Categories: DivisionDivision 5ADivision 5BMen'sWinter

Division 5A & 5B Quarterfinal Previews

 

It’s a short turn around for the Quarterfinals this week and I know that in my experience, it can be tough to throw so quickly. Maybe it’s just old age, but does that mean an advantage for those dual threat QBs playing tonight? We shall see.

My favorite part about these Quarterfinals is the fact that in Division 5A, Conference B, we have seeds 5 through 8 remaining, meaning every game saw an upset in the first round. The league, especially in the playoffs, truly sees a ton of parity. Here are my outlooks for the Quarterfinals.

 

Division 5A – Quarterfinal Matchups

 

  • (1) Greendale Human Beings vs. (6) Mud Dogs

Previous matchup: 39-30 Greendale Human Beings

This game saw one of the best offensive outputs from the Mud Dogs and they seemed to match Greendale almost score for score. Marc-Antoine Jette threw for over 200 yards and 5 TDs and Aylward had 6. Craziest statline of that game, though, was that Brandon Aylward had 11 catches for 156 yards and score all 6 of his brother’s TDs. It isn’t all that surprising that the only way for Mud Dogs to have a chance in this one would be to not let that happen again. Can the Greendale Human Beings beat the Mud Dogs without Brandon Aylward having a big game? Will it be up to Alex Joltopuf? If the Mud Dogs can show again that they can easily dominate the Greendale Human Beings’ defense and limit Brandon’s production, anything can happen.

Keys to Victory:

Greendale Human Beings

  • Aylward to Aylward should have a lot of success yet again
  • Can Danny Aylward go to his second or third read, successfully, if they take away Aylward and Joltopuf?
  • Stay away from Olivier Laberge
  • Take away the deep ball from Mud Dogs.

 

Mud Dogs

  • Try to get a lead early and keep it. Playing from behind will spell disaster.
  • Spend most of your energy trying to keep Brandon Aylward and Alex Joltopuf from having a huge impact on this game. Force other guys to beat you.
  • Both Olivier and Julien Laberge will need to have big games on both sides of the ball
  • No Turnovers for Marc-Antoine Jetté

Prediction: 38-26 Greendale Human Beings

 

  • (2) Smokin Axolotls vs. (5) 10 Guys, One Cup

Previous matchup: 19-6 10 Guys, One Cup

I don’t know if it was because it was the last game of the season and it did not mean much for either team, but I don’t think we got their best efforts. Either way, this game will be a battle of two division heavy weights and neither team is short on big, tall or athletic players. Included Athletic because Daniel Lazarra doesn’t quite meet the criteria for big or tall. Sorry Dan. He will, however, have a huge impact on this game and I can see him matched up on Rory Semerjian or Jason Rossie for most of this game. From what I have seen, he prefers to line up over the slot receiver which is where both Jason and Rory often play. This game will be the perfect example of having the smaller battles within the big battle dictate the outcome of the game.

Keys to Victory:

Smokin Axolotls

  • Use their size to their advantage. Sean Semerjian is often under-utilized.
  • Jordan Rossie can’t fall in love with any given play or player. Spreading the ball around and keeping 10 Guys guessing will be key.
  • They have a lot of depth, use it. I can see players like Chris Brockwell, Mike Collard and Blake Butler stepping up for them.
  • Seems obvious but, stay away from Daniel Lazarra.
  • Man up. Not in the tough guy sense, but very literal sense. I think they have the athletes to do it.

 

10 Guys, One Cup

  • Matthew Yanakoulias will need another strong game. Keep the ball under control and avoid turnovers. He will have to be comfortable creating holes in their zone defense to win.
  • Without giving away too much, Smokin A’s won’t hesitate to try and take out their A and B receivers. Can guys like Justin Lerner or Anthony Di Biase step up?
  • Sean and Rory Semerjian are sneaky good defenders. I would caution 10 Guys to pick on other defenders.
  • Try to contain the size and speed of the Smokin A’s offense.

Prediction: 32-27 10 Guys, One Cup

 

(6)  Ghosts vs. (7) Hurricane SZN

Previous matchup: 34-27 Ghosts

Everytime I look, I’m always surprised at the fact that Hurricane SZN only finished 7th with the amount of talent on their squad. However, the same can be said for Ghosts. Ghosts outperformed Hurricane SZN the first time around, however it was a game that saw Jarryd Taylor throw 4 interceptions. Either Ghosts have his number, or he simply had an off game throwing the ball. Do we see him run more this time around to prevent mistakes? He only ran twice in their first meeting and I would bet on the over in that category this time around. Wiseman and Zwirn had big games for Ghosts in their first matchup as well and will need to build on that in this game and moving forward.

Keys to Victory:

Ghosts

  • First and foremost, don’t let Jarryd Taylor beat you with his legs.
  • Avoid big plays on defense.
  • Wiseman to limit turnovers, build off huge game against Preachers

 

Hurricane SZN

  • Andel Thomas-Gordon to direct a solid game plan on defense.
  • Jarryd Taylor to spread the ball around and not look deep too often. Mix it up.
  • Continue to be ball hawks on defense and force turnovers. I can see this game having a lot on both sides.

Prediction: 33 – 28 Hurricane SZN

 

(5)  Texas Baremanz vs. (8) Les Flamants Fous

Previous matchup: N/A

The only matchup in 5A that does not have a Part 1, this one should be interesting. Both teams are coming off upset victories, BareManz beating the Longhorns and Les Flamants Fous beating Grand Lionel. Only one underdog can survive moving forward and it’s tough to predict which team is hotter and which team should come out victorious. If I had to pick, I would say that Texas Baremanz have been slightly more impressive beating the Longhorns as Grand Lionel have not looked to be themselves in a few weeks.

