Czikk’s Cover 3: Ties, perfect seasons and disappointing endings

In the final week of Division 3’s season, we saw three teams achieve perfect seasons, two games went to a tie and players on several non-playoff bound squads. proverbially “cleaned out their lockers.”

For 16 teams though, it’s now playoffs time.

The Brotherhood, Coyotes and Two and a Half Dans all won to achieve perfect 10-0 seasons. Dad Bod Squad and 6+R both won again to up their records to 9-1.

Red Raiders (3-6-1) and Les Buddays (0-9-1) fought to a tie game, as did Darksiders (4-5-1) and Prestige World Wide (1-8-1). For Les Buddays it meant evading a winless season. For Prestige World Wide it meant a little more self-respect after a disappointing campaign.

The three unbeatens get their perfect seasons

The Brotherhood (10-0) came into Sunday night’s game having gone 9-0 during the season, but their previous two wins came by just one point each time.

This time their opponent was Pascal Murray and his Wolfpack, a team with capable athletes. 

The first half went well for both teams. Khalil Kerr and Jamal Gittens both caught Theo Ojeaha TD passes. Ojeaha housed an interception off the arm of Murray before the half would be done. It was Ojeaha’s league-leading 13th pick of the season and his second defensive touchdown.

Murray connected with Corey Greenaway (5 rec, 37 yards, TD) several times, including for a score.

The first half ended at 19-16 for the ‘Hood.

In the second half Ojeaha found Quaysie Gordon-Maule in the endzone for six. Murray answered with a touchdown to Hugo Dupuy to make the score 25-22. By the end of the game, Ojeaha had picked off Murray twice while Jeremy Ronsin and Gittens also recorded INTs.

Greenaway was the lone Wolfpack who intercepted Ojeaha.

Eric Deschambault caught seven passes for 78 yards and a score while Dupuy caught five balls and a score, but it wasn’t enough. After losing six of ten games this season, Wolfpack still earned a spot in this weekend’s playoffs.

We caught up with The Brotherhood’s Ojeaha after the game to talk about the perfect season, the two close calls over the past two weeks and preparing for the playoffs:

Coyotes (10-0) also nailed their perfect season when they beat 8 Boys 1 Cup (4-6) 40-34. Sammy Feder made a case for himself for Best QB by passing for 200 yards, six TDs and no picks. His touchdowns went to Kevin Smuda (4), Josh Feder and Adam Rockman.

8 Boys 1 Cup certainly didn’t lay down their swords. They lead 22-20 at halftime with some nice play by QB Jesse Dupuis, who connected on 13 of 20 passes for 231 yards, four TDs and a pick. All four of his TD passes went to Mike Pierrecin (6 rec, 100 yards).

Coyotes receiver AJ Rashkovan told me the story of the game was costly turnovers for 8 Boys 1 Cup and Kevin Smuda, who caught five passes, four of which went for scores.

Rashkovan said his teammate Smuda was “unstoppable.”

“It was back and forth, score for score. The other team was fired up because they were playing desperate football with their playoff hopes on the line,” he said. “Smuda forced an INT which was our first turnover. After that we got two stops (a pick and a turnover on downs) which was the difference.”

Finally, Two and a Half Dans (10-0) also concluded their spotless season by beating OTF (3-7) by 28 points.

QB Joey Taylor, who finished the season with the most passing yards and completions in the league, hit Adam Bailey (6 rec, 85 yards) for four touchdowns. The Dans defense picked off OTF QB Mario Porreca three times.

Taylor finished the day throwing for 242 yards and seven TDs, both season highs. He didn’t throw a pick. John Koutris, Danny Aylward and Brandon Aylward also caught TD passes for the Dans.

On defense, Matthew Rupcic, Adam Bailey and Danny Aylward all intercepted Porreca.

Jacob Bernett (7 rec, 96 yards, TD) played well for OTF, as did Jon Ngala, who notched five sacks.

Red Raiders, Les Buddays end tough seasons with a tie

For both the Red Raiders (3-6-1) and Les Buddays (0-9-1) it was a difficult, often frustrating campaign.

The Buddays led 19-12 after the first half. Hinsley Adams and Zach Godstein both caught TDs for the Raiders.

Red Raiders QB Mike Roy and the Red Raiders stormed back in the second half, taking a 31-25 lead with just four plays left. To get there Roy hit David Daoust on a fourth-down play. Marty Freedman grabbed the conversion, along with an unsportsmanlike flag on Sean Kennedy of the Buddays.

