Division D-2 Mid-Season Report Card

Division D-2 Midseason Report Card

 

Conference A

 

Underducks (4-1)

Grade: A

They get a top grade from me in large part because I didn’t see them being on top at the half way point of the season. I didn’t see them on top in large part because I didn’t know most of the guys, but I’m quickly learning. They have an experienced quarterback and they are big and fast. This makes them tough to beat and they haven’t in a while, winning 4 straight. Renaud St-Laurent has been their stud on offense and gets a lot of Domon’s attention, so it will be interesting to see the team react to an opponent trying to take him away. It’s a tall task, pun intended, and it definitely won’t be easy. He’s actually second in the entire division in catches as well. It’s interesting to see Gabriel Wiseman join the group and I wonder how long he’ll stick around. Either way, they have a tough second half and while they may come back down to earth somewhat, they’ll be a top team come playoff time.

Predicted Record: 7-2

Most Intriguing Player: Renaud St-Laurent

 

Fighting Amish (3-2)

Grade: C-

These grades are largely subjective and most would say that 3-2 is pretty good, but I had higher expectations coming in. Gabriel Poisson and Mathieu Ouimet are having solid seasons and they have been carrying this team. Ouimet especially, catching the ball for an average of almost 20 yards per catch. The inconsistency really stems from the quarterback position and it’s tough to know who will be playing under center moving forward. Neither Christophe Marchand or Vincent Richard have been bad by any stretch, but the team will need to find it’s rhythm. They have the experience and are used to being in the win column so I’m not too concerned. I’d like to see more from their depth players as well and that can really catapult them into a championship contender.

Predicted Record: 7-3

Most Intriguing Player: Mathieu Ouimet

 

Finessers (3-2)

Grade: B-

They are actually performing slighty better than expected and I think that’s largely due to the emergence of Nirosh Suresh. He’s been really good in the past but he seems to be on another level this season, including playing 1 game at QB. The duo of him and Alex Bachaalani have been unstoppable and Ryan Kharouf is playing some good football as well. They will need to figure out their defense and stay consistent moving forward but it’s great to see them so explosive. They have a very mediocre end to their schedule and I think they’re a lock to get into the playoffs. If they do, this team can be upset city and surprise people right to the finals. It’s amazing that with how loud they can be, people still don’t see them coming.

Predicted Record: 6-4

Most Intriguing Player: Nirosh Suresh

 

Buffalo Wild Wings (3-2)

Grade: B+

This team is quietly putting together one of their best seasons so far and I strongly believe it’s because of the development of Tristan Rinaldis. Blazin’ 12 is gaining a lot of experience and learning how to manage the game and use his players, specifically Guillaume Fontaine and Guillaume Vezina who have helped with big games so far. They’re a tough team defensively that won’t give up tons of points either and they are one of those teams that seem to be in every game they play as they have lost both of their games by a combined 7 points. They shouldn’t change up too much and continue to remain one of the more consistent teams in the division. It may come down to a stressful close game in the playoffs, but this is something that they’re very comfortable with.

Predicted Record: 6-4

Most Intriguing Player: Tristan Rinaldis

 

EZW (3-2)

Grade: D

The team that is the highest-flying, electrifying and fun to watch seem to have come back down to earth recently. With two losses on the season to Finessers and now Dream Chasers, they’re stuck looking in the mirror trying to figure out how to fix the course. Not having Charles-Olivier Lavigne consistently is no longer an excuse as Jeremy White has proved that he can put together solid games without him, however something tells me that either way these guys should be alright. Also, it looks like he’s in danger of missing the playoffs so they won’t be able to count on him regardless. Samuel Emilio Pelchat and Felix Leger are having strong seasons and work well in their system of getting the ball out quickly and making defenders miss. One thing is for sure, EZW will continue to put up tons of points but they will need to limit turnovers and come together more defensively to get back to being the powerhouse that we all expect.

