Division C: Quarter-Final Preview

Welcome to the Division C Quarter-Finals. We are now down to the final eight teams vying for the right to be called Div. C champions.

Backfield Penetration, Les Petites Carottes, Idaho Udapimps, Trinity, Rico Ryders, Jagerbomb, Friends with Danny, and Never Overtime. Who will get the win tonight and clinch their spot in the Semi-Finals? Let’s find out.

Les Petites Carottes versus (18) Never Overtime

Previous Meeting: Les Petites Carottes (29-13) Week 10

In the first meeting, Les Petites Carottes used a suffocating defense to limit Never Overtime to a near season-low 13 points in the victory. A key to LPC’s success on that side of the ball was their ability to hold their opponents to two redzone touchdowns on four attempts, and an interception they forced off Quarterback Ryan Kharouf midway through the second half that came three plays after they got a touchdown form QB Jason Rayes to Receiver Michael Fafard. The team would extend their lead to (29-13) after Rayes found Zack Cloutier for a 2-yard TD.

Low and behold, we have the rematch just three weeks later. To get here, Never Overtime played their best second half of the season, as they blitzed the heavily favoured Big Fats Bats for five touchdowns, including the game-winner with three plays remaining, as they came back from a (20-7) deficit at the break, to outscore their opponents (31-12) for the (38-33) victory.

Coming up huge for Never Overtime in the win was Kharouf who threw all five touchdowns, and the combo of Rhami Aboud and Karim Madji, who each recorded two TDs and an interception. Madji would even do one better, as his 21-yard successful onside reception late in the game set up the winner by Aboud.

Les Petites Carottes used a combination of The Commission Quarterback Stephen Casey, who was in a giving mood, as he threw two ill-advised second half INTs, and a defensive stand to end the game, as they picked up the slack for an LPC offense that stalled out and punted with seven plays left to earn a (36-32) win.

A big reason for the win for LPC, was the play of Rayes, who took advantage of an injured Zack Alberts-Gill at Rusher who partially dislocated his shoulder during the game, to run for 60 yards on three carries, including a 40-yard TD. His ability to buy time for Receivers to get open was crucial.

Looking at the rematch, Never Overtime are giant killers. They knocked off the heavily favoured Big Fat Cats, and made Quarterback Michael Caparelli, who has had arguably the best season out of any QB in FPF this year, look normal, as they intercepted him twice in the second half. They also got the win without the services of their second-best player in Mack Dessources, who was absent Sunday night.

Les Petites Carottes are a quiet but cocky group. They finished as the top seed in the division and have an explosive offense and a defense that will make you pay for mistakes. Their victory over The Commission proved, that they can make plays when their backs are against the wall.

Truth be told, when we forced them to punt, I thought the game was done, and it should have been. Credit to them for standing strong and getting a stop.

The key for Never Overtime to get the win will be playing a whole game, as Les Petites Carottes are too good to only show up for a half.

Never Overtime will also need their best player in Aboud the reigning Receiver of the Year, to perform as such. In the first meeting versus Les Petites Carottes, he had six catches, but for only 56 yards and a season-low one touchdown. Aboud is an All-Star, and most would say the best Receiver in Division C. His team will need to him to show why tonight.

For Les Petites Carottes to keep their season alive, they will need to defend the deep ball better. Against The Commission, they gave up big plays over the middle of the field routinely, as Ty Smith, Matt Peacock and Hakim Kasbi-Filiatrault did most of their damage down the heart of the defense.

Les Petites will also need to try and get Kharouf off his rhythm, because he is a completely different QB when his timing is off.

I think this will be an exciting game between two explosive teams. Never Overtime loves when I doubt them, so I’ll do it again.

Prediction: Les Petites Carottes (34-32)

(3) Idaho Udapimps versus (14) Trinity

Previous Meeting: Idaho Udapimps (42-31) Week 4

In the first meeting, a four-touchdown performance by Trinity’s Marc-Antoine Viens wasn’t enough to hold off Idaho Udapimps from the 12-point victory, as two touchdowns by Danick Coulombe in the form of a 40-yard reception and an interception returned for a score, was the difference for IU in the win.

To get this point, Idaho Udampimps hammered Bleue Dry (59-12) Sunday in Brossard. I was the scorekeeper for that game, and I can tell you it was simply a case of one team being that much better than the other. The game could’ve been called at halftime, as IU led (38-6).

