Division 6: Final Four Semi-Final Preview

We are officially down to the final four teams who will do battle for the FlagPlus Football Division 6 championship, as SKOL, Demons, Pigeons, and Meat Fiddlers, all punched their way to the Semi-Finals tomorrow night in Laval.

Before we go into the matchups, let’s look at how all four teams got here. SKOL showed why they have been the top team in the division all year long as they demolished Towers FT (54-18) last Sunday night. Filling in for the second week in a row for starter Hugo Stensland at Quarterback, was Francis Dumontier. After throwing five touchdown passes in their Quarter-Final win over the Tex4s Chooches, Dumintier, nearly doubled his totals against Towers FT, as the second-year passer threw a jaw-dropping eight TD passes.

The SKOL defense didn’t have to do much with that offensive output, but they still made plays. The unit picked off Towers FT Quarterback Davide Bartolucci three times and held the team to 1 for 3 on fourth down attempts.

The Demons used a strong second half effort on defense to reach the semis, as they intercepted Fire & Blood Quarterback Nicolas Katerelos three times after the break, including two by Ryan Casey to roll to a (33-24) victory. 

 A crucial four-play sequence sealed the game for the Demons as with about five minutes remaining, they got a 28-yard touchdown reception from Ben Eglencyan. After they missed the 1-point conversion, one play later, Jeremy Methot Pizzi picked off Katerelos and ran it back for a touchdown. Receiver Zayden Kung’u would add the 2-point convo. A 14-point swing in four plays is a killer for any team, especially in the dying moments of the game.

The Pigeons managed to squeeze by Les Super Turbo Navets, as their defense got a chance at redemption. After giving up a late touchdown to their opponents putting LSTN down by eight points, the latter elected to go for an onside attempt, but were unsuccessful.

After the failed possession gave the Pigeons the ball at their opponents five-yard line, they had a chance to put the game on ice, but the Les Super Turbo Navets defense rose to the occasion as they forced a four and out highlighted by a seven-yard sack by Rusher Vincent Bolullo.

With four plays left in the game, the Pigeons defense now had to save their team from defeat. Things got off to rough start as they gave up a 17-yard reception to Receiver Charles Beauchemin, giving life and confidence to their opponents.

The unit would tighten up after that, as they would force two incompletions and a sack to end the game. Big time teams make plays in critical moments, and that is exactly what the Pigeons did.

The Meat Fiddlers punched their ticket to tomorrow after ALLBALL forfeited their Quarter-Final game. In all likelihood, they were just delaying the inevitable, as very few people if any, thought they could pull off what would have been a massive upset.

With one more sleep until the Semi-Finals, let’s break down the matchups:

(1) SKOL versus (6) Demons

Previous Meeting: N/A

Both teams lock horns for the first time tomorrow night. This is an intriguing matchup in a variety of ways, as not only is a ticket to the championship on the line, but both teams are arguably the tallest in all of Div 6. The slight edge in this area actually goes to the Demons.

The battle of the Quarterbacks will be one to watch as SKOL’s Hugo Stensland and Max Guenette of the Demons couldn’t be more different. The former is a prototypical pocket pass who has the size to air the ball out deep routinely. If SKOL goes with Dumintier once again, that won’t be a problem, as he has proven up to the task the last two weeks, and you could make the argument that he might be a slight upgrade as a pure QB. His skill set and style of play alsos matches that of Stensland, so the switch won’t throw off the rhythm.

For what Guenette lacks in height, he makes up for it with his speed, agility, precision passing, and the skill to shred opposing defenses with his legs. His ability to create time with his scrambling prowess, is unmatched. Most important of all, he has to be coming into tomorrow with a boatload of confidence after winning the Quarterback of the Year Award.

Both teams have playmakers on both sides of the ball in names like Vincent Hamel, Alexandre Dumontier, Antoine Côté, Simon Bastos, Ben Eglencyan, Liam Del Guidice, and Zayden Kung’u. They should also be full of confidence as including both regular season and playoffs, SKOL has blown out their opponents in all but four games this year.

When looking at the Demons, they finally shed the narrative that they haven’t beat a good team as they knocked off a legit championship contender in Fire & Blood, who came into their matchup on a six-game winning streak.

A veteran squad in SKOL, versus a predominantly rookie team in the Demons. I have said that the former has been the best team in Div. 6 all year, and their experience makes a difference, as does their number one defensive rating. That top unit taking on the freshly minted QB of the Year. You can’t ask for more than that. I think defense wins this matchup, and I am going with SKOL in what I expect to be a tight game.

Prediction: SKOL (32-28)

(2) Meat Fiddlers versus (3) Pigeons

Previous Meeting: Meat Fiddlers (25-19) Week 1

In the first meeting between both teams, the Meat Fiddlers pulled out the victory as they outscored their opponents (12-6) in the second half in what was the first game of the year for either squad. Two interceptions by Pigeon’s Quarterback Anthony Del Peschio, and a fourth down 35-yard touchdown pass from Meat Fiddler’s QB Manny Bizogias to Receiver Jack Tessari, was too much for the Pigeons to overcome.

That game was solid, but it was also four months ago. Both teams have gotten immeasurably better since then and come into tomorrow’s matchup playing their best football of the year.

These teams so are so similar. They both finished with a (9-1) record in Group C. They can attack defenses with speed and solid route running, and they have Quarterbacks who can do some damage with their legs as well as their arms.

Neither side lacks playmakers at Receiver, as their the top four pass-catchers in Kevin Scalia, Leo Diakoumakos, Dario Brown, and Jack Tessari for the Meat Fiddlers, and Luca Chiricosta, Mass Chiricosta, Alessandro Chiricosta, and Steven Parisi of the Pigeons have made game-changing plays for their teams all year. If I had to pick a side, I would give the slight edge to the Pigeons.

The one area where these teams are separated is on defense. The Meat Fiddlers have the slight advantage in points, as they have allowed 122 compared to 127. Turnovers are a completely different story as the Pigeons lead in both categories with 30 interceptions compared to just 18 for the Meat Fiddlers when looking at playoff eligible players.

There is also a big discrepancy in sacks, as Dario Brown, Leo Diakoumakos, and Jack Tessari have combined for six sacks in the regular season, while Andrea Aquino of the Pigeons has 14. It should be noted that he hasn’t played in the team’s last three games. It goes without saying that his presence will be huge as he can rush Bizogias both in and outside the pocket. Perhaps the passer will use the experience of losing the QB of the Year award as extra motivation.

I think he will, but I also think defense wins championships, and that’s why I am going with the Pigeons to avenge their season-opening loss, in what I think will be the game of the week in all of Division 6.

Prediction: Pigeons (32-30)

Picks

SKOL vs Demons – SKOL

Pigeons vs Meat Fiddlers – Pigeons (Upset Special and my pick for Game of the Week)

Last Week: (3-1)

Playoffs: (7-1)

The All-Stars were announced earlier this week, Congrats to all those who were in consideration, as well as those who took home the honors:

Max Guenette (Demons) Best Quarterback

Jonathan Bottazzi (Chomedey Chodes) – Best Receiver

Vincent Richard (Le Speakeasy) – Best Defensive Player

Manny Bizogias (Meat Fiddlers) Best Two-Way Player

That is it for this week. Good luck to everyone in their games tomorrow. One more week until the Finals. The Road Show will be kicking off next week.

Don’t forget, if you haven’t registered for the Spring Season, you need to do so ASAP, because registration ends tomorrow!

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.