Division 6 Mid-Season Report: Group B

Earlier this week I released my FlagPlus Football Division 6 Group A Mid-Season Report. As promised, here is Group B. This cluster is interesting in that it has the three highest scoring teams in all of Div. 6, in Cheat Squad, Demons, and Free Agent Squad.

On the other side of the coin, all ten Group B teams combined have given up 967 points, the most out of all three groups. The truth between how good or bad this group really is lies somewhere in the middle.

Here is the Mid-Season Report for Group B:

Demons (4-1)

They have a gritty signature win over the next team on the list in Cheat Squad. The seven-point victory was a premonition, as they also knocked off Chomedey Chodes by the same margin a week later.

The one blemish they have on their record is a 1-point loss to Fire & Blood in Week 3, but the Demons were able to follow that up with a two-game winning streak, as they shutout QUEENS, and held the Cavaliers du Rohan to 12 points.

Looking ahead at their remaining schedule, they have a big matchup in Week 10 versus Free Agent Squad, in a game that could decide first in Group B, and a showdown with the Royals on the final Monday of the season. With 12 players on the roster, the Demons have the depth to go toe-to-toe with anyone.

Team MVP: Max Guenette – The second-year passer has put himself in position to be the best QB in Division 6, as he is tied for second in touchdowns with 17 and leads all passers in completion percentage (67.35) and QB Rating (117.5). The race to see who will end up with the Quarterback of the Year Award will be edge of your seat entertainment.

Cheat Squad (4-1) The only loss they have suffered is a (32-25) defeat to the Demons in Week 1. Since then, the team has rattled off four straight wins. Their streak has been highlighted by a stellar defense which has given up 13 points a game and has surrendered more than two touchdowns just once.

To keep up their solid play, Quarterback William Gillespie will need to cut down on interceptions as he has already thrown seven. On the flip side, the second-year passer has done a good job of delivering the ball to his playmakers and let them do their thing in both the short and deep passing game.

First place is still within reach for Cheat Squad despite their loss to the Demons, as they have big contests against Free Agent Squad, Cavaliers du Rohan, and Chomedey Chodes. Let’s see how they do.

Team MVP: Dominic Weidner – He leads the team in several important categories including defensive touchdowns, interceptions, receiving yards, yard per catch, and targets. His presence gives the team a playmaker on both sides of the ball, and he is a key part of their successful first half.   

Free Agent Squad (3-0)

This team could be classified as one of the surprises of the first half of the season so far, as they have the fourth ranked offense and the number one defense. An asterisk needs to be put beside the second category, as they have only played three games, but their offense led by Quarterback Tyler Stewart appears to be legit.

I must give credit to Stewart, as the QB who hasn’t even played a full calendar year at the position, looks to have improved mightily since the Fall Cup. He has seemingly made the transition from a pivot who looked to take off and run if his first read wasn’t there, and someone who would be inaccurate under pressure, to a player who has found both rhythm and confidence.  

On defense, both Stewart and Dustin Best, have been ballhawks, as the duo has three interceptions and a touchdown each. They are joined by Louis Messier-Lavallee, who has one INT returned for a TD, and four sacks. What makes his performance even more impressive, is the fact that he has only played two games.

A bonus for this squad is they have the best collection of names. Peeze and Eagle lead the line, but West-Lee Bluesz should result in an extra win for the team.

Team MVP: The names (I am joking) Tyler Stewart – I thought about going with Dustin Best, but I went with Stewart. In addition to his take-aways on defense, he has also accounted for 13 touchdowns. If you portray his stats over a full season, he is in line for 40 TDs.

Royals (2-2)

They started the season with blowout victories over QUEENS and the Cavaliers du Rohan. The good times ended right after however, as they are currently on a two-game losing streak after getting crushed by Cheat Squad and suffering a six-point loss to Free Agent Squad.

Getting back on track and returning to their winning ways will be key for this squad. Doing so shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish as they take on DG Shootas and Flag Dealers, but things get much tougher with games against Demons, Chomedey Chodes, Fire & Blood, and Pigeons. To solidify a spot in the post-season, the Royals will need to at least win three of those games.

Team MVP: Massimo Rosati – Hitting double-digit sacks is hard to do but Rasati leads all Rushers with 10, which is impressive.  

Cavaliers du Rohan (2-3)

Defensively, this team has given up 104 points which is pretty good, as it means they have given up an average of three touchdowns a game. Their unit is good at getting pass deflections, as they sit in the top three in Group B with 14.

On offense, it appears that the team is going with Kevin Hébert-Pedulla at Quarterback, after he took over for Hugo Déraspe. The former has eight TD passes and six INTs. That ratio isn’t great, so the fifth-year player will need to cut down on the turnovers if he and the team will want to get to the playoffs and go far.

Team MVP: Antoine Bonin – It was a toss up between Bonin and teammate Clarence Roberge. I went with Bonin, as he leads the team in tackles (12), yards per catch (13.5 – minimum three receptions), and both offensive and defensive touchdowns with four and one respectively.

