Coed Finals Are Here!

The finals are finally here and only hours away! Before the games kickoff tonight in Lachine, let’s take a look back at the semi-finals and how our four finalists booked their seats to the championship games.

Semi-final Recap

Yin & Yang (24) vs Les Semi-Croquants (25)

After struggling through the second half of the season, Les Semi-Croquants entered their semi-final game as sizeable underdogs. Yin & Yang had beat them in back-to-back games and I expected them to steamroll over them again in this one.

I had said that in order to win this match, Mariève Girard would need to step up her game. She did not play a fantastic game. While the box score might say that Morgane Le Foll was throwing for Les Semi-Croquants, it was actually Girard and she threw for 120 yards, three scores and an interception. While that was just enough to eke out a win, it was by no means a stellar performance. It was Les Semi-Croquants’ that stepped up in this one and gave them a chance to win. They held Y&Y’s dangerous offence to less then 140 passing yards and even managed to pick them off once. Ultimately that defensive effort started with the rushing of Charles Montpetit. While he might have finished the game with just one sack, he did a whole lot more. He held the elusive Justin Weir to only one rush for 20 yards. A huge part of Weir’s game is buying time with his legs until one of his receivers eventually finds a free zone or eludes the man marking them. Montpetit was able to limit Weir’s scrambling ability which handcuffed Y&Y’s offence.

While Les Semi-Croquants will need to take their offensive game to a whole other level if they hope to beat Funtastic 9 in the finals, they did do a great job of spreading the ball versus Y&Y and that is something they can build on. Victor Nolin led the team with five catches on five targets for 44 yards and a score. While Nolin might have led the charge, all five receivers finished the game with multiple receptions and had at least four targets. This kept Yin & Yang’s defence guessing and made jumping routes and undercutting balls that much harder. Girard is a quarterback that struggles with ball protection so every little thing that helps her protect the ball is key. Spreading the ball ultimately keeps the ball in her receivers’ hands and that is something I expect to see a lot from Les Semi-Croquants in the finals.

Semi-final Team of the Week

Every week, I will name 12 players to the team of the week. If you make the offensive team of the week, you cannot be on the defensive one and vice versa. Since this is coed, there will always be a minimum of two women on the offensive and defensive team of the week. When choosing the players for the team of the week, I do not consider the tier that the players are in. I only consider their achievements.

Offence

Quarterback: Tam Vilaydeth (Power Rangers) 19 completions, 223 passing yards, 7 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Constance Millaire (Power Rangers) 5 receptions, 8 targets, 76 receiving yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Vincent Marquis (Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) 4 receptions, 9 targets, 78 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Quaid Johnson (Party Mix) 8 receptions, 10 targets, 92 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Kevin Lubin (3^rd Down For What) 6 receptions, 8 targets, 58 receiving yards, 4 TD

Receiver: Isabelle Virginia (3^rd Down For What) 7 receptions, 8 targets, 39 receiving yards

Defence

Rusher: Felix D’Aoust (Funtastic 9) 2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 PD

Defensive back: Serge Pilon Jr. (Power Rangers) 3 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PD

Defensive back: Genevieve Gaudet (Power Rangers) 3 tackles, 1 PD

Defensive back: Micky Mensah (Yin & Yang) 3 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PDs, 1 defensive TD

Defensive back: Marilou Cote Noel (Party Mix) 6 tackles,

Defensive back: Guillaume St-Jean (Funtastic 9) 5 tackles, 1 INT

Finals Predictions

Power Rangers (9-1) vs 3^rd Down For What (8-2)

The biggest storyline heading into this one is of course the injury that Tam Vilaydeth suffered. If my FPF grapevine sources are correct, the Power Rangers quarterback broke his arm and will be unavailable for them in tonight’s final. I believe that Power Rangers will turn to Wade Jr. Shallcross under center. While he has never played quarterback in FPF, I have seen him throw with this same core of players in other leagues. He is by no means Tam Vilaydeth, but he is a safe quarterback who should be able to protect the ball and give his team a fighting chance to win this one. I think Shallcross will also be assisted by the fact that 3^rd Down For What will be forced to play mostly zone defences. With the absence of Jeremy Murphy they do not have anyone who can cover Serge Pilon. Additionally, I do not think there are any women in Coed that can adequately man up with Constance Millaire, Jasmine Farmer and Marilou Beland.

