Division 1 & 2 Quarterfinal and Divisional Round Reviews

To everyone affected by the one-day ice storm, and the ongoing days of incompetence by Hydro Quebec, hang in there. Find some warmth and electricity at a mall, Tim Hortons, church, Canadian Tire, or anywhere you can. Obviously, we here at FPF were affected as well, with several games cancelled or interrupted in lower divisions. If you are still unsure of when your game will be played or in some cases finished, go to the website and Facebook group, and checkout the updates. More importantly. hopefully everyone is safe and their cars and other property are fine.

For the games that did get played, we saw some exciting action in both Division 1 and 2. Let’s look at what transpired.

Division 1

(4) Flag Moi L’Sac versus (5) Party Crashers

Alex Nadeau-Piuze, showed why he is a FPF Hall of Fame Quarterback, as the veteran had his best game of the season, going 20 of 26 for 263 yards and eight touchdown passes in his team’s Quarter-Final blowout win over the Party Crashers Sunday night in Lachine.

The QB and his Receivers shredded the Party Crashers’ defense in both the short and long passing game, with the team averaging 10 yards a pass. They also went 2 for 2 on fourth down and scored on all seven of their trips to the redzone.  Guillaume Paquet led the way with a game-high three touchdowns. The duo of Samuel Nadeau-Piuze and Francois Rocheleau each had a pair of TDs, while Nicolas Arsenault-Hum added one.

The team’s defense was just as lethal, as the Nadeau-Piuze brothers and Arsenault-Hum each intercepted Party Crashers’ Quarterback Frédéric Dupuis. The unit also did a superb job of limiting the damage caused by the PC Receivers, as besides Louis-Philip Thibodeau who had five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, no one else had more than 65 yards.

Final Score: Flag Moi L’Sac (53-24)

(3) Braves versus (6) KGP+

Jonathan Maheu had a Jimmy Garaoppolo-esque performance as he only attempted 10 passes, but he completed nine of them in his team’s Quarter-Final victory over KGP+. Maheu had his own version of Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Christian McCaffrey as Phil Pharand, William Trottier, Jean-Daniel Chevalier, and Alex Pilon all had at least one touchdown.

The team’s defense resembled the San Francisco 49ers on that side of the ball as well, as they got a pick-six by Pilon, a Nick Bosa-like three sack performance from premier Rusher Julien Paiement, and the unit held their opponent’s offense to eight points less than their regular season average (32 to 24).

The KGP+ offense tried to set the tone early as they scored on their first two possessions, but the Braves established their own as they scored exactly one play after on both ensuing drives. The interception return for a touchdown on the KGP+’s third possession, followed up by a turnover on downs the fourth time they had the ball swung the momentum in favour of the Braves, and the blowout was on from there.

Final Score: (46-24)

(2) Kangaroos versus (7) Double Straddle

Out of all the games played on the opening weekend of the post-season, this was the most exciting one of all as it contained back-and-forth action and numerous exciting plays. The scoring came early and often, as both sides required only four plays each to get into the endzone on their opening drives. James Drysdale, who led all players with three touchdowns and 114 yards, started the action, and he was followed by AJ Gomes had a team-leading 79 yards and two TDs. At halftime, Double Straddle clung to a (26-22) lead.

The second half had no shortage of action, as the Kanagaroos found the endzone three plays after the break on a TD by Sam Mashtoub, but Double Straddle would reply two plays later with a 40-yard TD by Drysdale.

Double Straddle looked to get an edge, as Defensive Back Stephen Osman was able to intercept Kangaroos Quarterback Dan Lazzara. They turned the INT into points, but the QB was able to respond on the ensuing drive as he hit Jourdain Alexis for a 5-yard touchdown. That would be the final TD of regulation, as DS was kept out of the endzone the next time they possessed the ball, meaning we were headed to overtime.

After the mandatory three attempts awarded to each team, we were tied (2-2). On their extra attempt, the Kanagaroos were able to find the endzone, meaning Double Straddle had to score to keep their season alive. They had the choice of going for the 1-point convo and extending the game or going for the 2-point convo and the win. They elected for the latter. Quarterback Jeff Rosenblatt tossed a pass to the endzone towards the player of the game in Drysdale who was being covered by Gomes, unfortunately the pass was just a touch too high and sailed over the outstretched hands of the Receiver. Game over.

I had a chance to speak to Drysdale Wednesday night in Laval, and he echoed the same statement that several other players from the game had when he said that the contest was a lot of fun to be apart of. That is what this league is all about

Credit to Jeff Rosenblatt. Last week I talked about his penchant for turnovers potentially playing a factor in the game. Sunday night he came out and played a great as he protected the ball, made several big plays, and gave his team a chance to pull off the upset.

Unfortunately, in the playoffs there must be a winner and a loser. Ending up on the losing end makes it that much harder, as your season comes to an end, but it doesn’t take away from a solid season and a spectacular game between two outstanding teams.

Final Score: Kangaroos (47-46) OT

Division 2

(8) Touch Foot 450 versus (9) Party Crashers Blue

On paper, the Party Crashers Blue received a (30-0) victory over Touch Foot 450 due to a forfeit, as Receiver and member of U of M Carabins Ryth-Jean Giraud, played in the game without playing the mandatory five games required to participate in the playoffs. Unfortunately, he only took part in four. The game went on before the mistake was realized, and Touch Foot 450 won by a score of (38-36). Rules are rules though, and the Party Crashers Blue advanced.

Final Score: Party Crashers Blue (30-0)

Next up for the Party Crashers Blue is a game against Vengeance, who took their only other meeting by a score of (44-38) back in Week 2.

(7) Terror Squad versus (10) Got Skills

This game was a blowout in every sense of the word, as Terror Squad dominated their opponents on both sides of the ball in their Divisional Round matchup with Got Skills. Offensively Quarterback Tam Vilaydeth connected on a pair of touchdown passes to Patrick Jérome and Vincent Malo. He also found Axel Evengué and Charles Verreault for TDs. Malo would throw a TD to Verreault to end the game.

On the other side of the ball, Terror Squad would intercept opposing Quarterback Nicola Centomo three times, once by Fritzgerald Cenatus, and twice curtesy of Marc-Phillippe Roy. TS simply smothered their opponents, as they held Got Skills to a season-low 14 points. The only touchdowns they allowed were to Gabriel Lemonde and David Centomo.

Final Score: Terror Squad (44-14)

Up next for Terror Squad is a showdown with Run It Once next Saturday. The latter took their only meeting by a score of (40-21) back in Week 2.

Picks

Regular Season: (40-29)

Last Week: (6-1)

Playoffs: (6-1)

Round 1 of the playoffs are now officially in the review mirror. We are now down to our final four teams in Division 1, and the elite eight of Division 2.

Stay tuned next week for my Div. 2 Quarterfinals and Div. 1 Semi-Finals preview and predictions.

Once again, stay safe out there, and Happy Easter to you and yours.

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt that I left something out, please feel free to reach me at [email protected]