Co-Ed Week 6 Recap: All Caught Up

Fun fact: all five teams each have the same number of games played for the first time since before Week 1, and for what will be the last time until the conclusion of Week 11. 

Why does that matter? Well, it doesn’t. Coming up with good intros for pre-midseason breakdown articles is always tough (note: I realized way too late into writing this article that co-ed was in fact an 8-game season, so you’ll get one next week, I promise!), and this week I couldn’t find anything rather interesting to say. So yeah. I know, I know… I should’ve called up Peeze. 

Recaps

Jéronimo! 

That’s what Pat Jérome exclaimed as he was was taking his second TD of the night in for the score in Saturday’s 38-19 drubbing of Flamboyant Dragons. Alright, did he actually say that? No, obviously. Because that would be weird.

But I’d totally understand if he did, because it’s simply all fun and games for the Confirmed Postive crew at this point. The magic number in this one? Five: a TD for every 5th Vanessa Birri pass; five of her receivers getting in on the action; a sack, three INTs, and a defensive touchdown on the defensive side. While it was a close first half, the game never actually feels that close knowing the kind of talent on this roster.

As for Flamboyant Dragons, well, I think their own exclamation when that TD was scored actually was said, and is probably best left untyped.

Indeed, the struggles continued for Flamboyant in this one and particularly for QB Guillaume Fontaine who, while a lot more accurate this week, couldn’t match the same improvements he made last week in terms of getting a drive going. He wasn’t the only one to blame though: even the exceptional Laurence Gagnon was held to single digits in both catches and yards as literally the only other receiver to catch a pass was Laurent Ladouceur. 

One thing about Fontaine though, is you can’t mistake struggles for lack of effort: In a game which saw him run in two scores and record two INTs along with three PDs, there’s no doubt he tried his best (perhaps too hard even, judging by that mid-game OC). Flamboyant are not giving up on the season just yet. Nor should they.  

When in doubt, throw it up to your D1 stars whoever the hell is open deep

With Karl Lavallée essentially opening and closing the scoring with 40 bombs to receiver Charlie Loignon in Served With Girls’ 30-14 win over It’s a Match last week, some corrections are in order. Karl Lavallée isn’t so much addicted to throwing to JD Chevalier (which is a good addiction to have, honestly) as much as he is to just throwing the deep ball altogether. 

And that’s not a bad thing – especially not when you also have the receivers who can make more than one defender miss whenever you do have to check it down (here’s to you, guy with a jersey number but whose name wasn’t provided and so your stats didn’t get uploaded onto the site. I know you balled out. I know.)

That being asid, It’s a Match certainly didn’t do themselves many favors on the night. Very troubling was the offense stalling at all the wrong times. QB Alexis Labonté was generally good enough to get the ball moving a bit in between the 10 yard lines, making some solid reads and spreading the ball around evenly. But the team’s inability to punch it in when needed, coupled with Labonté’s two turnovers, were really what made this one over by about the first drive of the second half.  

Power Rankings

1. Confirmed Positive (4-0): Your weekly reminder that QB Vanessa Birri is The Chosen One: 10 players with at least one reception; 7 players with at least one touchdown. You know when people talks about a player making everyone around them better? Yeah, Birri is that player.
2. Served With Girls (3-1): I’ve talked a lot about their offense so far, but their D deserves some love too: giving up under 22 PPG while having only 3 INTs to your name means you’re doing something right on 4th down.
3. It’s a Match (2-2): I will take this moment to shout out Lovinski Gelin and Jean-Philippe Nadeau for their masterful sacks of QB Karl Lavallée. All three were things of beauty.
4. Party Mix (1-3): Rumor has it some think I’m too hard on François Deslauriers. To that I say: nah.
5. Flamboyant Dragons (0-4): I’d say this is a good time for a bye week.

Predictions

So that was weird of me to omit these last week. Anyway…

Party Mix vs. It’s a Match: 24-6 for It’s a Match was the final the first time around. My prediction: Party Mix don’t make the same rookie mistakes, their defense doesn’t blow any coverage, and Deslauriers throws like he did two weeks ago. Now go prove me right.   

Served With Girls vs. Confirmed Positive: this one finished 32-20 in CP’s favor back in Week 1. If SWG bring out the big guns for this one, I think the result will be closer… but still the same.

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That wraps up Week 6 of the Co-Ed Division. Questions, comments, criticism? Let me know on Facebook or on Twitter @JBlanchFPF. See you at the fields!