Division C: Quarter-Finals Preview

Welcome to the Quarter-Finals addition of the FlagPlus Football Division C article.

 

Just like that, eight teams are done, and another eight advance. In this case, Blue Chips, Dirty Dawgs, Vikings, BearSkins, Strangers, Omelette You Finish, Friends in Low Places, and Les Montagnards are the former, while Keyport Lock, Mountain Lions, The Alpha-T’s, Backyard Bullies, TOPSZN, Junkyard Dogs, Jagerbomb, and The Commission, are the latter.

 

 

Conference A

 

(1) The Alpha-T’s versus (5) Backyard Bullies

 

Previous Meeting: The Alpha-T’s (38-20) Week 7

Heading into this game, I thought this would be a playoff preview, and a potential game of the year candidate. Turns out, I was right about the first part, but dead wrong about the second, as The Alpha-T’s demolished the Backyard Bullies.

On offense, Quarterback Jesse Dupuis, marched the TAT’s up and down the field with ease. Short, intermediate, and long passes were open to the QB, as he spread the ball around to four different receivers, who all caught at least one touchdown.

Defensively, The Alpha-T’s set the tone early, as they were all over the Backyard Bullies. On the opening play of the game, they picked off QB Rich Humes. The same thing happened on the Bullies first possesion of the second-half as well, as TAT’s Rusher Marc-Antoine Vallée, harassed Humes, all game long.

On the rare occasions that the speedy Humes, was able to get enough time to throw, his receivers didn’t do him any favours, as they dropped several passes.

Simply put, the contest was the worst game of the year on either side of the ball for the Backyard Bullies, as The Alpha-T’s dominated from beginning to end, and never looked back.

If they want to rebound and pull off the upset, the Backyard Bullies, will need to firstly, come up with a better defensive game plan. In the first meeting, Dupuis, carved them up a la Razor Ramon, to the tune of 159 yards, and 5 touchdowns, on 12 of 18 passing.

Bullies Rusher Derrick Fontana, who came close on a couple of would-be sacks, did the best he could, but got little help from the defense, as they simply had no answers, to stop the TAT’s Wide Receivers, as at least one of them would be wide open on virtually every play.

As I stated earlier, drops, and turnovers hurt the Bullies on offense. A horrible first-half killed any chance of them mounting a comeback, as they were down (20-0) at the break. The majority of the 20 points they got in the second stanza, were in garbage time.

After missing the Divisional Round game vs BearSkins, the reigning Div. C Quarterback of the Year, in Humes, should be fresh (Dupuis should be as well, after not playing vs the Vikings on Sunday). He will need to prove why he is the best passer in the division, as the three interceptions he threw in the first meeting, were the most he has tossed all year. In short, if he and his team want to advance, the 3-time All-Star, and dual-threat QB, will need to be the difference.

 

For The Alpha-T’s, the formula is simple. On offense, they have the speed advantage, and they should use it once again, to spread out Mathieu Houle, Anthony Lapointe, Alexis Gaumont, Emile Beaudoin, Marc-Antoine Vallée, and Julien Bellavance, all over the field, to find openings in the Bullies zone defense. The back of the endzone drag to Houle, in particular, was unstoppable.

On the other side of the ball, the aggressiveness by the TAT’s Defensive Backs, paid off, as they gave little space to their opponent’s receivers. In fairness to the Bullies, they were missing their top WR, in Steve Sanner.

This is matchup between two of the most decorated teams in all of Division C. The Alpha-T’s have looked like a juggernaut all year. While I will chalk up some of the Bullies performance in the first meeting to just having a bad game, a lot of it had to do with simply being out-played.

I expect the Bullies, to rebound, if not for anything else then pride. After getting an easy pass in the Divisional Round, due to the BearSkins not having QB Mark Belvedere, or WR Marco Bertoldi, they will have no such luck this time.

The same thing applies for The Alpha-T’s, who will get stiffer competition from the Bullies, than they did from the over-matched Vikings.

 

Prediction: The Alpha-T’s

 

I mentioned earlier, that the Backyard Bullies were missing Sanner, in the first meeting. The Alpha-T’s were also missing Gaumont. Both players are instant offense, and are more than capable of delivering on defense. Even if these two cancel each other out, I don’t see the Bullies be able to keep up with the TAT’s offense the entire game.

 

 

(2) Junkyard Dogs versus (3) Mountain Lions

 

Previous Meeting: N/A

 

Finally, two teams that haven’t played each other yet. Less writing for me. Allllright (In a Quagmire voice)

 

All jokes aside, this is a matchup between two elite teams. The powerful offense of the Mountain Lions, versus the smothering defense of the Junkyard Dogs.

Despite their dominance throughout the regular season, both teams are coming off of nail-biting victories in the Divisional Round, as the Mountain Lions escaped Brossard, with a (41-38) win over the Dirty Dawgs, and the Junkyard Dogs, slid by Omelette You Finish, (33-27).