On a totally separate note, I am a Lord of the Rings and Hobbit fan, so I appreciate the team’s name.

Chomedey Chodes (2-3)

Through five games, this squad has the look of a team who can beat the lesser teams in Div. 6, as evidenced by wins over Flag Dealers and DG Shootas, but has trouble beating anyone else, as losses to the Demons, Cheat Squad and Cavaliers du Rohan have shown. In defense of the Chomedey Chodes, at least two of those losses were one-possession games.

The second half of the season should give this team a chance to prove that narrative wrong, as they take on Free Agent Squad and the Royals.

Team MVP: Johnathan Botazzi – He leads all Div. 6 Receivers with eight TD catches and appears to be one of those players I talked about earlier in the season who can take his game to a higher level in another division. 

Fire & Blood (2-1)

Out of the teams that have played only three games, both Fire & Blood and the Texas Whales have given up the most points with 53. When looking at the teams they have played so far, they have a solid 1-point win over the Demons, and a blowout victory over QUEENS, to go along with a one-possession loss to SKOL in Week 1. That tells me that this squad could be a low-key good one. Over course the sample size is small, but upcoming contests against the Cavaliers du Rohan, Cheat Squad, and Free Agent Squad over the next month will tell us exactly what kind of team they are.

Team MVP: Nicolas Katerelos – Ten touchdown passes to only four interceptions, and a near 63% completion percentage is a pretty good start to the season for the fourth-year Quarterback. With weapons at Receiver in Julien Pacheco, Jean-Daniel Ratté, Vincent Walsh, and Charles-Antoine Nadeau, this offense which comes into this weekend averaging 26 points a game, has a chance to be special if they can build off their start.

QUEENS (1-4)

They have the worst offense in the group with 45 points, and they along with the Winded Warriors are the only teams in Division 6 not to surpass the 50-point plateau even though both have played five games.

To find some sort of ignition for their offense, the team will need to complete more than 38% of their passes. A key to improving that is to avoid the drops that have plagued the team’s Receivers this season. Out of the 93 throws that Quarterback Mathias Cofsky has attempted so far this year, the team’s pass-catchers have dropped 58 of them. Naturally, 19 of those were pass deflections including a jaw-dropping 10 versus the Demons (how does that happen?) and even throw aways, but that still is a large number.

Team MVP: Mathias Cofsky – I wanted to go with Arnaud Charlier as the rookie has posted five sacks, but I am going with the only offensive weapon the team has in Cofsky, as his ability to create separation in the run game and has helped him as a QB, where he has only thrown six touchdown passes. In essence, he is virtually the only consistent playmaker the unit has.

Flag Dealers (1-4) This team is literally a play or two away from being (3-2), as they suffered close losses to the Jurassic Park Rangers and Chomedey Chodes. Luckily for this squad, they have a chance to right the ship and climb the standings as they face Free Agent Squad, Fire & Blood, Demons, QUEENS, and Cheat Squad – all teams who are above them in Group B.

To add more notches in the win column, the Flag Dealers will need to deal out some defense, as the 139 points they have surrendered so far, are the second most in all of Division 6 behind only the Chomedey Chodes. Doing so, will low this squad to climb the standings and possibly get into the post-season. Can they do it?

Team MVP: Serge Hayek – This team has trouble getting off the field on defense, put their offense is the strong point of this squad. Leading the way on that side of the ball is Hayek, who leads the Flag Dealers in targets (30), receptions (19) yards (306) and touchdowns with seven. Hayek and teammate Mike Sirhan will have to hold things down offensively until the defense can find their footing.

DG Shootas (0-4) – I have said repeatedly that I think they are the most talented winless squad in all of Division 6, but it still doesn’t change the fact that they have yet to win a game, and the clock is ticking on the time they have left to do exactly that.

On the defensive side of the ball the despite giving up 118 points, the team has shown promise, as it has recorded six interceptions including a pick-six by Defensive Back Dimitri Christopoulos. Rusher Lucca Simondi is starting to heat up too, as he has three sacks in his last two games. Let’s see if they can take that momentum and turn it into wins.

Team MVP: Jordan Cheng – He has thrown two touchdowns, caught a pair, and is second on the team with five tackles. Out of the 63 points the team has scored this season, he has accounted for 24 of them. That’s why he is my choice for team MVP.

Picks

Show Me Dem TDies vs Cavaliers du Rohan – Cavaliers du Rohan (Upset Special)

DG Shootas vs Fire & Blood – Fire & Blood

Pigeons vs Les Flags Daddies – Pigeons

SKOL vs Winded Warriors – SKOL

Le Speakeasy vs Texas Whales – Le Speakeasy

ALLBALL vs Mutation – ALLBALL (My Pick for Game of the Week)

Last Week: (2-1)

Season: (21-13)

That is it for this week. Next week I will wrap up the Mid-Season Report with Group C. Hopefully by then everyone will have played five games. Good luck to everyone in their games tonight, tomorrow and this 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.