Division C: Semi-Finals Preview

The Quarter-Finals that took place Sunday night were full of moments, as we saw comebacks, upsets, and stellar performances along with some disappointing ones.

The turnaround is short, as the Semi-Finals take place tonight in Brossard, as Idaho Udapimps, Backfield Penetration, Jagerbomb, and Les Petites Carottes are left to battle for two spots on championship Sunday in the Division C Finals.

Before I get into the Semi-Final preview, let’s look at how each team got here.

 Idaho Udapimps, were outclassed for the first 35 minutes of their contest versus Trinity, as Quarterback Jean-Félix Marquis attacked IU with passes to both the intermediate and deep parts of the field with passes that exploited the defense’s holes.

The Trinity defense also came to play, as they held their opponents to a season-low in points, forced a turnover on downs, and intercepted opposing QB Brady Ohanessian. Trinity went into halftime in complete control of the game with a (22-8 lead).

Trinity had a chance to close this game out on multiple occasions. They had a chance to extend their led before halftime but couldn’t convert in the redzone. It was more of the same in the second half, as several drops especially near the endzone, as well as a few missed throws, sank their effort to pull off what would have been a huge upset.

The biggest mistake of all is not scoring on their final offensive possession, right after their defense had stopped an onside attempt by their opponents. Not only did they not score, but they went four and out on the ensuing drive, giving the ball back to Idaho Udapimps with less than a minute to five plays.

With one drive left to save their season, Ohanessian went to work, as he connected on back-to-back throws to Marvin Steinberg for a gain of eight and eleven yards respectively. The QB then put the offense on his shoulders or should I say his legs, by picking up a first down on a 16-yard scramble.

Defensive Back Hugo Quintin who was the best player on the field for Trinity, made two big plays in a row, as he tackled Steinberg for a 4-yard gain of first down, and then provided tight coverage on a shot to the endzone to Jerome Hovington, as the defender batted the pass away.

The game would come down to the final play. The play-call was brilliant as four of the Idaho Udapimps Receivers ran clearing routes which essentially served as a pick, while Marvin Steinberg ran a slant underneath all the traffic and was wide open for the game-wining TD, giving his team the (32-30) win.

It was a heartbreaking loss for Trinity, as multiple members of the team sat on the bench looking stunned and dejected well after the next game on the field had begun. It was a lesson to Trintity that you need to play a complete game, as they were outscored (24-8) in the second half.

Backfield Penetration got to tonight by knocking off the Rico Ryders (37-22), in another game where one team decided to only play one half of football. That team would be the Rico Ryders, as they trailed by only four points at the break (18-14), but then were outscored badly in the second half by a total of (19-8).

The killer for the Rico Ryders was the inability of their offense to protect the ball, as Quarterback   Mathew Yanakoulias was intercepted twice in the first half, and three more times in the second, including a pick-six on the game’s final play.

The turnovers gave Backfield Penetration short fields, which they then turned into points on two of the four INTs, as QB Alessandro Barazzoni hit Dante Sparagna and Slimani Mohamed Ali for four-and six-yard TD receptions.

Jagerbomb also used turnovers to advance to tonight’s final four, as the team feasted on backup Quarterback Jeremy Laplante, who was subbing in for the absent Jared Buck for three interceptions.

On offense, Jagerbomb had their starter in place in Simon Duchesne, and he was nearly perfect as the veteran completed 20 of 22 passes for 197 yards and six touchdowns.  Three of those TD throws went to Receiver Loic Savoiz-Seguin, who led all players in trips to the endzone and receiving yards with 66.

Just like in their regular season with the Rico Ryders, Jagerbomb got a pair of great performances from two-way player Felix Fontaine-Larouche, and Rusher Jeremie Lavoie-Patry. The former had two interceptions and a touchdown as a Receiver, while the later led all Division C players with a jaw-dropping five sacks. The duo played a big part in limiting their opponent’s offense to two touchdowns.

The performance of the four alone were enough as Jagerbomb strolled to an easy (40-15) victory.

One week after earning a victory on the final play of the game in their Quarter-Final contest against The Commission, Les Petites Carottes, had a slightly easier time versus Never Overtime, as Quarterback Jason Rayes continued his hot post-season play with five touchdown passes and another on the ground to go along with 87 rushing yards, which led all Division C players.

Receiver Michael Fafard was the biggest beneficiary of his QB’s play, as he recorded three touchdowns, on five catches for 52 yards.

The Les Petites Carottes pass-catcher was outplayed by Div. C Receiver of the Year in Rhami Aboud, who led all players with six receptions for 119 yards, to go along with three TDs of his own.

This game came down to missed opportunities and turnovers, as Les Petites Carottes went a perfect six for six in the redzone and three for three on fourth down, while Never Overtime went four for five and was two of four on the latter.