Predicted Record: 7-3

Most Intriguing Player: Jeremy White

 

Renegades (2-3)

Grade: C

Two straight victories now, can they be turning their season around? The first one came with Alexis Labonte under quarterback, but recently Jeffrey Lefebvre went back to calling the offense and had a solid game against Les OG’s. It’s clear that he’s ready to do anything he can for this team to win and that’s been extremely commendable. They don’t have the strongest roster in the Division but they can certainly compete when they get strong games from Kevin Gauthier, Labonte and when Eric Pawlusiak is dependable in the middle of the field. They have a winnable game next week against a winless team but then their schedule becomes very difficult. That said, they have their faith in their own hands and just need to stay ahead of The U, but it will be a tall task. I don’t see them finishing better than 3-7, but if they can get to 4-6 they may have a shot.

Predicted Record: 3-7

Most Intriguing Player: Jeffrey Lefebvre

 

The U (1-4)

Grade: D-

Capital D for disappointing so far, I don’t think they’ll take that badly at all but rather agree with me. Things just aren’t working and they are having trouble figuring out why. Before the season, I had them as one of the top teams in the Division but they have now lost 4 straight. Evan Frank is throwing too many interceptions and teams that have been mediocre in the past have been improving and The U is staying stagnant. Pedvis can’t do everything alone and I’d like to see more from Nikki Papich and Russel Schwartz on the offensive side of the ball. As I’ve just mentioned, they’re in a battle now for the last playoff spot with Renegades and will need to win at least 3 out of their last 5 to get in. Looking at their schedule quickly, I think that can happen against Finessers and Los Avocados, but they’ll be in tough against Baby Sharks, EZW and Underducks. Should be a photo finish.

Predicted Record: 4-6

Most Intriguing Player: Kyle Pedvis

 

Los Avocados (0-5)

Grade: D-

The move from Division E last spring after an undefeated season has not gone to plan so far and they have been struggling. Joshua Vazquez has been struggling to complete passes and throwing more than an interception per game and that’s not a good start. Their defense is also allowing an average of 35 points per game which combined with the offense is a recipe for disaster. Besides Felix Desbiens-Gravel, there hasn’t been any player who has really stood up and tried to take this team on their back and I think they are one or two strong players away from competing in this division. The bright side is that they do have a few winnable games in the second half of the season so hopefully they can find their way into the win column.

Predicted Record: 1-9

Most Intriguing Player: Felix Desbiens-Gravel

 

Conference B

 

The Infantry (5-0)

Grade: A+

It doesn’t work as well in the higher divisions and I was a little bit worried about their depth coming in, however Sean and Rory Semerjian are proving that you can succeed in D-2 with two top end players and a few role players rather than just looking for balance. Sean is playing very well at quarterback and having Rory to bail him out when he’s in need of a big play has been the difference for The Infantry. Jeremie Ledoux is also a great two way player and probably doesn’t get enough credit. The one knock on this team is that you can argue that they haven’t played the most difficult schedule, but their dates with Les Voyous, Dream Chasers and Ballz Deep should get us a much better picture of where they stand. Either way, they’ll be tough to knock out of the playoffs and they dare you to try and stop Rory. The problem is, no team has been successful, yet.

Predicted Record: 9-1

Most Intriguing Player: Rory Semerjian

 

Les Voyous (5-0)

Grade: A+

I’ve been playing against them and following them for a while and they seem to always be a middle of the pack team that could potentially surprise you and get an upset or two come playoffs. At least that’s been my impression. That’s why they get this grade from me because they have absolutely been taking D-2 by storm. Sebastien Dallaire is playing the best I’ve seen him and he seems to have finally built a team around him that can be just as impactful. Just to give you an idea how dominant they have been, they are beating other top teams like Fighting Amish, Finessers and Ballz Deep. Who does that leave to challenge them for a title? Dallaire has been spreading the ball around nicely with Vincent Laganiere and Anthony Mireault stepping up on offense. Defensively, they swarm the ball and make it very difficult for teams to go over top and get extra yards – a bend but don’t break mentality in the hopes of getting Dallaire extre possessions. It should be interesting to see whether they lose a game at all the rest of the way.

Predicted Record: 10-0

Most Intriguing Player: Sebastien Dallaire

 

Ballz Deep (3-2)

Grade: B

I think their 1 point loss against Les Voyous proves that they don’t need much to take the next step and compete come playoff time. Justin Weird has been playing well but with a few too many interceptions and he has a ton of options to throw the ball to. Matthew Peacock has been the heart of this team but he has surrounded himself with a solid supporting cast with guys like Brendhan Birch, Jonathan Weir and Kadeem Tyrell Brathwaite. These next 3 games for them should have them at 6-2 and then the real test begins before playoffs with games against The Infantry and Underducks. That should give us a good picture of where to put this team in our bracket.

