Division A & B: Semi-Finals Preview

After an exciting first round to kickoff the playoffs, we are down to the final four teams in Division A. The Jamesons, Braves, KGP, and Allstars. In Division B we have Poseidon’s Kiss, Mangoose, Run It Once, and Blessed. Each squad is dripping with skill and has the talent to go all the way. Who will advance, and who is going home? Let’s find out.

Semi-Finals Preview:

Division A

 (2) The Jamesons versus (5) Braves

Previous Meeting: Braves (43-32) Week 8

In the previous meeting, the Braves had Ignacio Valdes Manzanedo (Iggy) subbing in at Quarterback for Jonathan Maheu. The change in QBs didn’t seem to change much for the team, as the passer victimized The Jamesons with the deep ball. Three of Iggy’s six touchdown passes went 35 yards or more, and a fourth one went for 24.   

The Jamesons tried to keep it close, as Receiver James Ohyaon had a spectacular game with 12 catches for 94 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace. In their defense, the team was missing three important starters in Anthony Brisebois, James Tyrell, and Ben McMahon.

To get to this point, The Jamesons knocked off #NR (47-24) last Monday at Stade de Montreal, in a game that saw the former lead by just two points in the first half, only to outscore their opponents (27-6) after the break. Ohayon, had another monster showing as he led all players with seven receptions for 103 yards to go along with one touchdown. He was joined in the endzone twice by James Drysdale, and three times by Tyrell, who recorded two TDs as a Receiver, and one on a pick-six of QB Cory Pecker.

The Braves punched their ticket to the Semi-Finals curtesy of a three-headed monster of their own in Maheu, Georges Gariépy, and Jean-Daniel Chevalier. The latter had two touchdowns, while Gariépy led all players with three TDs. The crown jewel of the trio was Maheu, who tossed six TDs, and intercepted opposing QB Frédéric Dupuis twice.

Out of all the teams I have watched since writing for the top two divisions in FPF, I have to say that the Braves, and Braves 2.0 are the hardest teams to eliminate. They never stop competing from the opening whistle to the final one. You can’t help but respect that about a team.  

The Jamesons lost to a replacement QB in Iggy the last time out, but they were missing so many pieces particularly on defense, that you can forgive them for the loss. Having Maheu in the lineup is huge, but the same can be said for the duo of Brisebois and Tyrell. I think the presence of the latter two outweighs the former. More importantly, if there was ever a time that Rosenblatt and his team were going to get over the hump and make it to the Finals, this would be it. They have the better record and team from top to bottom. All the rumors of Maheu not being as dominant is just that, talk, but the fact remains that this version of the Braves isn’t as strong as we are used to seeing. I think we see an upset.

When I spoke to him last Sunday in Brossard, Rosenblatt told me that he hoped he would not be doing commentary with me for the Div. A Finals. I told him I hoped he wouldn’t be working the game either. I think he’ll get his wish Monday night in Papineau.

Prediction:  The Jamesons (38-36)

(1) Allstars versus (6) KGP

Previous Meeting: Allstars (50-47) Week 7

The first meeting was a true Quarterback duel as Kevin Wyeth and Phil Cutler each threw seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions. The duo combined for nine incompletions and 556 yards. The Receivers in the game delivered an elite performance as well, with KGP’s Julien Paiement, Quaysie Gordon-Maule, and Jonathan Garfinkle each scoring two touchdowns each. The trio paled in comparison however to Pat Jérome, who doubled up the KGP pass-catchers by grabbing a game-high four TDs.

The Game came down to the final three plays as Wyeth connected with Receiver Chris Milard to give the Allstars a 1-point lead, which they extended to three, with a 2-point conversion. With two plays remaining, Cutler found Gordon-Maule for a 24-yard gain. On the final play, Cutler’s pass towards the endzone fell incomplete to end the game.

To get to this point, KGP pulled off the upset by beating the second seed Royaume Luminaire (37-24), on the shoulders of six TD passes from Cutler, three of which were caught by Garfinkle. KGP never trailed in the contest.

The Allstars reached the semis by blowing out Star City (51-30). Playoff Kevin Wyeth came to play, as he tossed eight TD passes. Star City tried their best to keep it close, as Receiver Khalil Kerr registered a game-high 13 catches (on 14 targets) for 147 yards and three TDs, but it wasn’t enough, as the Allstars defense also showed up to the party with a pair of interceptions from Fritzgerald Cenatus, and another by Rory Semerjian.

To get the win in the rematch, KGP will need to keep up with the Allstars offensively like they did in the first meeting. Cutler will once again need to get all his weapons involved in the passing game and take what the defense gives him. Receiver Jonathan Garfinkle, who seemingly saves his best games for the playoffs, will need to shine just like he did in Week 7.

