Division A and Division B Top 25 Questions

Welcome to the Spring FlagPlus Football season. It feels like we’ve been gone for a minute, but in reality, it has only been two weeks. The turn-around from the winter campaign to the current one is quick.

Since the last time we met, the Braves won the Division 1 championship, while Urgence Medic did the same in Division 2. Both teams are back this season, with Urgence Medic changing their name to Royaume Luminaire, and finally making the jump to Division A.

Speaking of changes and Division A, we finally have more than six teams, as the number has jumped to nine. This creates a better brand of football, and more entertaining games to watch, call, and write about. That is a solid step in the right direction. Hopefully we will see double digits next year.

Division B is stacked with 10 teams. There are some regulars in Blessed, Run It Once, and the B-raves, some new ones with some familiar faces in Poseidon’s Kiss, Beers and Brownies, Ambush, and some others who moved up from Division C, in the Silent Ticklers, Mangoose, EZW, and Beer Belly Brigade.

The excitement was in the air, as the new season kicked off last Sunday. Instead of doing a traditional preview and recap article, I want to look at some of the biggest questions that face both divisions this year. Twenty was not enough, and fifty was too many, so I settled on 25.

Can the Braves repeat as Division A champions?

The field is as strong as ever, with eight other teams looking to become king of the mountain, including last year’s runners up and the Braves chief rival, in the Allstars. The former just beat the latter for the Division 1 title, and then tied them last Sunday in Laval, so maybe we already know the answer to the question.

Will the Braves and Allstars be playing championship weekend?

Both teams squared off to start the regular season, and just like that we had our first tie of the year. Due to the lack of teams clamoring to play Division 1, it would usually be safe to assume that either or both teams would make the Division A Finals. But, as I said above, this year is different with more squads added to the mix. Star City, The Jamesons, #NR, among others will have a say on who plays the final Div. A game of the year.

Which under the radar team poses the biggest threat?

We’ve seen them play as the Vultures in Division C, and most recently as G.I.H.F in Division 2, but the answer to this question could be Ambush in Division B. With a young, fast, and hungry Quarterback still looking for his first FPF championship in Ben McMahon, along with an arsenal of weapons at Receiver in Kevin Donnet, the returning Semerjian brothers in Rory and Sean, and the reigning Division 1 Receiver of the year in James Drysdale, this could be the team that knocks off one of the heavyweights in Div. B.

Beer and Brownies, is a collection of standout players, led by the man of 1000 teams Ignacio Valdes Manzanedo (IGGY) at Quarterback. Can they knock off one of the heavyweights and claim the Division B title?

Is this the year Jeff Rosenblatt gets the monkey off his back?

I was going to say pulls a Steve Young, but I realize that possibly half of the people reading this might only know the HOF QB from his role as an analyst on Monday Night Football, and not as a legendary Quarterback, and heir to the real GOAT Joe Montana. As it relates to one of the good guys in FPF, Rosenblatt, has reached the Semi-Finals multiple times, including both this past winter and last spring season, but he has yet to punch his ticket to championship weekend, let alone win one. One of the hardest working recruiters in the league, he is at it once again, as he added Rusher Francois Hogue, and FPF HOF and the man with the most championships, in Kevin Wyeth. Could we see Rosenblatt pulling the fake monkey off his jersey on the sideline in the championship game?

How far can Rocco Christiano bring Poseidon’s Kiss?

The solid Receiver and lower division Quarterback makes the jump to Division B, taking over for Joey Taylor. He is surrounded by weapons at Receiver in Alexandre Poulin-Rioux, Raffaele Morelli, Dom Benevento, and the criminally underrated Joel Malkin. Can he lead his team to the promised land? Let’s see what happens.

Who is the favorite to win Division B?

The Moretti Crime Family is no more, so we will get a new champion. This division has a lot of new teams and a ton of big names. After the dust settles, this could be the most exciting division in FPF. If I had to pick a team right now, I would go with…Wait to the end of the article.

Will we see any more suspensions this year?

