Co-Ed 2: Second Article, but Week 3? This is going to throw me off….

Week 2 is done and Week 3 is upon us! Photoshoots should have happened last weekend, so if you didn’t get your team picture or individual photos taken, please reach out to the league so that they can get it done this week! I love keeping track of the competition so photos help when I’m doing my scouting. It’s too early to be giving my predictions on undefeated teams and winless teams, but if you find yourself in either camp, keep your wits about you – any team can get a win and any team can make a mistake and lose.

Without further ado, let’s check out what happened in week 2, while taking a sneak peek at some upcoming Week 3 matchups!

“WHAT’S THE 411 ‘HUN”:

Co-Ed 2 is turning out to be a Running QB friendly Division! The top 3 rushing QBs currently have over 100 rushing yards in 2 games with 10+ rushing attempts. Giovani Antonacci is currently sitting in 4th place at 96 yards while 8 QBs have scored at least 1 rushing TD! This should highlight to most teams how important a good rusher will be going forward! I always say that rushers are the unsung heroes of FPF and should be your 2nd or 3rd roster pick when building a team due to how impactful they can be disrupting opposing QBs. Rushers will be eating well this season as Jean-Sebastien St-Arneault and Elodie Baulu are already sitting at 5 sacks each in 2 games! QBs will have to adjust when playing better rushers and not only rely on their legs, but put in the work early to improve their throwing game!

Who the heck are these TONIX players!? They got an early win over SHOW ME YOUR TDZ, but I thought the AT LEAST WE TRIED AGAIN, a team with a bunch of experience and an undefeated season last Winter would have been able to put TONIX in check! Turns out I was super wrong and ALWTA struggled to put up even 6pts! This reassembled FITSQUAD has put up a whopping 76pts in 2 games and has allowed less than 20pts TOTAL! What team will be able to stop them? KISS MY SHERIFF? NO PUNT INTENDED? My TOTS? Well, they don’t play any of those teams for the rest of their schedule! We might be looking at an undefeated team here folks, so get your popcorn ready. David Michaud has thrown 10 TDs in 2 games with 0 sacks and only 1 INT. If he keeps this pace up, I can definitely see him as the #1 QB. Pair that with Mederic Lauzon and great female players like – Meggie Gervais and Alexie Galarneau, and you have a great recipe for success! This week they play against LES RANCEURS, an MFL team that I played against in Week 1, who just got a big win over LA SECTE. I’ll be looking to see if TONIX can dominate once again, or if LES RANCEURS got their stride and give TONIX a run for their money!

We have a few teams that are playing 2 games this week: BALLHARD UNIVERSITY, LES ROI DES CARTES, and HOT WINGS! It will be interesting to see which team, if any, will be able to come out winning both of their games! BALLHARD UNIVERSITY and HOT WINGS actually play each other, so only 1 of them have a chance to win both games (see below for my prediction on this game), while LES ROI DES CARTES will have a tough game against LES GRANDS CHUM. If they can beat the CHUMS, then I think they have the highest chance of going 2-0 this week!

BALLS AND DOLLS seem to be 50% new players and 50% TEXAS WHALES – a Division E team that found some success last Spring going 6-4! Although they lost last week against KAMIKAZE, they should be able to find some success heading deeper into the competition! KAMIKAZE is an established team in Co-Ed and has been around since around Spring of 2023, so I expect newer teams will struggle against them regardless. BALLS AND DOLLS have a mixed schedule, but I see at least 5 winnable games that should help bring them out of the elimination zone. Tyler Cousins will need to bring up his TDs/game average, but with only 1 INT against a team like KAMIKAZE, it brings me confidence that he can control the ball and the flow of the game against some better teams! 3 sacks is rough, but not the end of the world, and I like how much the ball was spread in Game 1. B&D will need to continue this trend AND add some defensive pressure, if they want to have a chance against the upcoming KING OF CARDS! Good luck!

Knowing a few studs on BACK THAT PASS UP, I definitely thought they had the win last week in the bag. However, WHO’S GONNA CARRY THE BOATS managed to come out on top in a spectacular 35-34 fashion! Carrying the boat are some staple FPF names in: Alexandre Szalipszki – returning to QB in hopes of another 30+ TD season, Jenna Araujo – A RED NATION regular and rusher extraordinaire, Diana-Janes Landry – a regular since 2022 who has played all throughout Co-Ed, and Roxanne Roy and Kayla Gauthier – both 2 time Champions and WHO’S GONNA CARRY THE BOAT regulars! I might have honestly underestimated the sheer talent and capabilities of this team and am kinda happy I don’t have to play against them during the regular season! They play against NO PUNT INTENDED this week, and although I would still pick Sanders and his PUNT free games, I am expecting the BOATS to give him a big run for his money. Jenna Araujo will come in as a key player this game in stopping Sanders’ run game.