But Kennedy would get the last laugh. In just two plays, Buddays QB Leon Holder led his team to a tied score. Holder hit Kennedy on a long touchdown. They failed their conversion and the Raiders couldn’t score with the other two plays.

Holder threw for a season-high 234 yards along with four TDs and no picks. Roy threw for a season-high 219 yards and tied a season-high with five TDs in the game. He was intercepted once by Kennedy.

Serge Pilon Jr. had a great game for the Raiders, hauling in six passes for 103 yards and a pair of scores. For the Buddays, Alexandre Doucet caught three passes, all of which were touchdowns.

We spoke with Les Buddays captain Jean-Christophe Binette after the game about the the night’s tie and his team’s disappointing season.

After that we hooked up with Red Raiders’ Mike Roy and Rob White, who reflected on their season. Roy told us he felt he was responsible for some of the team’s losses. He led the league this season with 301 pass attempts.

Dads, 6+R both hit 9-1 mark to end season

Dad Bod Squad and 6+R both improved their records to 9-1 to finish the season.

For Dad Bod Squad (9-1), QB Sean Avraam’s 197 passing yards and five TDs powered the way to a 33-20 win. The Dads led 21-14 over Mongoose (4-6) at half and continued the momentum into the second.

Jordan Allard and Matthew Petrone both registered a TD reception and an interception off Mongoose QB Alexandre Gaudet. Vinny Gualano hauled in five balls for 80 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

The Dads’ Ryan Aridi added two sacks to his season total to take the sack title with 23.

Mathieu Lepage had a good game for Mongoose in the loss (5 rec, 74 yards, TD).

Meanwhile, 6+R won its ninth straight game to finish their season 9-1. They beat F.O.E (6-4) in a wild western shootout, in which the two teams combined for over 90 points. 6+R won 51-40.

6+R QB Frédéric Viens threw a season-high eight TD passes in the win, throwing a nearly perfect game at 22 for 25 for 210 yards. Four of his TDs went to his brother, Marc-Antoine (9 rec, 76 yards), who also tackled seven times on defense.

Anthony Brisebois (6 rec, 57 yards, 2 TD), Justin Blanchard (2 rec, TD) and Anthony Garant (2 rec, TD) also chipped in.

On the other side, F.O.E QB Alex Holowach threw for a season-high 258 yards, tossing six TDs and an interception. Frédéric Viens got the pick.

Jordan Moses and Dilan Daoust both caught a pair of TDs each, while Alex Ganter and Travis Moses both scored as well.

It was a tight game throughout, with 6+R leading 27-21 at halftime.

Around the League

Laval’s Finest (7-3) upped their season to seven wins by beating Broccasion (6-4) 24-19.

For Laval, Zach Zwirn, Nick Bekelis, Rod Mashtoub and Sam Mashtoub all caught TD passes. Theo Giannikos got his team’s lone interception off Kristian Cerantola.

On the other side, Cerantola threw for 134 yards, three TDs and a pick in the season-ending loss. Cerantola also picked off Laval QB Justin Lavallee on defense.

Kyle Lebofsky, Justin Cerantola and Marco Masciotra all caught at least three passes and a score for Brocassion.

It was a disappointing season-ending defeat for the B.D Bandits (5-5), who I had been covering quite closely. They won five straight games after losing their first four, but lost on Saturday night 27-21. After nearly five straight weeks of amazing play by QB Mark Belvedere, an average night had to be in the works. On the plus side, they did get a ticket to the big dance this weekend.

Belvedere completed a pedestrian 12 of 22 passes for 131 yards, a pair of scores and a pick. Perhaps cementing himself as a defensive player of the year candidate, Belvedere also notched a pick-six, his third defensive score on the season. But it wasn’t enough.

Noticeably absent for several weeks now has been capable receiver Casey Cook. Chris Eramian didn’t play either.

But one should take note of their opponents, Les Messieurs Chats (3-7). After starting the season 0-7, these guys won their last three.

QB David Centomo tossed four TDs on 15 completions, three of which went to Nicola Centomo. Francois-Alexandre Panneton also caught a TD, while Sébastien Deschamps picked off Belvedere on defense.

Show Me Your TDs (5-5) got a win to end their season at .500 football. They ended a miserable season for the Heismans (0-10). The TDs will now play Laval’s Finest this weekend in the playoffs.

