Co-Ed and Women’s Report Cards: Part 1
Ignacio Valdes-Manzanedo
02-10-2023 12:31 PM
Damn, we’ve reached the mid-season point of the season already!? The Fall Cup is flying by and some teams are heating up, others are finding their identity, while others are just struggling to get things going. Not all the teams have played 4 games yet, so I will be breaking down the report cards into 2 parts. If you’ve reached 4 or 5 games and will be playing your 5th or 6th game in Week 5, you will definitely have your team report card this week. If you’ve played 3 or less, or if you have played 4 games, but are on a bye this coming week, then you will need to wait until next week for your team review!
The Grading Scheme
Let’s break down how the grading scheme works since it might be a TAD different from your usual expectations when you think of school grades. First thing, the grades will be based off of pre-season expectations. If, for example, you are 5-0 and are expecting an automatic A, that’s not how to the grading scheme works. If I expected you to be 5-0 at this point you’ll likely get a C, maybe B-, but definitely not an A. Likewise, if I expected you to struggle and are 1-4 or 0-5, you won’t be getting an F. In fact, you might receive a B or C, depending on the second thing to look for: the quality of your opponents, and even, how you’ve held up in your games (Are you getting blown out or losing by 1 point?).
Each team will get a summary of their season, their grade, the key players that have led to their success so far, and a record prediction to close the year. Note: The key players are not the players I like best or who I believe are the best players on the team but rather it is based on their usage and how they are contributing this season. The letter grade reflects the following scoring system:
A – You’ve greatly exceeded pre-season expectations. I never would have thought the team in question would have performed this well.
B – The team is surpassing the expectations that I placed on them ahead of the season, or perhaps you are meeting expectations with your record, but have lost close matchups against tough opponents.
C – I was right, and the team is performing exactly as expected.
D – The team is underperforming. Huddles are strained and it feels like the season is slipping away. We’re a losing streak away from missing the playoffs.
E – Evil, this team is full of people I consider evil. This is a socially constructed grade that no one gets and fills in the gap that the school system has failed to classify. – A Shoutout to Peeze
F – Your team is really underperforming. This is abject failure.
Co-Ed 2 Report Cards
Subzero (2-2)
Note: Written on Saturday September 30th
Grade: C-
Season summary: After starting the season in a 0-2 hole, Subzero has come back strong with back-to-back victories to march them up the standings into the double-elimination side of the standings. I had this team highly rated before the season started, but after 2 games, they had me questioning their game management decisions (see CTA, Episode 2) and how they would fare against strong competition. While I am glad they broke the ice and their got their first wins of the season in Week 4, and think they are adjusting as a core to the 6 vs 6 game, their wins are both 1 possession wins against average opponents. One thing I will say about this team is that I wondered how they would fare against the height and being out-muscled by certain male players, but they have shown that they are fundamentally sound, with exceptional tackling and can get their hands on contested jump balls. What this team does so well from the offensive side of the ball is that Sara Parker distributes the ball evenly and doesn’t have a receiver she doesn’t trust. Four receivers already have 100 or more yards, with snapper Sarah Cormier close to becoming the 5th, sitting at 93 yards. This will be tough for any Co-Ed 2 defense to defend, as you need to be 6 DB’s deep when defending this Subzero offense.
The grade may seem low, but I had this team as a Top 5 team and are currently ranked 5th in the standings. I also would have thought they give a rude awakening to a relatively new team to flag in Ballhard University and blow them out of the water 40-12, with likely the best Quarterback throwing in the division. Instead, it took to until the very last play to squeak out a win.