For the Allstars to make it to the Finals, they will need to match their offensive output from last time as well, as KGP came within one point of matching their regular season high in that meeting. The Allstars will also need to make sure their offense shows up in the second half, as after an explosive first half that saw them score 34 points, they only put up two touchdowns in the second stanza.

The first meeting was a candidate for game of the year. Let’s hope that both Quarterbacks can have a repeat performance in the rematch. I think they will, and the Allstars will complete the sweep in the process.

Prediction: Allstars (35-32)

Division B

(2) Poseidon’s Kiss versus (8) Mangoose

Previous Meeting: Poseidon’s Kiss (34-32) Week 10

In the first showdown, Poseidon’s Kiss escaped with a 2-point win as Quarterback Rocco Christiano hit Dom Benevento for a 6-yard touchdown with two plays left in the game. I was the scorekeeper for this contest. It was an exciting back and forth affair between two solid teams. Unfortunately for the players involved, officiating played a factor in the outcome, as several shaky calls or in some cases non-calls, went against both teams, and Mangoose in particular. With a third official for all playoff games, that hopefully won’t be the case this time around.

Ignoring the officiating, this game featured some fantastic performances, as Thomas Coutu of Mangoose led all players with seven receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns.

Poseidon’s Kiss who was missing several regulars, were forced to rely on subs that they grabbed from the previous game on the field in Lou-Felix Roy-Lachapelle and Francçois Rochette. They also brought in super sub in Montreal Carabins sack-master Nicky Farinaccio, who has also displayed his coverage ability, as he locked down the Safety position in the contest by knocking down three 2-point conversion attempts by Mangoose.

To get to the Semi-Finals, Mangoose eliminated Division B’s number one seed in Beers and Brownies Tuesday night in Brossard. The eight seeded Mangoose overwhelmed their opponents defense with big plays down the stretch, as QB Nicolas Schaefer bought time in the pocket, and hit Receiver Gabriel Drapeau-Zgoralski for a huge first down after the Beers and Brownies defense used their last time out a few plays earlier to stop the clock with just over a minute to five plays. The gamble failed as Drapeau-Zgoralski would score a TD one play later, to extend his team’s lead to (37-25).

Beers and Brownies would add a TD on the last play of the game as Sanders Armand (who inexplicably only had one target in the game) caught a jump ball in the endzone to pull them a little closer, but with no timeouts remaining, they couldn’t go for an onside play to attempt to tie the game. Final score (37-31) Mangoose.  

Poseidon’s Kiss got here by beating the Silent Ticklers (35-26). The game started off looking like a dud, as the teams combined to score only 20 first half points. The former however woke up after the break as they outscored their opponents (27-14). The highlight of the game was the performance of Jarryd Taylor, as the former USPORTS Receiver hauled in two touchdowns and threw for another. His teammate Corey Williams showed off his versatility, as he caught a TD pass, and recorded a pick-six off Quarterback Jordan Panetta.

In talking to Tanner Burrell of the Silent Ticklers, he mentioned missed opportunities and the absence of the team’s leading Receiver in Daniel Mancini, as the reason why his team lost the game.  

Dom Benevento of Poseidon’s Kiss felt there was a different reason as to why his team came out on top. He referenced the team’s first meeting back in Week 7 that saw the Silent Ticklers emerge victorious (44-18), and a comment directed at his QB by Iggy on the FPF podcast, that served as some personal motivation.

“We are the better team that’s why we won. We just fu@%&*” beat them. We stumbled once with a turnover on downs, but after that we kept on driving. Rocco made some plays with his legs, and he distributed the ball nicely. Rocco played well. Keep in mind, they only beat us the first time because we were only four and a half players. This time it was vengeance. Also, Iggy said that Rocco was a good QB not a great QB, I took that personally.”  

For Mangoose to get the win, they will need a repeat performance out of the duo of Marvin Steinberg and Thomas Coutu, as the duo was unstoppable versus Beers and Brownies. Coutu who led the defense with two sacks, came up with several big catches to extend drives on offense, while also recording a touchdown. As impressive as he was, his outing was overshadowed by Steinberg, who was the best player for either team on the field. The 4-time All-Star had a game-high three TDs, and two interceptions, the second of which should be an instant candidate for play of the year, as the veteran defender ran down the right sideline reached out and intercepted the ball with one hand while still providing lockdown coverage of his Receiver AJ Gomes.

While I expect Steinberg to cover Taylor at times, Mangoose, will have to choose how to defend the electric Williams, as well as Nicholas Groppini and Juwan Edghill. Olivier Suri, Gaspar Cernacek and Dominic Stiplosek will have to make some plays defensively.

