Categories: Division ADivision BSpring

Division A/B: Heartbreak, Redemption, and Welcome Back To Me

Welcome to Week 9 of the FlagPlus Football season.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have one more week remaining in the regular season. Due to some shifting of the schedule a few weeks ago, the Braves and Chernobyl – 21 have already played their final games. While those two teams have solidified playoff berths as well as their seedings, several of the remaining eight teams spread across Division A and B have not.

One of the teams that did wrap up their spot in the dance was Urgence Médic, who fought tooth and nail for a (34-33) win over Here For The Beers, in what was a game of the year candidate.

This game featured a lot of back-and-forth scoring, as both teams traded big plays repeatedly throughout the contest.

As they always do when playing Urgence Médic, conversions played a big role, as UM went 3 for 5 including a perfect 2 for 2 in the second half, while Here For The Beers went 3 for 5 and 0 for 2 respectively.

This game came down to two crucial redzone plays. For Here For The Beers, after getting an interception by Defensive Back Chris Milard off of Urgence Médic Quarterback Jesse Dupuis, the team would find themselves deep inside their opponent’s territory curtesy of a clutch fourth down 39-yard catch and run pass from Quarterback Sean Avraam to the league’s self-proclaimed best Snapper Dom Benevento.

After a 5-yard run by Avraam sandwiched in between two incomplete passes, the QB was intercepted in the endzone by Alexis Gaumont on a throw that went right into the DB’s chest. The mistake would prove costly for Here For The Beers, as after back-to-back catches by Julien Bellavance and J.D Chevalier, Joel Houle would score his seventh touchdown of the season, on a 15-yard pass from Dupuis. The former McGill Receiver added more salt to the wound, as he would also score the 2-point convo for his team to give them a (34-27) lead.

Getting the ball back on the game’s final drive, Here For The Beers needed to score. After starting the possession with two straight incompletions, they were bailed out on third down by a pass interference call against J.D. Chevalier on a pass intended for Milard. The penalty gave HFTB a free 14 yards and a new set of downs.

Looking to go at Chevalier again on the very next play, Avraam targeted Milard once more, but Chevalier was able to knock the pass away. After a completion of six yards to Benevento, the HFTB offense got a pickup of 17 yards by Receiver Marco Bertoldi who brought the ball inside the five-yard line.

On the very next play, the offense found paydirt, as Avraam would hit Milard for a 3-yard touchdown.

Down by one, with one play remaining, Here For The Beers now had the ultimate decision to make. Go for 1-point conversion and settle for a tie, or go for the 2-point convo and get the win. To the surprise of no one, they went for the victory.

Unfortunately for Here For The Beers, the try was unsuccessful. Final score Urgence Médic (34-33).

It was an excruciatingly tough loss for Here For The Beers, but at the same time it was proof that they can hang with the top team in Division B.

Moving on to a game that wasn’t close in the least bit, after a month straight of losses and an offense that was seemingly putting up more turnovers than points on the board, BYOB, snapped out of their funk, and earned a (38-7) victory over KGP.

In defense of KGP, they were without their starting Quarterback in Phil Cutler, and the team also didn’t have the services of Backup QB Liam Mahoney.

Filling in at the game’s most important position was Quaysie Gordon-Maule. The former Concordia Stinger last played Quarterback on a regular basis back in the 2020 Winter Season for Brotherhood Lite. Unfortunately for the 1-time All-Star, he wasn’t playing a Division 5A defense.

Led by Mathieu Lepage, Jonathan Grizzley, and Sébastien Crisi-Lauzon, the BYOB defense intercepted Gordon-Maule four times, and held him to a Week 9 low 83 yards and a 50.9 QB Rating. They also only allowed the KGP offense to complete more than two passes in a row once the entire game.

The only positive for KGP, was that they did not get shutout, as they were able to score a 1-yard touchdown by Receiver Julien Paiement halfway through the second half on a fourth and three play.