Key Players: Sara Parker, Sabrina Gervais, Tamara Journeau, Jessica Bositampen
Prediction Record to end the season: 4-4
Predators (2-2)
Grade: B+
Season summary: In already less than half the games played as Quarterback in last year’s Fall Cup, Cesar Garcia-Diaz has already thrown (almost) as many touchdowns. He’s got 12 in 4 games this year compared to 15 in 9 games last year. Already there, there is an A-grade improvement from Cesar, though, he has surrounded himself with a much better roster than last year’s Badgers team. The offense is very simple and nothing spectacular, but very effective with Cesar‘s ability to take off when he his rolling outside of the pocket. He creates an easy 2 on 1 situation where he is deciding to either pass over an incoming DB for help or run if the flat defender stays in coverage. While defenses can gameplan for this, the team has great playmakers in Magalie Ruel and Aryane Boucher, speed in Edouard Guimas, and veteran savviness and elusiveness in Chris Olson.
While defense is hard in FPF (and therefore it is expected offenses will score), this defense is as tight as they come for Co-Ed 2. Whether he is in coverage or rushing, Anthony Gentile‘s long strides and long-reaching arms take away a lot of space, fast. As deceptive as Olson is offensively, he is much the same defensively, and leads the team with 2 interceptions alongside Cesar Garcia-Diaz.
They’ve played 2 two tight games against good teams in KMCB and Free Agents, showed they can score 40 against an Eagle-led defense in Free Agents No More, and then didn’t have their best game against another good team in Y&Y. Overall, I like the direction where this team is going, and they definitely have exceeded pre-season expectations.
Key Players: Edouard Guimas, Chris Olson
Prediction Record to end the season: 5-3
TIGRES (2-2)
Grade: B+
Season summary: The biggest thing this team has turned around in their last 2 games is that Quarterback Néstor Fayad is finally throwing the ball at a high level. In his first, he completed a measly 5 passes for 13 yards with a 16.9 QB rating. Since then however, he is completing 73% of his passes, throwing for 474 yards and 13 TDs for a 121.8 QBR. Much, much better in his QB #’s has lead this TIGRES offense with the most points in the division so far (148), averaging a division-high 37 points per game. While Nestor and Victor Barraza are leading the team in almost every offensive and defensive category, a well-structured and experienced team will take away their weapons and will need to develop their depth, or their playoff run will not be so long. This is hard to do when their offense includes ad-lib plays where they drop back a 2nd quarterback, whether it’s for 2 points or during their drive. This has lead to Nestor leading the div in rushing yards as well with 337 yards and 8 TD’s, but again, without working on improving their depth, they will continue to put up stats, but not a sustained playoff run. That, and while the offense is putting up points, they are a team that can give up a ton as well. They will need to improve these 2 things if they wish to reach the Co-Ed 2 Finals.
Key Players: Victor Barraza, Néstor Fayad
Prediction Record to end the season: 3-5
WYD Step Bro’s? (2-3)
Grade: B
Season summary: Offensively, the team is relying too heavily on the male receivers in Eric Carpanzano and Natan Nettel. While there is nothing wrong with them leading the team in yards and receptions, when teams gameplan, it’s obvious where they are concentrating their efforts. It’s often said, and rightfully so, that you win Co-Ed with superior female play. Pranav needs to continue evolving and gaining confidence to release the ball quicker and into his players hands so he allows them to make plays.
The true strength of this team is their defense. They have played the most games so far (5), but have created 11 turnovers from interceptions and are stopping teams on 4th down 56% of the time. The defense is aggressive, tough to beat one-on-one and can snag balls out of the air to put the offense in prime scoring positions.