For Poseidon’s Kiss to get victory, they will need Rocco Christiano to complete more than the 11 passes he did against the Silent Ticklers. The team won’t be able to rely on subs like they did in the first matchup with Mangoose, so they will need their roster including Valéry Shelder, who was targeted repeatedly in the first meeting, to step up and make a play for his team on the defensive side of the ball as well.

I fully expect this to be the most exciting game of the Semi-Finals. The last time these two teams met, they went for it on fourth down a combined five times. Both Quarterbacks can run, throw the deep ball, and have lots of skilled Receivers to throw the ball to.

Mangoose has been the dark horse pick to win it all by yours truly the last few weeks. I am not coming off that bet now. I see a second upset coming.

Prediction: Mangoose (34-28)

(3) Blessed versus (4) Run It Once

Previous Meeting: Blessed (50-31) Week 2 and Blessed (42-37) Week 7

In the first meeting it was like Joe Montana and Jerry Rice showed up in the form of Stephen Harripersaud and Phil Pharand, as the former flirted with perfection, going 22 of 24 for 234 yards and six touchdown passes, while the latter caught four of those TD throws, and added a 2-point conversion. Pharand also chipped in on defense as he pulled a Deion Sanders, by adding two interceptions and running the second one back to the endzone for a score on an onside pass attempt by Quarterback Jeff Rosenblatt.

The second showdown was a tale of two halves, with Blessed looking like they were in complete control as they hit the half with a (26-13) lead, only to be outscored (24-16) after the break.

Leading the way to the win for Blessed, was Will Power, who had an impactful night, leading all players with three touchdown grabs and 84 yards on seven catches. He was joined in the endzone by Hinsley Adams, and subs in Jean-Felix Daloze, and David Gutkovski. For the Run It Once offense, they were led by the duo of Skylar Bayliff and James Ohayon, who both scored two TDs apiece.

For Blessed to pull off the three-game sweep, they will need to do the exact thing they did offensively the first two times, and that’s having Harripersaud do what he does best. Find holes in the defense, get the ball out of his hands quickly, and when needed, buy time for this Receivers to get open with his underrated scrambling ability.

On defense, the team must follow the same recipe as well. In both meetings combined, Run It Once had more offensive plays, possessions, and trips to the redzone, but they still lost both contests. The key to the loss, was the ability of the Blessed defense to stop their opponents on both of their fourth down attempts and holding them to an average of six yards per play.

For Run It Once, you saw the scores from the first two games, right? They need to play some defense. In the redzone, they failed to stop Blessed on all seven of their 2-point attempts. That simply can’t happen again. They will also need to find a way to throw Harripersaud off his rhythm, and change their coverages post snap.

On the other side of the ball, they will need to crack the 40-point plateau to win. Surprisingly with the array of talent that they have, Run It Once has only done that five times this season. Usually in the playoffs, most teams tighten up defensively and scoring is harder to come by, but Blessed isn’t one of those teams. They can air it out with anyone on offense, but in watching their victory over Braves 2.0 this week in Brossard, Blessed let them hang around in that game longer than they should have, as multiple drops by the Braves 2.0 Receivers throughout the contest, and a bad snap for a safety late in the second half essentially sealed the game. Run It Once will have to force Blessed out of their comfort zone and take advantage of one-on-one matchups.

Run It Once got a jaw-dropping five touchdown game from Noah Groper in their (36-35) barnburner and controversial (first half safety call, an INT being taken away from Rory Semerjian, and a potential intentional grounding call not being called in the final five plays) win over Ambush on Tuesday night. The team sealed the deal with a defensive stop, as Phil Cutler intercepted QB Ben McMahon with three plays left in the game.

Run It Once will not only need Groper to step up once again, but they will need Manu Allard-Roy, Matt Bond, Phil Cutler, Francois Hogue, Adam Rockman, and Skylar Bayliff to do the same as well, and in the process leave no doubt who the better team is.

I think this will be a great game. Two Quarterbacks who are stand-up guys, and while they might be somewhat limited athletically, they can beat teams with their smarts, experience, and heart. The potential Receivers versus Defensive Backs matchups are intriguing too.

I think this contest will be closer to the second outing than the first. It’s hard to beat a team three times in a season. I have Run It Once advancing by a touchdown.

Prediction: Run It Once (38-32)

Picks

Allstars vs KGP – Allstars

The Jamesons vs Braves – Jamesons

Blessed vs Run It Once – Run It Once (Upset Special #1)

Poseiden’s Kiss vs Mangoose – Mangoose (Upset Special #2)

Last Week: (6-2)

That is it for this week, good luck to all four teams tonight and tomorrow. We are one week away from the Finals. Where did the season go?

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