Idaho Udapimps continuously killed the Bleue Dry defense with the long ball, as the team had no answer for Jerome Hovington, Marvin Steinberg, or Coulombe on go routes, posts, or corners. The IU defense even got involved in the scoring as they got touchdowns from Steinberg and Coulombe. 

After beating the Killer Rays in the Wild Card Round, Trinity, advanced to tonight, after they beat Win Diesel (40-32). Trinity emerged victorious on the shoulders of a three-touchdown outing from the dynamic Luis Begin who recorded two as a Receiver, and one on a pick-six of Win Diesel replacement Quarterback Jake Holman, who was filling in for an absent Will Sebag.

To get the win tonight, Trinity must do what they do best, and that is spread around the ball offensively, and make the defense guess where the ball is going. This idea ties into the next key to victory and that will be to eat up the clock by having long drives that keeps the Idaho Udapimps offense on the sideline and forces them to have to play catch up. As he showed in the game versus Win Diesel, QB Jean-Félix Marquis likes to use five to six different Receivers. That forces the opposing defenses to adjust and pick their poison.

On defense, Trinity must defend the deep ball. I had a chance to speak to Marquis this morning, and he said his team’s defense is much better than the first time these two teams met. We will find out tonight.

For Idaho Udapimps to advance, they will need to dictate the pace of the game and make the Trinity defense switch away from the man-to-man coverage that they prefer. Expect IU reigning Quarterback of the Year in Brady Ohanessian, to air it out deep just like he did in the first matchup, as his offense had touchdowns of 21, 29 ,25, 37, and 40 yards.

On defense the unit led by Two-Way player of the Year Marvin Steinberg, will need to force the Trinity offense to become one-dimensional and have to rely solely on the deep ball to move the chains and score.

Trinity won’t have the luxury of facing a backup Quarterbacks this time around. Idaho Udapimps will only be six players the rest of the playoffs, but that will be enough to get the victory tonight.

Prediction: Idaho Udapimps (38-24)

(5)  Jagerbomb versus (6) Friends with Danny

Previous Meeting: Jagerbomb (36-18) Week 3

In the first meeting, Jagerbomb blew out Friends with Danny who were without their starting Quarterback in Jared Buck. Replacing him was Receiver Justin Gauthier, who had a more than respectable showing with three touchdown passes and 133 yards to go along with two interceptions.

On defense, despite coming out on the losing end, Friends with Danny did a great job of limiting the damage done by the Jagerbomb offense, as no Receiver had more than 53 yards. To the surprise of many, team MVP Jean-Felix Daloze was held in check, as he had a season-low three catches for seven yards, although he did score a touchdown, and then added another as a defender.

The veteran Daloze, is one of the best Receiver in Div. C He’s been on a slump recently however, as he was held without a catch the last two weeks. Is it simply part of the game plan? Is Daloze hurt? Or are teams starting to figure out how to play him? Perhaps we find out tonight.

To get to this point, Friends with Danny beat the West Island Boys (41-26) last Sunday in Laval. Buck, who behind Snapper, was fantastic, as he threw for six touchdowns, with three going to Jeremy Laplante, who led all players in TD receptions.

The Friends with Danny defense was just as impressive, as the unit shutout the West Island Boys in the second half. They were spearheaded by Laplante who led Division C players in tackles last week with 10.

Jagerbomb punched their ticket to the Quarter-Finals with a (32-20) victory over The Penetrators, strengthened by the effort of Felix Fontaine-Larouche, who had two touchdowns, a pair of 2-point conversions, and an interception. The team also got a great performance from Rusher Jeremie Lavoie-Patry, who had a game-high three sacks.

To get win tonight, Friends with Danny will need to produce more than the 18 points they put up last time. With the return of Buck that shouldn’t be a problem.

The Quarterback will also need to feed Laplante, as he has been the team’s best pass-catcher this year and has a TD streak of six straight games. This offense has playmakers in Danny D’Amour, Edouard Guimas, Ryan Vanslet, and Anthony Moustache, so Jagerbomb won’t be able to roll the Safety over to Laplante the entire game.

On defense, the team must limit the Jagerbomb passing game just as they did in the first meeting, as Fontaine-Larouche led the way with just 53 yards last time. Keeping the yardage total down and eliminating the big plays will be big once again.