Offensively, the Mountain Lions have Kevin Smuda, Marty Freedman, Jordan Mcinnis, and Adam Rockman to name a few, while the Junkyard Dogs, counter with Rory Semerjian, Jonathan Williams, Alexandre Noel, and Joseph Sifakis, et al.

On the other side of the ball, Jonathan Lyristis, Hinsley Adams, and defensive play-caller Rob White, have brought the heat time and time again for JYD this season, while Andrew Langburt, AJ Rashkovan, and Zack Goldstein, have done the same for the Mountain Lions.

Simply put, both teams have playmakers on both sides of the ball, who can take over a game in just a few plays.

The matchups in this contest are intriguing to say the least. Does Langburt, or Goldstein, cover Semerjian? Will we see a battle of the big men in Williams versus Smuda in the redzone? Will Rob White shadow Adam Rockman? How much will the presence of two solid options at Rusher, in Lyristis, and Adams, change the Mountain Lions’ offensive game plan?

Speaking of which, although everyone and their dog knows he is throwing it as soon as the ball touches his hands, based off of the three touchdowns he has thrown this year from the play, how will the Junkyard Dogs’ defense defend the Langburt pass option?

Finally, will JYD put the ball in the hands of the speedy Adams, as they did against Omelette You Finish?

The matchup that will matter the most, is Jason Rossie, versus Jake Applebaum.

Rossie: 1,451 yards, 40 TDs / 8 INTs / 66 Comp % / 10 YPP / 108.5 QBR (Regular Season)

Rossie: 118 yards / 3 TDs / 1 INTs / 82 Comp % / 7 YPP / 109.7 QBR (Playoffs)

Applebaum 1,434 Yards / 38 TDs / 7 INTs / 66 Comp % / 10 YPP / 111.1 QBR (Regular Season)

Applebaum: 189 Yards / 4 TDs / 0 INT / 89 Comp % / 8 YPP / 136.5 QBR (Playoffs)

 

As you can see, both Quarterbacks are very similar, although the slight edge in passing, goes to Applebaum, so far this post-season.

The one area where Rossie has the advantage, is as a runner. Including both the regular season and playoffs, the former All-Star, has 17 carries, for 153 yards, and a touchdown, which averages out to nearly 9 yards a carry.

Prior to blowing out his knee, in the 2016 Spring Season playoffs versus The Commission, Applebaum, had 766 yards, and 7 touchdowns, on 104 rushes (minimum 10 carries), which works out to an average of just under 9 yards per carry.

Since his return this winter, (he missed both the 2017 Winter and Spring Season, as well as the FPF Cup) Applebaum, has run 16 times, for 84 yards, and no TDs, which averages to just under 5 yards a carry (4.8).

At the end of the day, I expect this to be a fantastic game. that will go down to the wire.

These teams are similar. They both finished with (9-1) records, and a (7-1) mark versus Conference A teams, with their only loss coming at the hands of The Alpha-T’s.

The only thing that separated the two teams from each other, and gave the Junkyard Dogs second place in Conference A, was points allowed, which JYD, had given up 49 less in the regular season than their opponents.

 

Although the Divisional Round would prove otherwise as virtually everybody with the exception of a very few lit up the scoreboard, in the playoffs, teams that can play the better defense, usually win, and that’s who I am going with here.

 

Prediction: Junkyard Dogs (My choice for Game of the Week)

 

 

Conference B

 

 

(1) The Commission versus (5) Keyport Lock

 

Previous Meeting: N/A

 

Two teams that have made the last two Finals, in the spring and winter respectively, do battle tonight at Stade de Montreal.

 

To get to this point, The Commission, energized by the return of Domenico Benevento, beat Les Montagnards, (36-13).

Benevento, who had missed the previous six weeks due to a severe high ankle sprain, came up huge in his return, as he had a game-high 8 catches, for 43 yards, and touchdown, to go along with a pick-6 on defense, off of Les Montagnards Quarterback Julien Fiset-Cyr.

Headlined by the performance of Rusher Zackary Alberts-Gill, who had 4 sacks, and 2 pass deflections, both game-highs, along with 3 interceptions, the TC defense dominated the game, shutting out their opponents in the second-half.

Quarterback Jean-Félix Marquis, had arguably his best game in a TC jersey, as he went 16 of 19, for 155 yards, and 5 touchdowns to 4 different receivers.

The 5th seed Keyport Lock, got to this point by knocking off the 4th place Blue Chips (40-37), last Sunday in Brossard, on the shoulders of a collective effort.

Keyport Lock Quarterback Jeff Rosenblatt, had by far his best game of the year, as he went 20 of 26, for 225 yards, 6 TDs, and 1 INT, while putting up his best completion percentage (76.9%) and QB Rating (125.8) of the year.