Keys to Victory:

Texas BareManz

  • Jaylan Grandison to utilize his dual-threat ability and keep Flamants Fous on their toes.
  • Limit the turnovers, games are getting tighter.
  • Combination or Oraye and Ranger will be big. Is this Hennessy’s breakout game?
  • They’ve averaged almost 2 interceptions per game. If they can get one early, it would be a huge boost.

 

Les Flamants Fous

  • Contain Grandison, force him to make awkward throws on the run.
  • Don’t give up the big play.
  • Schaefer needs another big game – continue to mix in a bunch of different receivers and not focus on one or two.
  • Thomas Coutu will need to have a few sacks as well as contribute on offence.

Prediction: 20 – 14 Texas BareManz

 

Division 5B – Quarterfinal Matchups

 

  • (1) Moss City vs. (6) Black Knights

Previous matchup: 20-18 Moss City

This previous matchup happened all the way back in Week 1, and I’ll say it again, we did not see the real Black Knights back then. Arno Desjardins did not play in that game, so it’s tough to compare then and now. Stephane Larosiliere has come a long way since game 1 and has developed a much better rapport with his receiving group. Ultimately, there is enough skill and athleticism to go around, but give me size to win out in this one.

Keys to Victory:

Moss City

  • I don’t know that they will win a lot of jump balls in this one – I think the strategy will be catch and run and try to break a few tackles.
  • Contain Dynell Pierre.
  • They didn’t get many sacks in the regular season, maybe try to switch up personell? Taller rushers tend to work well come playoffs.

 

Black Knights

  • Stay focused and don’t beat yourselves.
  • Larosilliere to spread the ball around, use Dynell Pierre and co. to make plays.
  • Take advantage of their size on defense and make things uncomfortable for the Moss City offense.

Prediction: 32 – 20 Black Knights

 

  • (2) Takeover vs. (4) Mogadishu Pirates

Previous matchup: N/A

Another matchup, this time in 5B, that did not see a Part 1. I’ve said it before, but Nikki Papich is a huge X-Factor here and can take over the game. That being said, I watched Takeover beat up on the Punishers in Round 1 and they made a very good team look pedestrian, so I would be crazy to take them lightly. Takeover plays a very solid team game, especially defensively and Ian Einheiber has proven that he can pick on any defense in front of him. The Pirates did well against Affreux in Round 1, but if I have learned anything from the first round it is that experience often trumps anything else. It’s hard not to lean in Takeover’s favor here.

Keys to Victory:

Takeover

  • Einheiber and Power have to bring it, but more so on defense for Power.
  • Shut down Papich at all costs. I would even consider putting Power on him and trying to play 5 on 5.
  • Joe Kano can throw picks when under pressure. The rusher will need to contribute. If he’s invisible out there, huge advantage for the Pirates.

 

Mogadishu Pirates

  • Alex Lutfy, Tim Horner and Justin Peress will have to step up.
  • No turnovers for Kano.
  • Papich will surely have an impact, but the Pirates shouldn’t force feed him the ball. Take what the defense gives them.

Prediction: 28-20 Takeover

 

  • (1) Wrecking Crew vs. (7) Super Saiyans

Previous matchup: N/A

It’s great to see a lot of matchups in 5B that have not happened in the regular season because it should add another level of excitement. Neither team has faced each other before, so it will be interesting to see how they adapt to each other. I had the opportunity to watch Wrecking Crew and they really brought Team Y.S. to school. The game really demonstrated that the two teams differed greatly in FPF experience and had a men vs. boys feel. I tip my hat to Team Y.S. though on an exciting first season in the league. They will only improve moving forward. When it comes to their matchup with the Saiyans, it will be a whole different animal. This game should be a lot closer as both teams know what it takes to win. Allard vs. Harripersaud, let’s go.

Keys to Victory:

Wrecking Crew

  • No Turnovers for Harripersaud
  • Stay away from Kolethras and Allard
  • Get into Allard’s head early with a quick sack or turnover
  • Avoid big plays on defense so that they do not have to play catch up.

 

Super Saiyans

  • Jordan Allard to use his legs to spare time and have his receivers get open
  • Jon McQueen and GM Kolethras need to be the leaders they can be on defense
  • They have been somewhat hot and cold throughout the year. If things don’t go well off the start, make the proper adjustments and not wait.
  • Gianni Johnston should have a big game on both sides of the ball. Harripersaud gets the ball out quickly, so just need to get in his face and cause chaos more so than go for the sack.

Prediction: 26-25 Super Saiyans

 

  • (3) The Process vs. (6) Blue Team

Previous matchup: N/A

Both teams are coming off an impressive win against a good team, this game could go either way. For Blue Team, it looks like Alexandre Raymond is their guy as he took the majority of snaps under center against TDs and Beer. Either way, the fact that they have two capable QBs should provide a small cloud of mystery for the Process. David Horwood was the center of attention as usual and had a solid game, and he will need to keep rolling in this one if Blue Team wants to have a good chance. The Process finished the season strong and look like a tough team to beat and I don’t see myself picking against them.

Keys to Victory:

The Process

  • Their studs need to step up – Sananes, Borden, Groper need to lead this team
  • Sananes should not shy away from using his legs in key situations
  • Redzone offense needs to be improved, game may come down to extra points
  • Contain David Horwood

 

Blue Team

  • Nothing fancy – stick to sound football which what got them to this game
  • Supporting cast needs to step up. This isn’t a game that Horwood can win by himself.
  • Clock management. I don’t think they can compete if this game turns into a shootout.

Prediction: 27-25 The Process