Offensively for BYOB, the performance was the breakout game they needed, as Quarter Mathieu René completed 16 of 26 passes for 183 yards and five touchdowns. Looking like the dual-threat of old, he also added a 28-yard TD run to the stat sheet.

Simply put, René, his offense, and the team in general, have not looked this good since their (43-25) victory over Chernobyl – 21 all the way back in Week 1.

More important than the win and the confidence builder that it surely provided, is the fact that the team now sits in the fifth and final playoff spot in Division B, two points up on Here For The Beers. BYOB could take a stranglehold on the post-season spot, if they knock off HFTB, as both teams square off in a huge matchup this Monday night in Brossard. Let’s see who comes out on top.

I honestly thought we were going to do it. I was really hoping we would be able to avoid it, but we finally got our first tie of the season. The honor goes to the All-Stars and Chernobyl – 21, who battled to a (33-33) draw.

This was an entertaining game to say the least, as it delivered a pick-six by Matt Bond off Kevin Wyeth, two 40-yard touchdown receptions by All-Stars’ Receivers Kishon Thompson, and Matt Kirouac, both teams combine to go 1 for 5 on the always exciting 4th down attempts, and saw each offense end their final drive with an interception.    

Despite getting a valuable point from it, pretty much everybody can agree that ties suck. A tie feels almost the same as a loss, hence when it happens, you see a boatload of disappointed faces.

Looking at the big picture, the one point gained in the Div. A standings by the All-Stars was big, as it kept them 1 point behind Khantraband for second place. With only one game remaining (vs KGP), the All-Stars must win, and hope that Khantraband losses both of their final games when they take on the Junkyard Dogs and BYOB.

Like many of you, I made my comeback to FPF this season as well. Last Sunday while watching the Braves versus Khantraband game, I was asked to sub for my friend Gino Di Fazio’s Co-Ed team, Ying & Yang. I haven’t played since the week before we shut down during the first wave of Covid-19. I wanted to say no at first because I didn’t have any of my gear with me, and I was rusty after having not played in 17 month. As I stood there, I literally thought to myself for 30 seconds and said, dude, you know you want to play, just go do it. So, I dashed home got my gear and raced back to Lachine and made it to the field with 4 plays left before halftime.

I had one pass thrown my way which I caught, broke a tackle and ran down the right sideline with no one within five yards of me, and proceeded to run into the endzone before being whistled at the five-yard line for touching the sideline with my right foot. Yeah, if this was Madden, my awareness rating would be a zero. In my defense, it has been a while, and I was just excited to be playing football again. Tossing the ball around at work, a BBQ, or park is not the same thing.

All that to say, yes, this counts for the Welcome Back section, I was 100% serious about that. More importantly, it felt great to be back. I honestly missed it a lot. I didn’t feel completely safe registering my team for this season. I truly thought the league would be forced to shutdown again, and I felt it was safer to wait until more people got vaccinated before coming back to play. Several players on my team did not want to commit for those same reasons as well. No, this is not a YOU should get vaccinated lecture by me. I am fully vaccinated, but I believe that everybody should be free to make their own choice. I will say though that with the vaccine passport coming, FPF will require it as well.    

Back to my original thought. I love football, and putting on my cleats and gloves again, and just going out and running around felt awesome. I will be registering my team in the 2021 Winter Season. Getting a brief taste this past Sunday night, definitely lit my fire. On a totally separate note, I am looking for a Quarterback who can throw in either Div. 3 or 2, hit me up if you’re interested.

Power Rankings

Division A

1. Braves (9-1) – They survived a late comeback attempt by Khantraband last Sunday night in Lachine, to knock off the second-place team (42-40). With their regular season schedule already wrapped up, they now play the waiting game to see who they will face in the #1 versus #2 matchup in the Quarterfinals on September 12th. Last Week: 1st.