The team overall gets a B grade because their wins have come against decent/experienced teams in At Least We Tried and Who’s Gonna Carry the Boats. Their latest loss against Ballhard University was almost an exhilarating comeback, where once again, the defense had 3 interceptions in the 2nd half, including a pick 6 by Michael De Gregorio to almost fully erase an 18-0 hole they dug themselves in. Unfortunately, their over-aggressiveness cost them deeply in penalty yardage and the offense couldn’t come up with 1 more score to tie the game at 18 and go for win on the convert, 2 areas they need to focus on. 3-5
Key Players: Natan Nettel, Eric Carpanzano, Lucas Gimeno, Michael De Gregorio
Prediction Record to end the season: 3-5
Ballhard University (1-3)
Note: Written on Saturday September 30th
Grade: B
Season summary: For a relatively new team to flag and FPF, this team has gelled quickly and show flashes of good play, but also some poor play. I don’t say that as a cheap shot. The game is hard for newly minted offenses, especially with what looks like a first time QB in Ankit Singh. He can throw a football, that’s not the issue, but quarterback play is more than that as Singh is finding out. It requires a good playbook, knowing when to call what plays, and managing the game. Case in point, up 18-0 against WYD Step Bro’s, after giving up a score and stopping the Step Bro’s Onside Attempt, Ankit throws a pick 6 on the very first play. While the out route was well undercut by a defender, you need to throw a safe pass on 1st down. Throw it to the sideline where it’s your receiver, or no one. Then, on the ensuing drive, simply drive the field. slowly and let your receivers make defenders miss and kill the clock. There’s no need to throw a floater to the middle that was once again intercepted by the defense. All to say that playing Quarterback is not as easy as it looks. I too had my struggles early on, but it’s with reps that you improve and so far, Singh is showing potential and that he can grow into the position if he continues. The team does have playmakers on offense in Loîc Yamako and Rhami Aboud and have the ability to take a pass to the house. The females on the team have been targeted a bunch, which is a good sign, but have not turned their targets into receptions. Between Cindy Canuel and Tiffany Cipollone, they have combined for 26 targets, but only 7 receptions. If Singh can find a connection there, this team will improve and put more than 49 points in their last 4 games.
Otherwise, a 1-3 record is not great, but also not bad since FPF is very competitive and most teams are experienced. Their only blowout loss came to TIGRES where everything was brand new for them to open the season. I expect them to be competitive with Free Agents No More in their upcoming game. While the potential is there on offense, they have struggled to put up points, with 49 through 4 games, but the defense has looked more coordinated, allowing a decent 105 points in 4 games. Tomas Fresco-Giulione has racked up a division-high 5 sacks but the defense could use more turnovers, even though they are averaging 1 turnover by interception per game; half from their females and half from the male players.
Key Players: Loîc Yamako, Rhami Aboud, Tomas Fresco-Giulione
Prediction Record to end the season: 2-6
Free Agents (1-3)
Note: Written on Saturday September 30th
Grade: B+
Season summary: I am really surprised at how well this team composed of free agents has done so far. Ignore the 1-3 record for a second. First, it’s incredibly tough to throw to (mostly) an entire new set of players that you don’t know their skill set, best abilities, etc. They have quickly worked on their offensive and defensive side of the game and the offense is very much capable of putting up points. Second, with the exception of the first game of the season (honestly, first games of the season can be wonky and aren’t as telling or worth as much as, at least in my eyes, than games later in the season) and their last one which was an offensive shootout they couldn’t match every single TIGRES score, they have been incredibly competitive in their 2 other games, both ending in a 1 point victory and loss.
Offenses generally go as far as their Quarterbacks can take them, and Gabriel Lemonde has shown improvements from his Spring 2023 season. He’s played roughly the same number of games as last Spring as QB and has thrown 2 more touchdowns this season, but more importantly, 8 less interceptions. Turning the ball over often is a recipe for losing games and it’s nice to see Lemonde has cleaned that part of his game. He is also a dual-threat, as demonstrated with his 199 rushing yards and 2 Rushing TD’s. He’s also worked on building chemistry with Eric Letourneau, who leads the team with 16 receptions for 328 yards and 8 TDs, emerging as the main threat in this offense. He’s also built a nice link with his snapper, Rachel Shea. She’s shown she can be a threat in the women’s division with Les Petites Miettes franchise, and is now bringing her talents to Co-Ed.
While playing D is hard in flag, since the game is built for the offenses, they do need to improve their defense slightly, as they are averaging 40 points against per game, well above the division average of 24 points allowed per game. If you are giving up that many points, no problem, but then your offense needs to score at an 85% clip, or on 6 of 7 drives (or even all 7 drives) you get in a game. They aren’t there yet and need to work on the defense getting more stops and interceptions to give their offense more shots at reaching the endzone.