Ultimately, Power Rangers’ strength is their defence. They averaged just 18 points against this season. In other words, all that Power Rangers needed on average to win was three scores and a convert. Clearly, 3^rd Down For What have a slightly better offence then most teams in the division. For Power Rangers to win this one, their defence will probably need to hold 3DW to four scores or less.

3^rd Down For What were dominant in the semis. They blew out Party Mix and hung 40 points on one of the better defences in the division. The question now is, will they be able to do the same to the best defence in Coed? For 3DW to win this one, they will need to throw caution to the wind. They need to realize Parker is the better quarterback so their goal should be to get both passers to throw as many balls as possible. Mistakes will happen like they always do, but they have to trust Parker to make one fewer mistake then her opposing number. Pilon has given Parker headaches in the past and she has looked hesitant when going up against him and Power Rangers in the past. However, Parker has to realize that even if she throws an interception or two in this one, it will not be game ending. That should give her the confidence to use her full playbook and yes, even take a risk or two.

I was not sure what my prediction was before I started writing this, but while writing I have convinced myself that there is a more likely path to victory for 3DW then Power Rangers. 3DW can win all while making a few mistakes whereas an interception could be game ending for Power Rangers.

Prediction: 3^rd Down For What

Funtastic 9 (6-3-1) vs Les Semi-Croquants (4-6)

I think that Funtastic are thrilled that they are facing Les Semi-Croquants in the finals instead of Yin & Yang. Funtastic are not an extremely complex team. They do not have an extremely deep playbook and a lot of their trick plays rely on their opponents making mental mistakes. Yin & Yang started to clue in to how Funtastic 9 play and became wise to their trickery. Les Semi-Croquants do not have the same level of comprehension of Funtastic’s playbook. The key on offence for Funtastic 9 in this game will be staying true to themselves. Having seen them play, it just looks like they are having fun. They do a great job of staying relaxed, even in the biggest moments.

This game will come down to Funtastic’s defence. For a relatively new team to FPF, they are a fantastic tackling team. They have done a good job at limiting yards after the catch and that will be key in this game. Mariève Girard throws a ton of short and intermediary routes and relies on her receivers to gain yards after the catch. If Funtastic manage to keep everything in front of them and force Girard to march the field five yards at a time, they are going to force mistakes out of Les Semi-Croquants.

For Les Semi-Croquants, this game will all come down to ball safety. They have already faced Funtastic 9 three times this season. The one game that they won versus Funtastic was the game in which Girard did not throw a single interception. In Les Semi-Croquants’ two losses to Funtastic, Girard threw a total of five interceptions. Having played Girard, she is an easy quarterback to trick. She is very good at reading a basic defence, however, when people start shooting zones or masking whether they are dropping short or deep she can make poor decisions. Instead of hurrying those throws, Girard needs to take an extra split second to double check her reads. Even if that results in a few more sacks, it’s better then turning over the ball.

For Les Semi-Croquants to win this one, their defence will need to step up and that will all start with the rushing of Charles Montpetit. In the semi-finals, Montpetit was able to neutralize the electric Justin Weir. Funtastic’s Edouard Leroux is not as quick and nowhere near as shifty so Montpetit should be able to have a field day versus Leroux. We have seen Leroux struggle and make mistakes while under pressure. Other than getting pressure on the passer, Les Semi-Croquants will need to find a way to take away Funtastic’s intermediate crossing routes. Leroux does a great job of dissecting that area between the short and deep zones. If they cannot find a way stop those crossers, it is going to be a long night for Les Semi-Croquants.

While I do see a path to victory Les Semi-Croquants in this one, I do not think it is a likely one. Girard would need to turn her game around in a huge way and Les Semi-Croquants’ defence would need to make more plays than they have had to all season. On the other hand, Funtastic 9 just need to stick to what they have been doing and I like their chances of finishing the night with a trophy hoisted over their heads.

Prediction: Funtastic 9

It has been a pleasure covering the Coed division this season! I will hopefully be back covering Coed in the Fall so if there is anything you would like to see changed or incorporated into the articles, please send me an email at [email protected]

If not, remember that the FPF Cup season will have a Coed division. The deadline to register has been extended until September 30^th, so be sure to get your teams registered before the deadline!