Cover Zero

Expect fireworks.

 

This week, Division C proved to me once again why it was such a great division to cover. Finger-biting games, clutch throws and clutch catches to give your team momemtum and some pretty damn good football.

FPF is entertaining and I believe this division is probably the most entertaining one to follow. With certain teams (including my own) out of contention, it’d be silly to expect them to lay down their weapons for their final game of the season; expect the unexpected.

It’s week 10 and for most of you, you’ll be playing for seeding (except the Dans and Eskimo Brothers who have their spot on the line).

Take this as your last week to pick an opponent and to practice certain plays, certain throws, certain defenses while losing isn’t a dream crusher; it will be next week.

Get ready, it’s bound to be a wild ride.

 

 

Week 10

I was at Brossard on Thursday and witnessed every Div C game. Just doing my job, technically. The recaps for the three games are below.

All in all, it was a great week for football. It’s tough to get that clutch win when your team is missing key players and it seemed to be a trend last week in FPF; many, too many, teams were missing key players and ended up making up with what they had. Once again, upsets.

 

Players of the Week

Patrick St-Amand (ZOO) : 3 TDs on offense and 2 Interceptions on Defense will earn you this award any day of the week.

Simon Bosquet Beaudoin (Predators) : The speedster earns his award after destroying my team with 10 grabs for 5 TDs, mostly in the first half too !

Minh Ton-That (Moose) : With 4 offensive TDs and an interception in a clutch match, Ton-That really showed up to play ball.

Theo Ojeaha (The Originals) : Regardless of how the game ended, 6 throwing TDs, 2 running TDs and 2 interceptions has the label MVP all over it.

 

 

Quick Recaps

Wheeled

Last year, the Dragons vs Predators game made the GOTW on week 10. It ended up being a pretty decent game. This year, with the Dragons out of contention, GOTW wasn’t in order and neither was the game itself.

Off to an early start for both teams, Floreani and myself got a TD on the very first throw and the game got off to a quick 7-7 marker.

I couldn’t keep up as I turned the ball over and Floreani kept hitting Simon Bousquet Beaudoin for Touchdowns on back to back drives. Reaching a 35-13 score at halftime, this game was pretty much over.

Nonetheless, we kept playing and the second half ended up in a pretty fun game to watch / play as both teams kept knocking on each others’ doors and ended up scoring 3 TDs each to bring it to a 56-31 end.

 

Defense does win games.

I wasn’t expecting a high scoring game and it wasn’t. It really came down to both defenses and they played pretty strong. 6Fast opened early with some nice throws from Frédéric Viens, but Centurions replied and it was anybody’s game at that point.

With both Quarterbacks steering away from interceptions, a single turnover could’ve been a game changer here, but it didn’t occur. Gaudet had troubles hitting his receivers as Aridi kept putting decent pressure and he forced some throws that simply couldn’t connect. A few bad drops and Viens had the ball once again.

With the game on the line, Viens went to his go-to receiver Justin Blanchard on the sideline who dropped a silly sideliner and Centurions had a chance to redeem themselves. Sadly, they couldn’t quite grasp the opportunity as 6Fast defense really shone late in the game. Viens answered back to put the game out of reach and grant them their first week bye in the playoffs.

 

 

Brawl or Brawn

Knowing Terrence Dobson was going up against Marco Masciotra, we all expected this game to get out of hand fast and it did. Luckily, FPF had the right referees on field 2 at Brossard and they kept both teams in check early in the game. As things got heated, OCs started dropping like flies and the game quickly got back on track. Some props to Jack here.

Lanni got injured late in the first half when he ran the ball and someone’s knee hit him right below the eye. Luckily, Lanni got away with a deep cut, but nothing broken and was able to get back in the game after half-time. Spinelli took the reins and managed to hit Masciotra on a nice slant to keep his team in the game. He actually looked pretty good out there.

Sakiz looked good out there with his receivers bailing him out on a few drops, but he went interception-free in a game he simply couldn’t afford to.

The decisive moment came late in the second half when a bad snap went above Sakiz’ head into the endzone for a safety. Turning the ball over with 2 points is crucial in such a defensive stance. GC was leading 19-12 with the ball which turned into a 19-14 and a change of possession. Hurtful. Lanni took this gift and made a miracle scoring on the final drive.

Sakiz got the ball back with very few plays and Knights’ defense stood strong as they emerged victorious on a 21-19 win.

 

 

 

Power Ranking

 

1. Six Fast Guys Plus Ryan. Number one maintains their spot.

 

2. The Originals. A win against Knights on the GOTW will earn them #1 spot next week.

 

3. Knights. Hands down in the top 3 of the division.

 

4. BearSkins. They slide at the fourth spot. I’m eager to see their week 10 matchup.

 

5. Predators. They are back in the top 5 after a statement game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Playoffs

With the upcoming playoffs at hand, I know where everyone’s attention is. That being said, I can’t cover a division without giving this some thoughts.

In bold, teams have clinched a playoff spot.

Asterix would be top seed clinched.

Italic means they are out of playoff contention.

 

Conference A

Predators (5-4-0) : Maintaining their top spot, they’ll have to win to earn their bye week.

Broccasion (4-4-1) : They’ll also be playing for that bye week in their final matchup.

Eskimo Brothers (3-5-1) : A huge win over Predators bought them breathing room, but they aren’t out of it yet. A win vs Broccasion will get them in.

Dragons (2-7-0) : Officially out of contention.

 

*Six Fast Guys Plus Ryans (8-1-0) : Clinched division. Congratulations are in order.

BearSkins (6-3-0) : They’ll be playing for seeding this week.