BULLS took their first loss against LES GRANDS CHUM in Week 1 and got a rest last week. At the helm of this BULLS team we find Maya Di Fazio – an FPF staple that can play pretty much any position, but has settled behind the QB position! Maya has been in FPF since her Jr. days in 2016 and has surrounded herself with a bunch of players I do not recognize! Diego and Frida Llaguno seem to have played on MUSKETEERS Jr. with Maya at some point, which is a bonus since it’s always good to have players you’ve worked with before, however, the rest of these players seem to have never played in FPF before! That might come back to haunt this team in the long run, since, without a Co-Ed 3 division, they will be pitted against some veteran teams that have had seasons of practice. The TOTS and I will get a chance to face the BULLS later this season, so will have a chance to gain some first hand experience of how they work together! Good Luck to the BULLS with their difficult schedule and may the FPF smile upon Maya in her QB endeavour!

GAME SPOTLIGHT:

NO PUNT INTENDED vs MEAN MACHINES –

What a game! An early Sunday morning was thrown into chaos as Xavier Parent – Top 3 QB in CO-ED 3 last season – took on current #1 QB in CO-ED 2: Sanders Armand! The game was ultimately decided by 1 TD, but it was incredibly close and pushed both teams to be on their A-Game. MEAN MACHINES started off with the ball and were able to score after driving the field a bit, but were quickly responded to as NO PUNT INTENDED got a long bomb 36 yard TD. Xavier Parent, who was able to rack up close to 250 rushing yards in the regular season, was able to show off his running game with a 40-yard Rushing TD, finishing the game with a total of 69 rushing yards. 1 INT later, courtesy of Xavier Parent, MEAN MACHINES found themselves up by a TD, possession of the ball, and the chance to start really pulling ahead! Unfortunately for the MACHINES….. Sanders Armand would return the favor and INT Xavier to regain possession before the half! Gotta say, I would have loved to watch this game. To see 2 QBs going score for score and then INT for INT is truly a sight to behold! With a few more back and forth TDs, both teams were able to make it to half time tied at 20-20!

The second half started off with a bang! NO PUNT INTENDED were able to score a quick TD to put the pressure on MEAN MACHINES, and it was definitely felt. Xavier Parent was pushed back into his own end zone and ended up taking a safety which not only awarded NPI 2pts, but also gave NPI back the ball, which they were able to capitalise on and punch in another 7pts! A few interceptions later, MEAN MACHINES were able to keep control of the ball and finally score their first TD of the half, but it wouldn’t be enough! Despite trying to keep up with NPI and scoring within the last 5 plays of the game, MEAN MACHINES were not able to convert their Onside Kick and saw their game end 42-34!

Both of these teams showed how dominant they could be and how strong their respective defences could be when push comes to shove! I would obviously give Sanders and Xavier players of the game, however, special mentions go to Elodie Baulu and Élodie Martel for great supportive performances!

DEATH BATTLE BREAKDOWN:

THE BLACK WOLF vs CHEFS BANDITS:

I have not had the chance to play against CHEFS BANDITS yet, but I did play against THE BLACK WOLF last week in a crazy defensive first half! CHEFS BANDITS have started off the season 1-1, losing against the aforementioned MEAN MACHINES, but were able to get a good win over BALLHARD UNIVERSITY. The BANDITS are led by Guillaume Girard who has been sacked almost as much as he has thrown TDs (all in Week 1), will have to find a way around the aggressive BLACK WOLF defence! Looking at their offensive lineup, I am impressed at how much the ball is being spread since 10 different people have recorded at least 1 reception in 2 games! This could work to their detriment due to the amount of people Guillaume has to adjust to, but ultimately, when you have many different targets, it helps to keep the defence on their toes! Although currently Sebastien Simon is leading their offence with 2 TDs, it’s hard to pick out a favoured receiver due to how evenly Guillaume is spreading the ball! Defensively, they have yet to record a sack, though have come away with 5 INTs already – one for a PICK-6, courtesy of Dimitri Melsbach! Overall CHEFS BANDITS seem to be an extremely balanced team that are returning from their Spring 2024 run, and I’m curious to see when Guillaume will start moving with his legs like he did last season!

