Division 2: Welcome Back!!!!

FlagPlus Football is back. That means big plays, fantastic players, exciting games, and the world’s biggest and best flag football league is here as well.

The 2025 Winter Season is well underway. For those of you that don’t know me, I have written for FPF for several seasons, from Division 6, all the way to Division 1. I played tackle for 10 years, and I have played flag for more than 15. Whether it is flag or tackle, I love football. It is the greatest sport in the world, and you can never convince me of otherwise.

I will be your Division 2 writer this season. For those of you that do know me, let me say welcome back. It feels like it’s been forever, but in reality, my last FPF article was (December 8^th) six weeks ago. Unfortunately, we will only be doing 10 articles this season including playoffs. Speaking to a lot of you on the Facebook group last week, I know many of you aren’t happy about that, but it looks like that number is locked in for this season. In fairness to you guys and out of respect for the playoffs, I will be writing an article for every week of the post-season, so I have set aside four for when that rolls around.

Now that all that is out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff. Div 2 is STACKED!!!! One of the reasons I chose to write for this division is because I know a lot of the teams, having played Div. B this past Fall Season, and from scorekeeping at multiple fields.

The other reason I wanted to, was because I feel like this is the most exciting division. No disrespect to Div. 1, but let’s be honest, the Finals will most likely involve either the All-Stars and Braves, with an outside chance for possibly Royaume Luminaire or Flag moi L’sac. Don’t get me wrong, the games are exciting, but it’s like the AFC, you just know the Chiefs will be in the final four, and unless a team can beat them and the refs, KC will be in another Super Bowl.

Division 2 is not lacking big or familiar names, as it is home to the likes of Anthony Brisebois, Jeanslee Alexis, Will Power, Marvin Steinberg, Francois Hogue, Jahnai Lewis, Adam Rosen, Thomas Coutu, Mikael Arseneau, Sanders Armand, Ben McMahon, Jean-Christophe Ferland, and some Hall-of-Famers in AJ Gomes, Simon Dagenais, and Phil Cutler among others. More teams and additional players equal added excitement and hopefully better football.

Through the first three weeks of the season, some teams have already started to make a statement. The Dirty Birds sit atop the division with a perfect (3-0) record. They have knocked off Silent Ticklers, Shake & Bake, and Mangoose.

The team has found success in a variety of ways, as they used an air-tight defense to smother both the Silent Ticklers and Mangoose, as they held them to two touchdowns each. Their victory over Shake & Bake was a shootout, as they won (37-34), on a touchdown from son Quaid Johnson to his father Lonnie Johnson, on the last play of the game.   

The Dirty Birds will look to move to (4-0) as they take on a Dime & Bougie squad (more on them later) coming off their first win of the year this past Sunday as they beat #NR (40-31) at the Stinger Dome.

Offense hasn’t been a problem so far this year for (3-0) FINS UP, as they have scored 40, 50, and 50 points respectively this season. The one thing that could slow down their momentum however is rust. After their (50-41) victory over the Vultures last night in Brossard, the team’s next game isn’t until February 19^th versus #NR. That’s three whole weeks without a game. The nature of FPF sees multiple players play on different teams and in various divisions, but that is still a lot of time off, and not much of a chance to continue the momentum they have built. I will be scorekeeper for that game. I am interested to see how FINS UP starts the game.

Idaho Udapimps have been laying the smackdown on both sides of the ball, as they displayed their offensive firepower, as they dropped a 50-burger with a (53-36) win over EZW in Week 2. IU moved to (2-0) last night with a strong defensive outing in a (26-12) win over Party Ballers yesterday afternoon at Concordia.

I watched this game as I was scorekeeping on the field right next door. IU did a great job taking away the deep ball from their opponents, being aggressive in coverage, and shrinking the field on defense. Three defenders recorded an interception, led by Marvin Steinberg who had two.

In keeping with the theme on making an impact on both sides of the ball, Steinberg had a touchdown as a Receiver. He was joined by Danick Coulombe, who recorded a pick and a score, and QB/DB Brady Ohanessian, who registered four TD passes and an INT.

As I look at all the teams in Div. 2, there is a solid mix of veteran and newer squads. It also has favourites to not only make it to the Finals, but to win it all. Some of those teams are Vultures, Dime & Bougie, The Infantry (Can AJ Gomes lead this talented ensemble to a D2 title? I don’t think they would’ve let him be the QB if they didn’t think so), and the three teams I talked about earlier.

There are also more than a few sleeper teams that others need to be aware of. For me the two that stand out the most now are One Stop, Shake & Bake and Kush & Korinthians 13.

One Stop has the perfect mix of athleticism, toughness, big play ability, and experience. The team posses one of the top Quarterbacks in FPF with Michael Caparelli at the helm, a plethora of playmakers led by the underrated AJ Zeppetelli, and nearly half the McGill Redbirds starting defensive from Linebacker to the Safety, led by Ryan McNally, Jahnai Lewis, Mathis Pilon, and Philippe Trudel. They also have former Redbirds Charles Cossette, who brings tons of range, and sticky hands.

Shake & Bake is not a team to sleep on. They have speed, and toughness. They are coming off an impressive Fall Season. They can defend and score points with anyone. They also have chemistry, and a QB in Marc-Andre Reeves, who is slowly putting his name in the discussion about elite pivots in the league.

Kush & Korinthians 13 Quarterback Simon Dagenais might not be elite like he was in his prime, but the veteran QB can still sling the football, and he has surrounded himself with some top-end targets in former university as well as collegiate Receivers Owen Bujarsky, Jaylan Greaves, Juwan Edghill, and Emyl Gregoire. Those players along with Dagenais’ favorite pass-catcher in Justin Blanchard, equals trouble for opposing defenses.

This season should be fun. We have already seen some excitement, and I expect a lot more as we progress through the year. Let’s enjoy the ride.

Picks

The Infantry vs Kush & Korinthians 13 – The Infantry

Dime & Bougie vs Dirty Birds – Dime & Bougie (Upset Special)

EZW vs Shake & Bake – Shake & Bake

#NR vs One Stop – One Stop

Last Week:

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.