Centurions (5-3-1) : Clinched, but seeding is very important; week 10 could be decisive.

Two and a half Dans (3-6-0) : In a bad spot. They’ll need a win against Centurions and a loss from Eskimo Brothers to make it in.

 

 

Conference B

ZOO (5-4-0) : Their big win has them sitting atop the mountain. A win, or a tie, will grant them the bye week.

Project Mayhem (4-4-1) : Loss their place due to Holowach’s absence. It’ll come down to this week’s game and ZOO’s for top spot.

Moose (4-5-0) : Last week’s statement win has them clinched.

Old Farts (1-6-2) : Officially out of contention.

 

The Originals (8-1-0) : That bye week will be fought for on the GOTW this week.

Knights (7-2-0) : A great season that’ll come down to the wire for the bye week. We’re all eager to see it on the film.

Game Changers (4-5-0) : Another tough loss. This isn’t the way Game Changers wanted to head into the playoffs; they still have time to redeem themselves though.

Lockdown (0-9-0): Officially out of contention.

 

 

 

 

Predictions

Going 7/7 is exactly what I needed. Predictions are dangerous; being too right might just be a curse. My 37/57 is actually not too shabby. Let’s see if I can end the season on a high note !

 

Moose vs Project Mayhem : In a deadly matchup for week 10, I’m torn. On one hand, Project Mayhem is bound to bounce back and make some noise. With Holowach’s return and their current seeding, they’ll be playing their hearts out and this stacked roster is bound to create something beautiful. On the other hand, Moose is really starting to turn things around and Mayhem’s down the middle weakness is pretty much Morissette’s cup of tea. Even though Lubin is sidelined with injury, I think Morissette might be too much to handle for Mayhem’s defense.

Prediction : Moose

 

Centurions vs Two and a half Dans : In a battle for their survival, the Dans will leave everything on the field this upcoming week and I expect them to take Centurions by surprise just a little. The men in green are known for their tough defense and their new rusher is simply dominant. That being said, I think Taylor might have a bit too much to handle for him to come up on top in this one. The small receivers might just get tossed around a bit too much by Centurions’ gritty defense and Ghio might cover too much field for Taylor to work his magic. Gaudet will punch in the final score.

Prediction : Centurions

 

Six Fast Guys Plus Ryans vs BearSkins : In a preparation matchup for the playoffs, none of these teams have much to lose. BearSkins could lose some seeding, but not a lot where 6Fast can’t lose their bye. With Etinson back in the lineup, I expect Papich to have a monster game receiving, also will Garant on the other side of the ball. Aridi will contain Etinson just enough to force throws and 6Fast’s safeties will have to battle it out against Bertoldi and Papich for those deep balls. It’ll be close, but I think 6Fast will prevail this week; we’ll see how it goes in the playoffs though !

Prediction : Six Fast Guys Plus Ryans

 

Old Farts vs ZOO : This is actually going to be a better game than we’d anticipate. After losing a tough one last week, Old Farts are down on their luck, but I expect them to ball once last time before the season ends. ZOO has been firing on all cylinders recently and I don’t see any reasons for Frank Kaye to take his feet off the pedal. Old Farts are a better team than most believes and I foresee them playing quite decent football for the last 44 minutes of the season.

Prediction : ZOO

 

The Originals vs Knights : In this week’s official Game of the Week, needless to say it’s this division’s best game as well. Both teams know each other; they play with each other! I expect both defenses to make a handful of stops and that this game will be a lot closer than we’d hope. Theo will be wise enough to stir away from Masciotra’s side, but I still expect him to come down with a pick by the end of the night. It’s a tough one to predict, but I’d give the edge to The Originals’ more balanced crew over Knights.

Prediction : The Originals

 

Dragons vs Eskimo Brothers : With their playoff hopes on the line, Eskimo Brothers will head into this game guns’ blazing hoping to take Dragons by surprise and sneak out on top. Sadly, knowing this is our last game of the season, I don’t expect to go down easy and we’ll be leaving it all on the field. This could end up being a pretty decent game to watch and I’m still uncertain who’ll be throwing for the Brothers when the clock hits 7 in Lachine Sunday. Nonetheless, both teams matchup pretty well and I expect this to go the whole 44 minutes.

Prediction : N/A

 

Predators vs Broccasion : In a battle for the bye and the top seed, Predators are hosting Broccasion in a battle of the mobile QB. Cerantola, known for his speed, and Floreani, known for buying time, will fight it out. Getting healthier with every passing week, Floreani will look to get back to his usual self, but size isn’t an option anymore. Broccasion are ball-hawkers and they’ll be looking to seize the moment against Predators’ shifty receivers. I foresee Cerantola having a game of the ages and playing tremendously to take it home. I expect a rematch in two weeks from now.

Prediction : Broccasion

 

Lockdown vs Game Changers : In Lockdown’s final game of the season, they’ll be facing a tough opponent in Game Changers. Coming off a bitter loss, GC will be looking to make a statement and get back into it before the playoffs arrive. I’ve been giving credit to GC’s defense all season long and I expect dividends on Sunday. Ranaudo will have a tough time and I expect him to score, yes, but he’ll throw one too many interceptions as Sakiz will have a season-high game.

Prediction : Game Changers

 

 

 

That’s it for this week. Expect to hear from me again in the following days or see me on the field watching those great plays or epic failures. Get in touch with me, it makes for better coverage and a better season overall. I’ll be at the fields, my email, [email protected] works and I’ll be watching twitter, @DagenaisFPF, closely this season. Leave it all on the field. Don’t forget to tune in to the Unclehood’s show. FPF Media really sucked this spring. Like, really. Except Justin. Effin’ Justin.