Division D – Week 4

Every week I tell myself that I’ll get this article out earlier, but it seems to come out later and later. This week, I blame one of my best friends for getting married. Seriously though, couldn’t be happier for the guy but it just meant that the article is coming out in time for the games Sunday night.

It’s been a great week and I’ve had my first ever tie in FPF. Neither team was happy and just makes us look forward to the next week. Good luck to everybody and I’m sure I’ll see a lot of you at the field this week.

With a little bit of a time crunch, let’s dive right into the weekly recaps.

 

Weekly Recaps

D-1

Hurricane SZN 26 vs. Team Ethnik 24

In the closest game I saw this week, this was the Brandon Parent show against the Charles Verreault show and Parent came out on top. We had two of the divisions best overall players square off from the very beginning, Verreault striking first on a 32 yard fly down the sidelines and Brandon Parent answered two plays later with a great catch for a 44 yard touchdown. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Parent picked off Benoit Lawlor shortly after to allow Ryan McGrath show off why he was recently named starting QB. He drove the field methodically, extending plays with his feet and finaly capping off the drive with a 1 yard touchdown to Jahnai Lewis.

After that drive, the two stars of the game traded blows yet again. Verreault made the most ridiculous catch I’ve seen in a long stretching out over the middle of the field and making a one handed grab in front of the defender who thought for sure he would have the interception. Not to be outdone, Parent immediately burned his defender on the very next play after the unsuccessful convert and scored on another 40 yard bomb. In most situations, I would say that other players have to step up and that a team can’t just focus on getting their best player the ball, but that was not true in this game.

While Hurricane SZN seemed to generally be in control for most of the game, Team Ethnik seemed to get a huge boost when Jean-Christophe Ferland showed up at halftime. He had an immediate impact on defense and managed 4 catches in the second half alone. Team Ethnik started their second to last drive strong, completing two straight passes to Ferland until the drive stalled. Lawlor missed Verreault on a few deep passes and they were forced to punt.

With a chance to put the game away and go up by 8 or more points, Verreault stepped up one last time and picked off McGrath in the endzone to give his team 3 plays to try and take the lead. It was just a little bit too little and a lot too late because Team Ethnik wasn’t able to take advantage of their second chance and ultimately the game was over because of a few extra points.

 

Unknown Talent 37 vs. Longhorns 25

Unknown Talent showed up a little bit last minute to this game and I thought it would have affected them a little bit more but they’re proving to be really adaptable. Santino Sparagna started the game off at quarterback while they waited for Barazzoni and he did a great job filling in, completing 2 of 3 passes and finding Mathieu Simard on a 32 yard touchdown pass over the middle of the field.

The longhorns had a little bit of trouble finding their rhythm and they were the ones who showed up early and ready to play. Eugene McLaren had trouble finding open receivers and when he did, there was a good chance that they probably dropped the ball. Despite that, he was able to do just enough to get the Longhorns into the red zone and finally scoring on a quick out to Karim Yasmine. Add the extra point and the Longhorns were up by 1.

The teams traded a few more scores until the game got away from the  Longhorns in the second half. As I mentioned, the story really was dropped balls and even worse, McLaren had a few balls tipped right into the hands of the defenders which were the reason for 2 out of the 3 interceptions. Even after getting very little support from his receivers, the Longhorns had a chance to tie the game very late. After a great first play and 13 yards to Jazon, yet another tipped ball led to Nicolas Groppini picking off McLaren and running it back to end the game.

 

D-2

Underducks 25 vs. Les OG’s 19

I was impressed by both these teams. They both have a lot of size and skill and the win could have gone in either direction. Felix Vaillancourt-Tremblay started with the ball and Les OG’s scored first. Olivier Claveau came with everything he had in this game and got the first points of the game on a 10 yard pass in the back of the endzone. Mathieu Domon retaliated on an extended drive which ended with a 1 yard touchdown to Renaud St-Laurent.