The answer to this question is hopefully not, as several teams were affected by the mid-season suspension of various big-name players. I’ve always enjoyed playing and watching a physical brand of football, and who doesn’t like a little trash-talking here and there, but let’s keep it smart and classy gentlemen. This is a violent game, and tension along with tempers naturally get a little high, but we all must get up and go to work the next morning. More importantly, we are all paying to play, and are here to have fun. Let’s keep it that way, and leave the fake tough guy act off the field.

Who will win Defensive Player of the Year in Division A?

We know the big names in AJ Gomes, Anthony Brisebois, Mathieu Lepage, Mike Pierrecin, but what about players like Marvin Steinberg, Tristan Fleury, Sanders Armand, and Jeanslee Alexis? A lot of great players to choose from. The winner of the award will have definitely earned it.

Will we see a second onside pass/run play be added next year?

Yeah, so I cheated on this one. I brought this up to Leo Gervais mid-season, and we both agreed that there should be two per game, provided you have two timeouts. Out of the all the people I talked to about his topic, there was only one person who was against it. More on him in a moment. I think it makes sense. This is our version of an onside kick. We literally just changed the second word. Unlike the latter, this is more exciting because it has a higher chance of being successful. The “this is too gimmicky” argument doesn’t hold water. Most players loved the current version as it leads to more offense (which is what this league and flag football is built on), and it usually is an important and exciting play because it almost always occurs during crunch time. I think we will be going to two onside plays in the 2024 Winter Season. What do you guys think?

Who will win Receiver of the Year in Division B?

James Drysdale, AJ Gomes, Anthony Brisebois, Mike Pierrecin, Samuel Emilio Pelchat, Felix Boutet, Adam Rosen, Daniel Mancini, Louis-Philip Thibodeau, Thomas Coutu, Jean-Christophe Ferland, Joel Malkin? Those are just a few of the names who put up big numbers on a yearly basis and can take over a game at a moment’s notice. The fight for this award will be a tough one.

Will another Quarterback join Kevin Wyeth, Jonathan Maheu, and Dan Lazzara among the elite?

We have been teased before by several passers, but no one has consistently placed themselves in that rare air. Is this the year that QBs like Jeff Rosenblatt, Stephen Harripersaud, and Frédéric Dupuis kick in the door and put their name and their games at that level fulltime?

Who will win Receiver of the Year in Division A?

Quaysie Gordon-Maule, Manu Allard-Roy, James Drysdale, Alex Pilon, Patrick Jérome, AJ Gomes, Will Power, Emile Taillefer, Paul Lapierre, Phil Pharand, Emile Beaudoin, Nicholas Groppini, and James Ohayon. Those are just a few of the elite pass-catchers in Div. A. Who will take home the award?

Who will be the next breakout player?

Over the last few seasons, we have seen players like James Drysdale, Fritzgerald Cenatus, Marvin Steinberg, William Trottier, Will Power, Quaid Johnson, turn in dominant performances and become elite players in front of our eyes. Who will be the next players to become household names in FPF’s top two divisions? A couple of players to keep an eye on are Jafar Hassan, Demario Cooper, Samuel Lapierre, Emile Chateauvert, Anthony Drysdale, Nicholas Groppini, and Charles-Olivier Lavigne.

Who will win Defensive Player of the Year in Division A?

Who will finish with the most sacks in Division A and Division B

Matt Kirouac, Julien Paiement, Francois Hogue, Isiah Allard, Gabe D’Amico-Mazza, Mike Zenobi, Jerry Beauboeuf, Francois Hogue, Isaac Paquette, Julien Proulx. As you can see by this list, picking a sack leader won’t be easy.

Will the returning #NR, establish themselves as a force once again?

This isn’t Jordan Moses, Jeremy Anderson, Andrew Holowach, and Lance Daniel’s No Regard, that won multiple championships. The latest version appears deep, and more skilled, as team architects Kendal Mayers, Travis Moses, and Corey Pecker return with some solid additions in both Ryan and Rashawn Perry, Kenny Baye, Ryan Dobbs-Garnett, and seven-time All-Star Jordan McLaren.

They are (0-1) after a loss to Bless Up but have a chance to get into the win column as they take on Star City Monday night, in what should be an entertaining game.