Predicted Record: 7-3

Most Intriguing Player: Matthew Peacock

 

Baby Sharks (3-2)

Grade: B-

With so many teams that are now at 3-2, they can’t all continue to win and move up the standings, can they? Baby Sharks are a wild card for me as they seem to have had a tumultuous start to the season. It’s been a roller coaster so far and we don’t always know what kind of performance we’ll get. Felix-Antoine Lavigne started the season at quarterback and played well, but we’ll see what they can do with a veteran QB in Nicolas Shaefer who has come in and also played well. He has a really strong arm but can be inaccurate at times and overall between the two of them, they have a few too many interceptions. They’re a talented group with a team name that makes you think of a song that you’d much prefer to poke your eyes out, but it’s arguable that they have the most difficult of schedules here on out. It should give them a lot of practice for the playoffs and give us a good sense of where they fit in the big picture.

Predicted Record: 5-5

Most Intriguing Player: Felix-Antoine Lavigne

 

GLC (2-3)

Grade: C-

I think we can all collectively breathe a sigh of relief now that Hai Minh Luong is back and throwing for GLC again. By we, I pretty much just mean the media and the guys on GLC as the rest of the teams in the Division wish he was still stuck travelling for work. He’s thrown 10 touchdowns in two games to only 1 interception and there just seems to be a balance restored to GLC. I was worried about them at the start of the season but I don’t worry anymore. They should be able to win 3 or 4 out of their remaining 5 games and finish the season in a playoff spot which is all one needs, a chip and a chair I believe is the expression. Besides “The Comeback” that I will now refer to this team, they are the same squad that often makes deep playoff run after deep playoff run and everybody else should be concerned.

Predicted Record: 5-5

Most Intriguing Player: Mendy Cardichon

 

Dreams Chasers (2-3)

Grade: C

Ben McMahon, recently dubbed by Moe Khan as the “FPF Kyler Murray” has been playing well for Dream Chasers. He doesn’t have a ton to work with but he’s making do with what he has and the defense is holding them in games. On a positive note, they rarely lose a game by more than a score however the downside is that they have lost more than they have won. Players like Kevin Donnet are doing everything they can to try to squeeze out wins but they’ve played some tough teams like EZW and Ballz Deep. Their schedule is up and down and they’ll need to try and finnish at the .500 mark to sneak into the playoffs and stay ahead of Les OG’s.

Predicted Record: 4-6

Most Intriguing Player: Ben McMahon

 

Les OG’s (1-4)

Grade: D

I am not too sure why they switched their quarterback from Alex Campeau because they started the season on a good note and have been struggling recently with Felix Vaillancourt-Tremblay. Olivier Claveau and Nicholas-Emmanuel Pierre can’t quite do it all for Les OG’s and their offense relies way too much on the deep ball rather than longer possessions and it hasn’t been working. Vaillancourt-Tremblay has a strong arm but I simply think he takes too many risks and they haven’t been paying off. They haven’t even been that bad defensively either, but they are just not winning close games, just take a look at their last one against the Renegades, a team they could have beaten. It will take a lot of work and a little bit of tweaking their game plan to surpass Dream Chasers and get into the playoffs.

Predicted Record: 2-8

Most Intriguing Player: Nicolas-Emmanuel Pierre

 

Texass Shorthorns (0-5)

Grade: D

Great name, great jerseys, just hasn’t been a great season for these guys. It’s an introduction to FPF for most of them and while they will learn a lot and improve for sure, things just aren’t working so far. A lone bright spot might be the play of Colin Sequeira who has thrown 16 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions in 4 games, however their defense has not done enough to stop opposing teams from having an even better stat line. John Bews and Franco Ciccocioppo have been an excellent one two punch as well and Bews might even be in the running for wide receiver of the year. Franco on the other hand, it might be difficult to constantly get you into the media with a name that’s so tricky to spell correctly. Jokes aside, they have simply had to learn on the fly and adapt to a different game than what they are used to. They only have 3 turnovers in 5 games and have given up an average of about 35 points against, a difficult hill to climb.

Predicted Record: 1-9

Most Intriguing Player: Colin Sequeira