Key Players: Gabriel Lemonde, Eric Letourneau, Rachel Shea, Ross-Witcher Choute
Prediction Record to end the season: 3-5
Women’s Division Report Cards
Vortex (5-0)
Grade: C+
Season summary: I know it’s underwhelming when you are such a good team and are undefeated, yet get a C+ grade, but undefeated while not having yet played BRUTES is exactly where I had this team. I give them the plus because they have had 3 different Quarterbacks suit up for Vortex, and theyn’t missed a beat in any of their games. Whichever Quarterback is suiting up for Vortex, Rachel Giacobbe is emerging as one of the key receivers on the team. With her 5th game played on the first game in October on Sunday, she already has 81 more than and 4 more touchdowns that she had in 10 games in the Winter season, accumulating 308 yards and 6 TDs so far this season. Tamara Boulanger, the other leading receiver for Vortex is having a similar season to Giacobbe, in that she has matched or surpassed her Winter 2023 stats in half the games played. Normally, you would see Catherine Girard and Virginie Aubut-Ménard as leaders in the receiving department, but if they can get contributions from others like they have, it only makes Vortex that much more dangerous when any of the 4 receivers on the field can do damage.
While Girard and Aubut-Ménard haven’t been as productive or dangerous offensively as we’ve been accustomed to, defensively they have been stellar, combing for 12 interceptions between the two of them through 5 games!! They are an absolute menace for opposing Quarterbacks who dare throw their way and consistently set up their offense in great field position to extend their leads.
Their season will be a tune-up until they play BRUTES back to back in their schedule on October 15th and 30th.
Key Players: Virginie Aubut-Ménard, Rachel Giacobbe, Catherine Girard, Tamara Boulanger
Prediction Record to end the season: 7-1
BRUTES (4-0)
Note: Written on Saturday September 30th
Grade: C+
Season summary: BRUTES find themselves in the same scenario as Vortex, in that they’ve been playing great ball, but the schedule hasn’t challenged them much and they are exactly where everyone expected they would be. The offense though, it must be stated is ON FIRE. There are already 3 receivers with 200+ receiving yards and 5 that have 150 or more. Not to mention that everyone of the 6 receivers has caught at least 3 touchdowns with Virginie Roussel leading the way with 6 TDs. Maude Lacasse has this offense firing on all cylinders and already has 1000 passing yards in the first 4 games, along with 25 TD passes and completing 78.4% of her passes. She’s doing an amazing job distributing the ball and putting up incredible stats, but like Vortex, the BRUTES season will be a pre-season until October 15th and 30th when the two heavy hitting teams do battle in Laval.
On the defensive side of the ball, the addition of Sabrina Gervais has been clutch, as she covers so much ground with her great instincts and make this defense more aggressive than it already was. She not only leads the team with 11 knockdowns, she leads the team with 5 interceptions. To be able to get your hands on 16 balls as a defender in 4 games is being a true disruptive force for opposing Quarterbacks. They should think twice before throwing to her side.
Key Players: Maude Lacasse, Sabrina Gervais, Virginie Roussel, Laurence Pontbriand
Prediction Record to end the season: 7-1
Red Nation (3-2)
Note: Written on Saturday September 30th
Grade: B+
Season summary: Red Nation has, in my eyes, had a great season so far. Their 2 losses have come against two powerhouse teams, while their offense in their 3 victories has looked methodical, dangerous, and on point, putting up 31, 27 and 25 points in their respective wins. To me, their offense has always struggled during the regular season, but from the games I’ve witnessed, Allyson Sobol has looked great, hitting the short, intermediate and deep balls with pin point accuracy. It’s also helped to have Geraldine Cabillo-Abante and Keiya Allen-Beckles play more games, as they are great route runners with tremendous speed and great instincts to track the football in the air. What I find this Red Nation has more than any other season is great depth, with Marilyne Cesaire and Emma Townsend-Asselin that are amazing receivers to fit in the WR3, WR4 slots. If they could get Anisha Joshi up to 4 games, and therefore playoff eligible, this offense could do a lot of damage come playoff time.