Who will win Defensive Player of the Year in Division B?

Tysen Otis Copeland, Guillaume Ranger, Oliver Suri, Anthony Drysdale, or perhaps Will Power. The possibilities are endless, as there are numerous players capable of taking home the award.

What other milestones will fall?

AJ Gomes surpassed 15,000 receiving yards last week. After Week 1, Jeff Rosenblatt and Phil Cutler are now number three and four respectively in the FPF all-time passing yards and have a chance to jump into the top three, and Kevin Wyeth is closing in on 100,000 passing yards for regular season and playoffs combined. Will Matt Kirouac surpass 300 regular season sacks? Will Pat Jérome hit career touchdown number 600? Stay tuned.

Who will win Two-Way Player of the Year in Division A and B?

Pat Jérome, Justin Lerner, AJ Gomes, Matt Kirouac, Phil Cutler, Jesse Dupuis, Anthony Brisebois, Thomas Coutu, Alex Pilon. These are just some of the names who have won it in the past few seasons. Will we see some others added to the list?

Will we have better field options in the winter season?

I hope so. No offense to anyone that lives near Complex Marie-Victorin, but that is just far. Especially when you consider that nothing is going on at Lachine/Catalogna, and rumour has it that the condos that are supposed to replace our beloved original homebase, might face yet another delay. Maybe we can do another send-off video this time next year.

Who will win Quarterback of the year in Division B?

Stephen Harripersaud, Jesse Dupuis, Jeff Rosenblatt, Jordan Panetta, Ignacio Valdes Manzanedo (Iggy), and Phil Cutler. There are a lot of familiar names from last season. Perhaps, we see Nicolas Blais of EZW, or Alexandre Fafard of Beer Belly Brigade take home the award.

Who is the biggest addition to a Division A and B team this year?

The B-raves added a solid duo in Nicky Farinaccio and Guillaume Ranger. The Party Crashers did the same with the additions of CFL players and former McGill Redbirds in Vincent Dethier and Tristian Fleury. The Allstars added a player who many think is the next standout player in Fritzgerald Cenatus, as well as solid two-way player Vincent Malo.

The addition of Julien Proulx to Blessed might have flown under a few radars, but if you have seen him play, you will know that there are maybe only a handful of players faster than him in FPF. Having that speed at Rush, will be huge for an already talented defense.

Multiple teams have added players, which has always been a theme here in FPF. Having a core is key in football, but adding new players who can not only make your team deeper, can step in and make an impact is just as important.

Who will solidify their HOF case this year?

Jesse Dupuis, Hinsley Adams, Marc-André Lapointe, Quaysie Gordon-Maule, Julien Paiement, Jordan Panetta. There are several players deserving of the honor. Putting up great numbers, and/or adding a championship this season will be the two biggest factors. Who will get it done?

Who will win the Division A title?

We have only played one week, and while this pick might change in my head a million times, in print and on record, I am going with the Allstars.

Who will win the Division B title?

After not going out on a limb with my Division A pick, I will do it for Div. B, as I am going with Run It Once. The team lost James Ohayon and Sanders Armand, but they added a ton of championship experience in Kevin Wyeth and Phil Cutler, along with playmakers on both sides of the ball in Francois Hogue and Skylar Bayliff.

Picks

KGP vs Braves – Braves

Party Crashers vs KGP – Party Crashers

#NR vs Star City – Star City (My pick for Game of the Week in Division A)

The Jamesons vs Allstars – Allstars

Royaume Luminaire vs Bless Up – Bless Up

B-raves vs Silent Ticklers – Silent Ticklers (Upset Special and My Pick for Game of the Week in Division B)

Run It Once vs Blessed – Run It Once

Beers and Brownies vs Ambush – Ambush

Poseidon’s Kiss vs Beer Belly Brigade – Beer Belly Brigade

Mangoose vs EZW – Mangoose

Ambush vs Run it Once – Run It Once

Last Week: N/A

It feels good to be back. Week 1 was fun, let’s keep it going. That is it for this week. Good to everybody in their games tomorrow and this week!

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