s with 230 yards. He had his big man Geoff Beauchesne at centre catching 7 for 67 and 2 TD’s as well as the rest of his stellar supporting cast. But on this day it was Alex Nadeau-Piuze who was not to be denied! Tossing 7 touchdowns and not turning the ball over. Only 6 incompletions and 236 yards. He used 6 receivers who all had at least 2 catches, with most of the scores coming from Felix Provost who had 2 and JP St-Pierre who had 3. I am sad to say I do not know much about this team. But after this game, I really think we are all going to take notice and see who they are. Watch out Div 2, these guys just knocked off last year’s Div 1 runner up!

 

BOOM! Like a stick of dynamite stuck in a mountain side just like a miner digging hoping for gold!

 

Now for some individual awards if I may. Time to recognize the top dawgs of the week.

 

My Div 1 SHOWSTOPPA this week is shared by all four guys who had 2 Interceptions!!! So congrats to Karim Binette, Jamil Springer, Nicolas Arsenault-Hum and Bobby Mikelberg!

 

In Div 2 I have to say the SHOWSTOPPA was Kenny Baye who picked off Kevin Wyeth not once but twice!!! Great game from a Div 2 player against the top tier.

 

The Golden Boy for Div 1 is C.A. Sinotte who led the Rainmakers with 84 yards on 5 catches with 2 scores.

 

The Golden Boy for Div 2 (sorry Pat) has to be Adam Crystal with his 12 receptions for 152 yards and 4 TD’s. Dominating performance in a losing cause.

 

Once again we see teams from the lower division competing and even winning against the top division teams. Why is there still only 5 teams in Div 1? Don’t you want to play and beat the best? I am not preaching and I understand that some people think that moving up would be a waste of money because you would lose when it matters most, but the proof is right in front of you now. Division 2 teams are right up there with division 1 teams.

 

And I have to say I love to see the level of competition in this league. I hear some tackle players who are new to the game make fun of flag football, saying it is not really football. I am sure all of you in the league know that is not true. By removing the contact, the game turns into a true chess match. And don’t kid yourselves, we all know there is still a certain amount of unavoidable contact. If you have played in any game, in any division you know this is a physical game.

 

So all I am saying is next season, when you are talking with your team about what division to play in, remember the faces and the names of players and teams who sit at the top or even just one division above your own. Now don’t you want your name mentioned in the same sentence as those teams? Make a move. This is not crocheting kids, this is a man’s sport played by men and to be the best you have to beat the best, so step up!

 

Let’s take a look at a few games this week and maybe even make some picks.

 

The Bills will face the Express in this Div 1 clash of the titans. Both teams lost to division 2 opponents last week and both are probably not very happy about that. We know the names and the faces on each team. We have seen them before and this will make for a great matchup to behold in Brossard Saturday night at 7PM. Unfortunately for the Express, I think the Bills are just too seasoned to lose two in a row, and Chenard has not hit his stride at QB yet. I could be wrong but I am taking the Bills.

 

The Purple Haze will be taking on the Hall of Famers, who are looking like a force. H.O.F. seems very capable of putting up big points. They have a very talented squad. But Purple Haze has a division 1 calibre team and I think they will just be too much for the H.O.F. on this day. Haze wins.

 

The Ducks face the Mercenaries. The Mercs have been there before and seen it all. But they have not seen a Ducks team like this. This team is hungry and fast. The Mercs have all the experience going for them. But the Ducks have youth. And my upset pick of the week is the Ducks defeating the Mercenaries.

 

Finally I want to see this team Flag Moi L’Sac. They face the Wolfpack who are veterans of this league. This game should be very hard fought. A quick side story: former Wolfpack player, Mikhail Davidson faces his former team for the first time! I like Pascal Murray’s chances in this game, but this team just beat the Bills! So I am going to give this squad the respect it earned by taking down the Div 1 team. Flag Moi L’Sac wins.

 

As you all can see,

So ends week two.

Some huge upsets took place,

Earning some teams their due.

 

A place at the top,

Is where all wish to sit.

At the end of the season,

We’ll know who’s top and who’s…. you know how that ends. 😉

 

That is it for another week. As always you can reach me at [email protected] with comments about how much you hate my poems or your game plan for the week. But until then, another week has been defused.