Bombsquad’s Breakdwon (Div 1 & 2) – Week 9

This is the end, my solemn friends, the end. The regular season is closing out this upcoming weekend. And who knows how the season is going to play out. The competitors for Div 1 are set and only Montreal’s Finest and TG with the little r thingy are assured their spots as they are set to face off in round 1. So the Rainmakers and Bills will do battle in round 1 but their seeding is not set yet.

Division 2 only has one spot hanging in the balance but of course the seeding can change here and there. But we still have a week to review and a week to look forward to, so let’s get started, shall we? Yes, I know you can’t answer me.

 

Countdown to detonation.

 

8. As mentioned, Montreal’s Finest grabbed top spot in Div 1 as they take down the Bills 46-37. Kevin Wyeth had another strong game with 285 yards passing and 7 TD’s. Akked Moore was a beast, grabbing 9 passes for 100 yards and a TD while Guillaume Ward continues to shine with another 2 TD’s. Marc Champagnie made an incredible interception for a pivotal turnover. On the other side Chad Byers was great once again. Except for the pick, Byers only had 6 incompletions and 6 TD’s with 273 yards. Yves Beriault had 7 grabs and 96 yards with 3 scores and Alex Charpentier also had 3 TD’s. But the Finest clinched in the end.

 

7. Terror Squad soundly beat the Mercenaries 39-20. Even with Tam Vilaydeth throwing 2 interceptions, he had 5 TD’s passing. Of course 4 of those were to All-World receiver Pat Jerome, who also had a pick 6 in this game. It was another rough day at the office for Gino Di Fazio; throwing only 2 TD’s and 3 interceptions. Carmine Pollice was the only bright spot with a pick-six and 6 grabs on offense. The Mercs need to step it up heading into the playoffs.

 

6. The Ducks drown the Top Guns 38-21. The Top Guns were without their QB in this game. Instead they had to rely on Cullen Terinant, which seemed like a bad decision. He completed six passes. Two for TD’s and four for INT’s. Meanwhile Manuel Crisi-Lauzon threw 4 TD’s, 3 INT’s and ran for a score as well which was enough to grab the win. Both Kenny Baye and Francois Martorello had 2 TD’s apiece. The big story was the Ducks’ defense which seemed to be everywhere. Martorello also had a pick 6 while Sebastien Crisi-Lauzon had 2 INT’s. Great game for the Ducks as they get their first win and with their minimal playoff hopes, likely prepare for next season.

 

5. Purple Haze smoke the Wolverines 52-28. Haze QB Rick Nincheri had a monster game with 314 yards passing and 8 touchdown passes to 5 different receivers. While 4 receivers all had 5 catches, with centre Sean Kennedy hauling in 3 TD’s with his 5. On the other hand, the Wolverines were just overwhelmed. Tony Tabet had a modest 4 TD’s and 2 INT’s and Sevag Kaloussian continues to shine for the squad as he had 2 TD’s and 79 yards. I know this is very disappointing for the Wolverines who have had a very hard schedule this year. I know it will be a rough off season for the boys. Meanwhile Purple Haze is sitting pretty at the number 2 seed and even has a shot to hit number 1 if L’Sac stumbles.

 

4. TG and that damn r thingy claimed the last playoff spot in Div 1 by defeating the Express 38-26. The fill-in QB (JP Shoiry) had a modest game with 4 TD’s and 2 INT’s. He spread the ball pretty well but TG was definitely on a mission. Paul Lapierre threw 6 TD’s and 1 INT. Jacques Void grabbed most of the yards with 139 and 2 TD’s and Mark Deslauriers played the role of Cris Carter catching 4 balls for 4 TD’s. Sad return season for Express. Meanwhile TG and the little r that could have booked their date with Montreal’s Finest.

 

3. The Wolfpack get their first win of the season defeating the Pantheres 37-34 and ensuring no team will be winless this season. Pascal Murray returned to his old form with 233 yards passing and 6 TD’s, hitting Alexandre Cavanaugh 6 times for 93 yards and 2 scores. Murray used all his receivers and showed us the glory of yesteryear. Mike Grilli had a really hard time against the Pack defense. Completing under 50% of his passes although he did get 5 TD’s out of it.  All 5 TD’s went to different receivers. Unfortunately for the Pack it is too little, too late for the playoffs. And the Pantheres lost a chance to clinch in that final playoff spot as Top guns lost as well. They still control their own destiny this weekend.

 

2. The Rainmakers beat the Hall of Famers. Yet, Adam Crystal had another 3 TD’s setting the single season record at 35. No amount of ball kissing comments can take that away from him. Honestly, amazing season. May never be repeated. Justin Smolar had another good game but just fell short of 60 TD’s for the season. For the Rainmakers, it was business as usual. 7 TD’s, 1 INT and 269 for QB Kastner. Just another day at the office. Ben Leger racked up 103 yards and was one of 3 receivers with 2 TD’s. The others being C.A. Sinotte and Derek Kastner. This is not the same team as years past and they are looking to make a run for sure.

 

1. Flag Moi L’Sac displayed their dominance defeating the Gladiateurs 39-25. L’Sac’s defense picked Francois Lebeau 3 times, which is extremely rare. Lebeau still had 4 TD’s but was held to 130 yards passing which is ridiculous by his standards. He still managed to shift the ball around but it was the L’Sac defense which was shining tonight. Especially Viktor Amede-Soltendieck who had 2 picks and 3 passes defended. Alex Nadeau-Piuze had another strong game with 209 yards passing, 6 TD’s and 1 INT. But the other Piuze had crazy numbers as well, Samuel shone with 7 grabs for 117 yards and 3 TD’s. This is going to be a tough team to stop on the road to the finals.