After starting the season 4-2, BearSkins ended up winning their last four games to end the season at 8-2. They edged out Gros Chefs Bandits (3-7) 28-6 on Sunday evening. QB Neil Etinson threw for 83 yards, three TDs and an interception, while Dave Friedmen housed an interception for six points.

Marco Bertoldi caught two of Etinson’s TD passes, with Ryan Etinson getting the other.

Three different quarterbacks for GCB completed just nine of 26 pass attempts for 72 yards on the BearSkins defense.

Finally, Prestige World Wide (1-8-1) and Darksiders (4-5-1) fought to a 40-40 tie. Frédéric Morissette completed 19 of 32 passes for a season-high 259 yards, six TDs and no picks. Jamil Springer grabbed five passes for three scores. By not losing, Darksiders will now play in this weekend’s playoffs.

On the other side, PWW QB Kevin Tousignant tossed for 235 yards, six TDs and one interception. Brian Eudoxie caught nine passes and four TDs while both of Tommy Pelletier’s two catches went for six points each.

Power Rankings

1. The Brotherhood (10-0): These guys put up a convincing win over a tough Wolfpack team to end their season. QB Theo Ojeaha capped off a fantastic season on defense with his league-leading 13th interception. They led the league in points scored and in fewest points scored against.
2. Coyotes (10-0): Coyotes finished off their perfect season by edging 8 Boys 1 Cup. That marks 90 points scored over the past two games. Sammy Feder has all the capable receivers he needs to make a run to the championship game.
3. Two and a Half Dans (10-0): Another perfect team that that capped off a dominating season. Last weekend marked the third time this season the Dans poured on 46 points on a helpless opponent. QB Joey Taylor finished the season with 50 TD passes, 17 of which went to Adam Bailey.
4. 6+R (9-1): After losing in Week 1 to their rivals (the Dans), it was pretty much utter destruction thereafter for 6+R. I think the Best QB award has to go to either Frédéric Viens, who led the league with 57 TD passes, or Sammy Feder, who played one less game. Marc-Antoine Viens was a total beast this season, leading the league with 68 catches.
5. Dad Bod Squad (9-1): Another team that dominated for nearly the entire season. The Dads only loss came late in the season to OTF, by just one point. But here’s why the Dads could surprise the league in the playoffs: their defense is real. No one surrendered less points than the Dads except The Brotherhood this season.
6. BearSkins (8-2): Another team with a good defense (195 points scored against). BearSkins finished out their season on a high-note, winning four consecutive games. Their playoff fate rests on how QB Neil Etinson (50 TDs) plays. I hate to put that pressure on him, but I’m sure it’s not his first rodeo.
7. Laval’s Finest (7-3): The lone seven-win team in the league, Laval’s Finest also finished their season on a high note, winning three of four (their only loss over that stretch came to The Brotherhood). Justin Lavallee is not as accomplished as other QBs in this league (37 TD, 8 INT), but Jordan McLaren, Rob Mashtoub and Theo Bekelis all caught at least nine TDs this season.
8. Brocassion (6-4): A rocky end to their season derailed Brocassion’s playoffs spot a bit (2-2 over last four weeks). Receivers Marco Masciotra, Kyle Lebofsky and Dylan Taylor all caught nine TD passes this year.
9. F.O.E (6-4): These guys have a capable offense, but they got scored on a lot this season (320 points). They went 3-3 over the final six games of the season. However, QB Alex Holowach had a decent season at QB, throwing for the second-most passing yards in the league (1,927).
10. Top Sauce (5-5): It was a rocky season for QB Vince Nardone and his crew, but they still made the playoffs. Phew. At times they looked great, others puzzling. But Nardone has a nice receiving crew to work with. He tossed 15 TDs to Justin McLean, 12 TDs to Jean-Daniel Chevalier and nine to Chris Milard.

Playoff Matchups:

Dad Bod Squad (9-1) vs. Wolfpack (4-6)

Laval’s Finest (7-3) vs. Show Me Your TDs (5-5)

BearSkins (8-2) vs. F.O.E (6-4)

Brocassion (6-4) vs. B.D Bandits (5-5)

6+R (9-1) vs. Top Sauce (5-5)

Two and a Half Dans (10-0) vs. Mongoose (4-6)

The Brotherhood (10-0) vs. Lightweight (4-6)

Coyotes (10-0) vs. Darksiders (4-5-1)