Also playing a factor in the loss was the absence of the team’s best defender in Mack Dessources, who also missed the team’s Divisional Round game against Big Fat Bats. His ability to cover Receivers all over the field and strong tackling, are key to Never Overtime’s success on defense, and he was sorely missed Sunday night, as Les Petites Carottes earned the (39-27) win.

Semi-Final Preview

(1)Les Petites Carottes versus (8) Backfield Penetration

Previous Meeting: Backfield Penetration (42-8) Week 6

This was the only loss that Les Petites Carottes suffered the entire season. When you look at score, you assume that LPC was missing their Quarterback in Jason Rayes, or several other key players, but that wasn’t the case, they simply got their butts kicked.

In that contest, LPC scored their lowest points total, and several players did the same when it came to yards. Rayes was intercepted twice and had only one trip to the redzone.

When looking at Backfield Penetration, they scored on the game’s third play on a touchdown reception by Anthony Lazzara, and then added to their lead five plays later, on a pick-six by Massimo D’ipolito. The team wouldn’t look back from there.

In tonight’s rematch, I expect a better showing from Les Petites Carottes. Their offense has carried them this post-season, as the unit has been scoring 38 points a game, up from the 31 they averaged in the regular season. To win tonight, LPC will need to hit their newfound total.

On defense, Les Petties Carottes will need to produce extra possessions. Against both The Commission and Never Overtime, LPC forced a combined eight turnovers. Against Backfield Penetratron they were only able to generate two, they will need to at least double that number tonight.

For Backfield Penetration to advance to the Finals, they will need to have a repeat of the defensive effort they had last time, as they held Les Petites Carottes to less than six yards a play, and only three trips to the redzone. One way to do that will be to get bodies down low and break up the underneath routes, and both midfield and sideline hooks that LPC loves to run.

Another will be to limit the scrambling ability of Rayes, who has been averaging 16 yards a rush on nine carries for 147 yards. That duty will fall to Rusher Raffaele Morelli, who missed the first game between both teams. His presence wasn’t missed last time, as Slimani Mohamed Ali more than filled in with three sacks. Rayes will have to either find a way to buy time to evade the rush, or design quick plays to get the ball out of his hands quickly.

I don’t think we see a blowout tonight. I feel that it will be a much closer game this time around, but Backfield Penetration emerges victorious once again.

Prediction: Backfield Penetration (36-30)

(3) Idaho Udapimps versus (5) Jagerbomb

Previous Meeting: N/A

To get the win tonight, Jagerbomb will need to attack the Idaho Udapimps defense, just as Trinity’s Jean-Félix Marquis did. To do that, Simon Duchesne will need to make the IU defenders pay for their aggressiveness, but making precise throws into windows, and take advantage of one-on-one matchups on the outside.

Jagerbomb must also avoid the mistakes that the Trinity offense committed, as the team left at least two touchdowns on the field due to drops.

On defense, Jagerbomb must eliminate the intermediate and short areas of the field, as Idaho Udapimps were able to get numerous amounts of yards on underneath routes versus Trinity.

For Idaho Udapimps to win, they will need to play a complete game. If they fail to show up until the second half as they did Sunday night, their season will end.

The team must also make sure to not take their foot off the gas when it comes to being aggressive. So far, this post-season, Duchesne has 10 touchdown passes and only eight incompletions. Let that sink in for a moment. Clearly, he has been comfortable and found a rhythm early. Idaho Udapimps must stop that from happening before its too late.

I think this will be the Game of the night. Despite finishing third overall, I think many including myself, feel that Idaho Udapmips have been the best team in Division C most of the year. Their ability to comeback against a tough veteran group in Trinity when down by two touchdowns in the second half, proved exactly that. The path to victory won’t be any easier tonight, as they face another veteran squad, and a better one in Jagerbomb.

Two of the three top Quarterbacks in Division C, and a plethora of big-time two-way players, what more could you ask for? Jagerbomb has the numbers advantage, but they have also played two teams in The Penetrators and Friends with Danny, in which the former was overly reliant on one player, while the other was missing their starting Quarterback. Idaho Udapimps may only have six players, but all of them make an impact.

I want to go with the upset special here, but I think Sunday was the test that Idaho Udapimps needed, so I am picking them slightly tonight.

Prediction: Idaho Udapimps (32-27)

Picks

Idaho Udapimps vs Jagerbomb – Idaho Udapimps (My pick for Game of the Week)

Backfield Penetration vs Les Petites Carottes – Backfield Penetration (Upset Special)

Last Week: (3-1)

Playoffs: (8-6)

Upset Special: (9-14)

That is it for today. Good luck to all four teams tonight! The Division C Finals will be taking place this coming Sunday. I will release a Finals preview article on Friday.

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.