 

BOOM!!! Like the starter’s pistols signaling the start of a race but guess what? False start!!! Still 1 week left!!!

 

Individual Awards for the week, break down as such.

 

Div 1

 

Golden Boys this week go to possibly the only two sober receivers on Sunday, as their QB definitely was not. Jacques Void had 139 yards and 2 scores while Mark Deslauriers chipped in 4 TD’s as well. Great game boys.

 

SHOWSTOPPA for Div 1 is the entire defense of TG and the little r thingy as they fielded a semi-sober defense and held their opponent under 30!!

 

Div 2

 

Golden Boy this week has to be the Silver Fox Rick Nincheri who put up 319 yards and 8 TD’s. MONSTER GAME!!!!!

 

SHOWSTOPPA this week is a tough choice so I will give it to all 3 defenders who had 2 picks. Corey Greenaway, Viktor Amede-Soltendieck and Sebastien Crisi-Lauzon. AMAZING!!

 

Here is some of what is happening and some items to take note of in this past season up until this point.

 

In one of the most interesting story lines of the playoff race, the Mercenaries face the Wild Boys. Now, if the Wild Boys win, they have first place no matter what. If the Mercs win they can only get first place if Terror Squad loses to the Pantheres otherwise Terror Squad will get the first seed. But if Wild Boys and Mercs tie and Terror Squad wins, then Terror Squad grabs sole possession of first place.

 

Here is another interesting story. Top Guns and Pantheres are tied for the last playoff spot. Yet Pantheres have the tie breaker. But the Pantheres have big concerns right now. They play Terror Squad which is a very tough game. If they lose, they might be out of the playoffs for sure. I will explain. The Top Guns play the Wolfpack. If the Pantheres lose and Top Guns win, Guns make the playoffs. If Pantheres lose and Top Guns lose, that will mean the Wolfpack will have caused a 3 way tied for the last spot with the Top Guns and Pantheres, only at this point they will all have the same divisional record so then the tie breaker shifts to point differential which would almost definitely place the Top Guns in the playoffs. At least the Pantheres know what they have to lose by the time they play, as they are in the final game on the schedule.

 

It is very possible that the 1, 2, 3 and 4 seed will all come from the East in Div 2 while the others will all come from the West….wow.

 

It is possible that 4 out of the 5 teams in Div 1 will finish the season with a winning record thanks to crossover games. At the opposite end, Div 2 will see the season end with 8 teams with a .500 or lower record out of 12 teams.

 

Justin Smolar sits at 59 passing TD’s which is amazing. A great season. Kevin Wyeth sits at 56 TD’s and still has a game to play in division 1. Pretty safe bet he is passing 60 and might be the only QB in all of FPF this season to do so (although I think there is a D4 QB at 55.)

 

Montreal’s Finest sits at 419 points for with one game remaining. Next closest is the Hall of Famers and their season is over.

 

Adam Crystal also finished the season with over 1000 yards receiving. Next closest with one game left, 687. Do the math. Ridiculous. He also had 72 receptions.

 

Now for a look at the final games of the season.

 

The Mercenaries take on the Wild Boys. Now you know from reading above what this game means to both teams. It is going to be a battle and former teammates clash for seeding. Both teams have amazing talent on both sides of the ball. Whereas the Mercs have more experience, the Boys have more athleticism. This is a tough game to call but I am going to take the Wild Boys because I think this team wants to be number 1 in their conference and make that run!! I never thought I would choose against the Mercs this late in a season but Gino Di Fazio has been shaky as of late.

 

The Rainmakers take on Purple Haze, who some have said should have been in Div 1 to begin with. This game has all the elements to be a great match. There are big names from FPF lore on both teams. Again this is a phenomenal matchup to end the season and prime both teams for their playoff runs! The Rainmakers do not have much at stake and this game means so much more to the Haze, but I do not see the Rainmakers stumbling into the playoffs. It will be a close match but I will say the Rainmakers take it.

 

The Express take on Flag Moi L`Sac in a battle of former or current opposing University players! Again a great game to end the season. I think this game is much better for L`Sac since the Express season is done and L`Sac will be rolling into the playoffs after playing another division 1 team. And I think they will win. That`s right, my upset pick of the week is for Flag Moi L`Sac to get their third victory over a division 1 opponent this season.

 

Terror Squad takes on the Pantheres in the final match of the regular season. Both teams have been on roller coaster rides this season. The Pantheres are falling apart at the wrong time. While Terror Squad seems to be finishing the same way they started. Does the Pantheres defense have a solution for Pat Jerome? Can they contain a scrambling Tam? I don’t think they will. Terror Squad just seems to be peaking at the right time which does not bode well for Grilli and company.

 

The end lies near,

There is much to fear,

To drop out early,

And lose what you hold dear.

 

For we all play to win,

It is our mortal sin,

Without the trophy in our grasp,

Hollow and empty, all of us within.

 

That is all she wrote for this week. Everything will be decided by this time next week so it should be fun to see how the chips landed. You can email me at [email protected] or tweet @DonaldWShepherd with your playoff predictions or plans for the Easter holidays but until then another week has been defused.