The defense is led once again by Lamees Aljoundi and she is leading by example with 2 interceptions and 2 sacks. Not only that, she has her defense with a combined 12 PDs on the season as her play calling, combined with the athleticism of Red Nation is putting defenders in the right positions to make plays on the ball and stifle opposing offenses.
Key Players: Allyson Sobol, Geraldine Cabillo-Abante, Lamees Aljoundi
Prediction Record to end the season: 5-3
Wolfpack (1-2-1)
Note: Written on Saturday September 30th
Grade: A-
Season summary: Wow, despite a 1-2-1 records, this Wolfpack team has really impressed me so far. Even in their 2 losses to Vortex and BRUTES, they were very much in those games until 1 key play that changed the tide of each of those games. This is great that they know that they can compete with the best of the division because come playoff time, they will have to go through one or the other. I love the decisiveness of Quarterback Camille Dumas, as she goes through her reads quickly and decisively, getting the ball into her playmakers hands. Of course, the biggest offensive threat on this team is their snapper, Maryse Paquette, as she has the most yards per game, averaging 102 yards per game, which is the equivalent of driving the entire field twice. Not only is she a serious threat, but Carrie-Ann Auger is another weapon this offense can get the ball to. Small in stature, but feisty and with great hands and playmaking ability, Auger has a nose for the endzone and is a problem for defenses that put their best coverage defender on Paquette. To be considered a playoff danger though, the team will need to get more production from their depth. Dumas has targeted Crystal Xu 17 times, but has only hauled in 7 of those targets, so the looks are there to have a legitimate WR3 on the team, Xu just needs to make the most of those targets because she is dangerous when she has the ball in space.
While the offense has looked competent, they are failing to put enough points on the board, with just 64 points through 4 games. That said, the defense has been as tough as nails. Jade Shen-Moreau leads the division with 4 sacks to set up opposing offenses in 4th and long situations, while the aforementioned Maryse Paquette has been a turnover machine, with 5 interceptions to her name.
An offense that can drive the field (though they need to punch it in and get more convert points), the stifling defense and being competitive against the top dogs has this team with an A- grade. I think this team will heat up and win their remaining 4 games to go into the knockout round on a 5-game winning streak.
Key Players: Maryse Paquette, Carrie-Ann Auger, Jade Shen-Moreau
Prediction Record to end the season: 5-2-1
Co-Ed 1 Mid-Season Report Cards
EZFun (3-0-1)
Grade: B
Season summary: This has always been a solid squad in Co-Ed, but so far this season, they are proving that they belong in the elite talk. They have made the Finals recently and the Semi-Finals just last Spring, losing an overtime thriller, just missing their opportunity to make the Roadshow Finals, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised they are leading the standings with their 3-0-1 record. What’s impressive is who they’ve beaten and how dominant they have looked in some of their games. Their first victory was against a tough Vultures team where they were able to stop the Vulture Onside Pass attempt, and end the game with a first down. They ran Deep Ballz out of Marie-Victorin and absolutely stifled Fitsquad outdoors at Loyola. They ended their Week 4 with a 19-19 tie against what I proclaimed as the team to beat in The IG Team, though it is important to note that The IG Team did not have Jeanslee suit up for the game.
Nicolas Blais has been good, not great, but he hasn’t had to be anything more for the team. He is able to get the ball to his big 3 in JC Ferland, Sam Emilio Pelchat and Nathan Desjardins, while the female talent in Frédérique Daoust, Alexa Demers-Pena and Florence Leonard have come up with big 3rd and 4th down catches to move the cones and keep the offense on the field. The defense has been outstanding to start the year, allowing a Division-low 59 points through 4 games and are 2nd with the 9 turnovers from interceptions and 2nd with 8 sacks, 6 coming from JC Ferland. The team has been playing for a few season together now and have a very good defense that shifts according to what opposing offenses want to attack. Their communication is one of the better one’s in the division and that has lead to such a fierce and tough defense to go up against.