For Jagerbomb to keep playing, they will need to avoid the seesaw performances we have seen from their offense the last few weeks. Going all the way back to Week 7, the unit has scored the following point totals; 45, 20, 26, 20, and 32. Logic says they are due to only score 20. That won’t be enough to win the game. Quarterback Simon Duchesne will need to mix-up he play-calling, and put his Receivers in position to exploit mismatches.

On defense, Jagerbomb will need to pressure Buck, and force him into bad throws, as the QB is most effective throwing the ball over the middle of the field but isn’t afraid to air it out deep and put the game on his shoulder.

I think this will be a tight game. Friends with Danny have been the better team coming into the contest as they have won seven of eight games since their loss to Jagerbomb, while have won six of eight since then, but are (2-2) over their last four games. This looks like a toss up, and I am going with Friends with Danny.

Prediction: Friends with Danny (32-28)

(8) Rico Ryders versus (9) Backfield Penetration

Previous Meeting: N/A

To get to this point, Backfield Penetration were able to knock off Fins Up (47-32) last Sunday in Brossard, in a Quarterback duel that saw both Will Power and Alessandro Barazzoni combine for 12 touchdown passes and only eight incompletions. Barazzoni, would get the upper hand as he tossed seven TDs.

Unfortunately, the game was marred by an ugly injury, as veteran David Gutkovski, who was returning to the lineup after having not played the last few weeks due to a knee injury, re-injured the same knee halfway through the second half and would not return, meaning the short-handed who came into the contest with six players, had to play the rest of the contest with five. The decision to roll with Gutkovski, came back to bite Fins Up, as they elected not to use the versatile and speedy Avery Klimas, as he would have busted the Division C 460-point player cap.

The Rico Ryders punched their ticket to tonight’s dance by beating Mengoose (26-20) in Laval last Sunday. The victors were led by their defense which closed the walls in on their opponents in the second half, limiting them to one touchdown and a grand total of 49 yards. The unit was energized by the effort of Rusher Lucas Diamantopoulos, who had a game-high three sacks.

To emerge with the win the Rico Ryders must defend the deep ball. Backfield Penetration has explosive athletes all over the field, and Barazzoni isn’t afraid to throw deep to the likes of the speedy trio of Xavier Couture, Santino Sparagna, and Dante Sparagna. Look no further than their win versus Fins Up, as they had eight plays of more than 12 yards per pass. Giving Diamantopoulos time to get Barazzoni, or by making the QB get rid of the ball quickly is a good way to eliminate the deep threat, but that is obviously easier said than done.

The Rico Ryders must also not lose track of physical Receivers in Anthony Siggia, Anthony Lazzara, and Massimo D’ipolito, especially in the redzone, as they do a lot of damage in that area with their combo of size and speed.

On offense, Quarterback Mathew Yanakoulias and his two top Receivers in Justin Lerner, Denis Koutavas, and deep threat Peter Abbandonato must find a way to deal with the physicality of the Backfield Penetration secondary, as the unit led by Lazzara, like to mix in their ball-hawking ability with some physical play. The crew thrive on jumping routes and getting opposing Receivers off their timing.

To continue their season, Backfield Penetration must attack the weaknesses of the Rico Ryders defense, as BP has the speed and height advantage in some of their matchups.

Just as they did versus Fins Up, the Backfield Penetration defense must give time to Rusher Raffaele Morelli to sack (he picked up three) or hurry Yanakoulias into rushed throws.

I feel this has the potential to be a close game. Backfield Penetration will be facing a deeper team this week as opposed to last week versus Fins Up, but I think they will still be able to take care of business.

Prediction: Backfield Penetration (36-30)

Picks

Never Overtime vs Les Petites Carottes

Idaho Udpimps vs Trinity – Idaho Udapimps

Jagerbomb vs Friends with Danny – Friends with Danny (Upset Special #1 and my pick for Game of the Week)

Rico Ryders vs Backfield Penetration – Backfield Penetration (Upset Special #2)

Last Week: (5-2)

Playoffs: (5-5)

Upset Special: (8-13)

That is it for this week, I will be back a little earlier than usual this coming week with a Semi-Final preview, and then Friday afternoon with a Finals Preview.

Good luck to everyone in their games tonight!

As I said in last week’s article, my interview with former FPF Founder and President Rob Campana is up. You can listen to it on Spotify and Amazon Music or use the link on the FPF Facebook page.

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.