The team’s Wide Receiver came up big as well, with Jad Aridi, Ryan Aridi, Ryan Tereskewitz, and Raoul Baroudi, all catching touchdowns, and coming up with big plays when their team really needed it.

On defense, although they failed to produce any interceptions or sacks, Keyport Lock, did a great job of shutting down Blue Chips Quarterback Jordan Mitchell, in the run game, as the best running QB in FPF, let alone Division C, was held to a season-low 5.7yards a rush, on 3 carries for 17 yards.

For Keyport Lock to advance and have a chance to avenge their Winter Season Finals loss, they will need to bring the same offense tonight versus The Commission, that they brought against Blue Chips.

 

Whether they look for the sure-handed Tereskewitz on the seem route, Kevin Boustany, on the outside, the speedy Ryan Aridi on deep patterns, or Jad Aridi on the underneath routes, diversity will be needed, as will the ability for Rosenblatt, to get rid of the ball quickly.

On the other side of the ball, Keyport Lock, will need to deal with the speed of The Commission’s receivers. Vincent Marquis, and AJ Gomes represent arguably the best 1-2 tandem of outside WRs in the division. The chemistry between Jean-Felix, and his brother Vincent, is obvious. The Keyport Lock defense, must find a way to stop it.

For The Commission to continue on their path to defending their Spring Season title, they will need to make sure that their defense is up to the task of making sure the lowest scoring remaining offense in the playoffs, in Keyport Lock, stays that way.

On offense, they will need to use their speed and athleticism, to take advantage of certain individual mis-matches.

Most importantly, they will need to not get in their own way, with undisciplined play.

All in all, this should be a close game. After looking like they had a good chance to miss the playoffs completely, following their early season slide, where they went (1-2-1), and then struggled to beat lesser teams in Les Montagnards, and Strangers, Keyport Lock, appears to have turned it around, and are playing their best football of the year, as they are winners of 4 out of their last 5 games.

 

Prediction: N/A

 

(2) Jagerbomb versus (3) TOPSZN

 

Previous Meeting: Jagerbomb (32-28) Week 7

 

This could be the most exciting matchup of the night, as both of these teams are built for speed.

In their first meeting, it was a tale of two halves, as Jagerbomb, jumped out to a (20-6) lead, only for TOPSZN, to outscore their opponents (22-12) in the second stanza.

The difference in the Week 7 meeting, was turnovers, as Jagerbomb Defensive Back Cédric Nuckle, was able to pick off TOPSZN Quarterback Jarryd Taylor twice, returning one of them for a touchdown.

TOPSZN, was missing arguably their best receiver in Justene Edwards, but they replaced him with the even faster, and more explosive Justin Julien, who had 2 receptions, for 33 yards, and a TD.

Despite the presence of Julien, the one player who really stood out for TOPSZN, was Kevin Donnet. The 8-year vet, had a phenomel game, with a team-leading 9 catches for 58 yards, and 2 TDs, to go along with an INT, sack, pass deflection, and a tackle.

For Jagerbomb, besides the performance of Nuckle, the victory was a real collective effort, as several receivers, including Felix Fontaine-Larouche, Gabriel Moreau-Paquette, and FPF family member Yannick Doston, all contributed in the win, as did Rusher Jeremie Lavoie-Patry, who had 2 sacks, and provided pressure on Taylor, all game long.

To get revenge, and more importantly the win, TOPSZN, will need to cut down on the turnovers, and more importantly, they will need to show up, and play the entire game like their season depends on it, because it does. For as fast, athletic, and cocky (you need some of that) as this team is, they have a habit of not always perform as well as they are capable of sometimes. Whether that is a case of playing down to their competition, or just assuming they are going to beat teams by simply showing up, they will need to bring their A-game tonight.

For Jagerbomb to complete the sweep, QB Simon Duchesne, will need to spread the ball around just like last time, and keep the TOPSZN defense guessing.

On defense, the team will need to pick up where he left off last time. Lavoie-Patry, will need to up the pressure on Taylor, and the secondary, will need to intercept, or knock down any of the cross-body, and 50-50 balls that Taylor tosses up, if they want to slow down the highest-scoring offense in Division C.

 

Prediction: TOPSZN (Upset Special)

 

I think TOPSZN, will learn from their loss in Week 7, and play an entire game this time around. I also think the presence of Edwards, swings the game in his team’s favour, as nobody on the Jagerbomb defense, can contain him for an entire game.

 

 

Picks

 

Playoffs: (8-0)

 

 

That’s it for this week. I apologize for not being there tonight, I will be back from vacation this Saturday.

Good luck to everybody in their games tonight!

If you loved the article, hated, or simply felt like I left something out, feel free to reach me on Twitter @BADNEWSB51 or by e-mail at [email protected]