Key Players: JC Ferland, Samuel Emilio Pelchat, Nathan Desjardins
Prediction Record to end the season: 4-3-1
The IG Team (2-2-1)
Grade: C+
Season summary: Coming off a Spring championship, it’s Championship-or-bust for the IG Team, looking to Three-Peat in the Fall Cup. The season started hot, technically winning their first 3 games of the year (again 1 ruled as a forfeit loss). Since those 3 games, they haven’t won a game, tying EZFun 19-19 and losing 33-20 on Sunday morning on the first day of October to the Vultures (without James Drysdale). The biggest news from this team is that Jeanslee Alexis is slightly injured, explaining his absence against EZFun.
The C+ is because I expected this team to be one of the best in the division and are currently ranked #2 in the standings. The + is because their last 2 games can be explained through the undisclosed injury from Jeanslee Alexis. Now, while Jeanslee gets a lot of credit and name recognition on the team, Jordanson Alexis, Jeanne Gravel, Shandy Louis-Jacquet and Jerry Beauboeuf would like a word on offense, as those 4 receivers have combined for 20 touchdowns in 5 games.
The defense though, has to be ranked as one of the best in the division, as only 39% of their opponents drives have ended in a touchdown. That’s 2nd best in the division and their 13 interceptions are ranked 1st in Co-Ed1. Charles-Emile Deveault has also become one of the better rushers in the division, as his improved play as him with the 2nd most sacks with 6 on the season. With a full roster, I think they can run the table and win their last 3 games of the season.
Key Players: Jeanslee Alexis, Jordanson Alexis, Constance Millaire
Prediction Record to end the season: 5-2-1
Deep Ballz (2-2)
Grade: B-
Season summary: While the offense is struggling to put up points (15 points a game won’t win you many FPF games (47 points in 3 non-forfeit games), the defense, with the exception of the game against EZFun, has kept the team in each of their games, allowing just 19 points against the Vultures and 25 against Plenty of Fish with Rocco Christiano at QB. I had this team with 0 or 1 wins by the half way point of the season, and while they are technically 1-3, their first game against IG Team was awarded as a forfeit win despite the 37-6 score line, they do have a 2-2 record and that’s better than I expected, including a very nice win against a tough Vultures squad. They get the minus though, because of the 8 Passing TDs in 4 games and 6 INTs. That is not a good ratio for the offense to have success down the line. Clearly their top player is Francois Rocheleau. With only 60 yards through 2 games, that is not enough from your WR1, though, only appearing in half of the team’s first 4 games, he needs to be present to make a difference for the team. In his place, Francois Laramee is the leading receiver with 11 receptions, 17 targets, and 148 yards. While their top receivers aren’t putting up monster numbers, where they are excelling is ball distribution. 11 different receivers have caught at least 1 ball and 6 receivers have at least 40 yards or more.
What the team needs most of all is roster consistency. I mentioned that Rocheleau has only played 2 games while Jérôme Lavallée, Thomas Trépanier and Loïc Martin all only have 1 game to their name. These are their core male players and they are better when they are all there, ready to step on the field. As for their female players, Ève Charbonneau is getting more and more reps in FPF, on both the Red Bulls and Y&Y roster, and she is rapidly improving and needs to become a key piece on both sides of the ball, as she and Laurie St-Onge have great hands and can make defenders miss with their quick strides. What’s impressive with the offense is that almost every receiver is averaging a first down when they catch the ball, which means that Bruno Provencher needs to get the ball into his receivers hands and let them do damage. The offense will go as far as Provencher goes. We all know he can run the ball, but he seems to be focusing more on throwing, which is good, as he is only averaging 2 runs per game.
Key Players: Francois Laramee, Antoine Epstein
Prediction Record to end the season: 2-6
Alright, that does it for the first half of the report cards! If you weren’t talked about this week, your team is on the clock, so make sure to play your best leading up to your report card! With the season at its midpoint, this is where teams make a strong play to be in the double elimination bracket while others are fighting for their chance to be part of that group. Let’s see what this week has in store for us, until next time!
Cheers,
Iggy Magnets