2. Khantraband (5-3) – Their dreams of snatching first place in Division A went up in smoke with a heartbreaking (42-40) loss to the Braves last Sunday. Going forward, Khantraband, can’t get the top spot, but they can solidify the number two seed if they win one of their final two contests, as they wrap up the regular with games against Division B teams in the Junkyard Dogs and BYOB. Last Week: 2nd.

3. All-Stars (4-4-1) – They are coming off a turnover filled (33-33) tie against Chernobyl – 21. Winless in their last two games, the All-Stars have a chance to right the ship and hit the playoffs with a little momentum Sunday night in Laval as they take on KGP. A win, coupled with losses by Khantraband in their upcoming games against the Junkyard Dogs and BYOB, would propel the All-Stars to second in Div. A. Last Week: 3rd.

4. Chernobyl – 21 (3-6-1) – They are locked into the four seed. For a team that hasn’t tasted victory since July 29th, they are backing their way into the post-season. Despite their lack of wins recently, they have continued to prove they can hang with anybody in Division A. Perhaps having two weeks off before their next game will give this squad a chance to recharge the batteries and focus on execution. Last Week: 4th.

Division B

1. Urgence Médic (7-2) – They came within a failed two-point conversions attempt of losing to Here For The Beers. With first place having been wrapped up for the last two weeks, Urgence Médic, closes out the regular season with a game against a Get Off Our D team who has lost three out of their last four games, and needs a win over their next two contests to ensure a spot in the playoffs. Last Week: 1st.

2. Junkyard Dogs (3-6) – The dogs jump two spots in the standings courtesy of their (33-13) blowout victory over Get Off Our D this past weekend. To close out the regular season, they will have a tough matchup against Khantraband. Can JYD, who have won two of their last three games pull off the upset? Last Week: 4th.

3. KGP (4-5) – They fall one spot in the standings due to the (38-7) beat down they suffered at the hands of BYOB. Yes, KGP was without their starting Quarterback Phil Cutler or last week’s replacement QB Liam Mahoney, but to only score six points offensively, (they added one point on a 1-point conversion return on defense) is inexcusable. The team also had a let down defensively, as they were unable to generate any takeaways (sorry, the PAT return doesn’t count) while facing a BYOB offense that averages more than two turnovers game. Last Week: 2nd.

4. Get Off Our D (3-5) – A twenty-point loss (33-13) to the Junkyard Dogs, sees Get Off Our D drop a spot in the rankings. The schedule doesn’t do Jeff Rosenblatt’s team any favours, as they face the top team in Division B in Urgence Médic, Sunday night in Laval, before closing out the regular season four days later against Here For The Beers, in what is looking like it will be a must win game for both teams. Last Week: 3rd.  

5. BYOB (3-5) – As I wrote earlier, BYOB, is coming off a huge win against KGP. Not only did the victory stop their four-game slide, but it also propelled them into the fifth and final playoff spot in Div. B. As the schedule Gods have it, next up for BYOB is a showdown against the very team they bumped out of the aforementioned post-season position, in Here For The Beers. Last Week: 6th.

6. Here For The Beers (2-6) – In the words of the great Jessie “The Body” Ventura, close but no cigar, is the best way to describe their heartbreaking 1-point loss (34-33) to Urgence Médic. While the loss coupled with BYOB’s win over KGP put Here For The Beers on the onside looking in of the playoff bubble, they have a chance to remedy the situation Monday night in Brossard. Last Week: 5th.

Picks (favorites in bold)

KGP vs All-Stars – All-Stars

Get Off Our D vs Urgence Médic – Get Off Our D (Upset Special)

Khantraband vs Junkyard Dogs – Khantraband

BYOB vs Here For The Beers – Here For The Beers

Last Season: (1-3-1)

Upset Special: (1-2)

Regular Season: (24-13-1)

That is it for this week. Good luck to everybody in their games this weekend and on Monday night.

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