On the flip side: THE BLACK WOLF are trying to find their rhythm with Rodney Alcime at QB! Let me be the 1st to say… THIS GUY IS SHIFTY!! As an experienced rusher I was able to pick up a few sacks against him last week, but teams beware – Rodney can move! He can cut on a dime and gain first downs easily with his legs! Unfortunately, despite their star calibre players and their ability to make some big plays, they have struggled on both Offence and Defence… Rodney is taking his first big stab at QB this season and has yet to throw up a passing TD, which is rough in Co-Ed 2. He seems to have been fortunate enough to surround himself with some great players like: Shandy Louis-Jacquet, Clifdji Solon, Gabrielle Poissant, and Charles-Emile Deveault – all IG TEAM regulars! They have a lot of experience and at least 1 championship under their belt, but that was with Jeanslee Alexis at QB (I did see him coaching on the sidelines though). I could go on for a while about all of these individual players, but my stand out performer was Joyce Généus – Great focus and hands, and a big presence on defence! All of that being said, I’m a little confused as to how they aren’t making more stops on defence. They do have 3 INTs and a handful of PDs, but without a more dominant rusher and the ability to score once they do make a stop, they will struggle to put pressure on the opposing team’s QB! If THE BLACK WOLFs can rally under Rodney and continue to gel as a defensive unit, I can see this team becoming a force to be reckoned with in the later part of the season.

For now though, without the proper pressure on Guillaume, and with CHEFS BANDITS currently having the stronger defence, I’m not sure if THE BLACK WOLF will be able to keep up with this experienced team… despite their past experience as THE IG TEAM!

PREDICTION: THE BLACK WOLF 19 – 28 CHEFS BANDITS

ZACK’S FANTASY TEAM OF THE WEEK (WEEK 2):

QB (1): Sanders Armand (NO PUNT INTENDED) – 21 Attempts / 11 Completions (58.06%), 137 Yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs, 0 Sacks // 92 Rushing Yards, 1 Rushing TD

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WR (1): Devin Daoust (KISS MY SHERIFF) – 5 Targets / 5 Receptions (100%), 69 Yards, 3 TDs

WR (2): Justin Leblanc-Guindon (LA SECTE) – 5 Targets / 3 Receptions (60%), 117 Yards, 2 TDs

WR (3): Mederic Lauzon (TONIX) – 5 Targets / 5 Receptions (100%), 78 Yards, 2 TDs

WR (4): Rachel Shea (KAMIKAZE) – 6 Targets / 5 Receptions (87.5%), 48 Yards, 2 TDs

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DB (1): Dimitri Melsbach (CHEFS BANDITS) – 2 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 TD

DB (2): Xavier Parent (MEAN MACHINES) – 3 Tackles, 2 INTs, 2 PDs

DB (3): Jasmine Rossie (BACK THAT PASS UP) – 5 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD

DB (4): Eric Namts (LES RANCEURS) – 0 Tackles, 2 INT, 2 PDs

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RUSHER (1): Jean-Sebastien St-Arneault (KAMIKAZE) – 0 Tackles, 3 Sacks

GAMES OF THE WEEK:

Well my first week of predictions was essentially a coin toss! I was hoping to do better than that. A few surprise upsets and a couple of blow outs made this an interesting week. I’m hoping to do better this week, but this also means that Co-Ed 2 might shape up to be an unpredictable division (or maybe i’m just bad at this…)

HOT WINGS vs BALLHARD UNIVERSITY

BULLS vs TIGHT ENDS

KISS MY SHERIFF vs MEAN MACHINES (MY PICK FOR GAME OF THE WEEK)

WHO’S GONNA CARRY THE BOATS vs NO PUNT INTENDED

HOT WINGS vs SHOW ME YOUR TDZ (UPSET SPECIAL)

LES RANCEURS vs TONIX

THE BLACK WOLF vs CHEFS BANDITS

AT LEAST WE TRIED AGAIN vs BALLHARD UNIVERSITY

LES GRANDS CHUM vs LE ROI DES CARTES

BALLS AND DOLLS vs LE ROI DES CARTES (UPSET SPECIAL #2)

Prediction Record: 4-4

That’s it for the Week 2 Recap! We head into Week 3 pronto and by now, most teams should be finding their groove and getting rid of what doesn’t work. If you think you’d like more help or advice about how to structure your offence or how to set up a defence, reach out to the FACEBOOK group! There are tons of veterans that are more than happy to help out and share some valuable info about FPF. Week 3 is the 30% marker of the season and the rest will fall away fast!

If there are upcoming milestones you want me to cover, don’t be a stranger, let me know! If you want to see more accurate info about your teams, your players, your rivalries/history – send them to me (It helps when I know about you)! Also, check out the new episode of Calling the Audible – the official FPF podcast – available on Youtube and …. Probably somewhere else too. And always keep a look out at FPF’s Official Instagram page for updates and exclusive content!