The theme of the game was definitely extremely long drives by both teams. A lot of short completions to big targets as both defences made it extremely difficult to hit a long ball. Les OG’s stalled, though, on their second drive and turned the ball over on downs, giving the Underducks the leg up they needed and they never looked back. J.D. Joly scored the go ahead touchdown and he had an excellent game overall.

The game went back and forth a little bit more but ultimately the Underducks led by Mathieu Domon were able to make a few more plays on offense than Les OG’s. Domon made a beautiful pass, again to J.D. Joly to give them the 6 point lead yet again. Les OG’s had a chance to tie the game late with the ball and 4 plays, but Vaillancourt threw 4 straight incomplete balls.

 

GLC 34 vs. Texass Shorthorns 28

We’ll hear from Mendy Cardichon a little bit later in the article, but he and the rest of GLC are clearly happy to have Hai Minh Luong back at quarterback. I wasn’t able to find out why he was absent, but it’s clear that they need him back permanently. Texass Shorthorns had quarterback troubles of their own in this game and Matthew Houston was replaced mid game by John Bews who faired a little bit better but still not enough to win them the game.

Hai Minh Luong did what he does best and distributed the ball really well to his receivers and let them make plays for him. He got a lot of help and extra possessions as well and while he wasn’t perfect, he just compliments the team so well and gives them a much better chance to win. John Bews and Franco Ciccocioppo had solid games for Texass Shorthorns also but they could never get over the interceptions and crawl back into the lead.

Both teams have a ton of talent but the story out of this one is really the quarterback play. We all know that without a solid backstop you won’t get very far in this league, especially come playoff time. You may win a few games off talent and star power alone, but it’s just so difficult to string consistent games together. In a spring season where players are bound to miss games, the teams with a solid foundation and a present quarterback should succeed the most.

 

Power Rankings

D-1

1. Half-A-Stars (3-0-1) – You have to beat the top dog to become the top dog.
2. Outlaws (3-0-1) – I don’t think either team wanted a tie but this obviously makes this a 1A and 1B situation.
3. Les Princes de la Rive-Sud (4-0) – If anybody can challenge the top 3 they can. They’re even scarier when Fred Viens plays also.
4. A-Town (3-1) – Even with the loss they shouldn’t be overlooked. Tough matchup against Half-A-Stars this week.
5. Unknown Talent (3-1) – They can easily finish 9-1.
6. The Sheriff (3-1) – They are gaining momentum and have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. Can Luis stay healthy?
7. Les Centaures (2-2) – This team looks tough to figure out.
8. LOB (2-2) – They’ve had a strange start to the season but they can beat any other team if they bring their A game.

 

D-2

1. Les Voyous (4-0) – There is no beter team in D-2 so far this season. Dallaire is on the top of his game.
2. The Infantry (4-0) – I still do not doubt the Semerjian brothers, but they just look stronger every week.
3. EZW (3-1) – Jeremy White is absolutely tearing up the division and he’s really figuring out this quarterback thing.
4. Fighting Amish (3-1) – One loss does not define your season.
5. Ballz Deep (3-1) – I don’t really see the loss as a big deal for them either, they’ve looked really strong.
6. Finessers (2-2) – They have so much talent all around, they’ll be the team that bounces around this list the most.
7. Buffalo Wild Wings (3-1) – They’ve been really solid and look to be putting together their best campaign in the last few years.
8. Underducks (3-1) – Saw them live for the first time, they have tons of size and Karim Sy-Morissette is their X-Factor.

 

“You ball, you get the call”

Not as many stand out performances this week on winning teams, but we had a few absolutely crazy performances, most notably by Fred Viens and Brandon Parent. Also wanted to get Jeff Lefebvre out this week because I’ve watched a few of their games and he’s truly worked hard to get this team on the right side of the win/loss column. He just recently gave the reigns at QB to Alexis Labonte which shows he’ll really do anything to get the win for the Renegades.

 

D-1

 

Hurricane SZN – Brandon Parent – 7 catches, 155 yards, 3 TDs, 2 tackles, 2 INTs, 3 PDs

1. How does it feel to finally get the first W of the season? Do you think your record should be better?

It feels great we have good team that has a lot of talent and yes our record should be better because we are more focused on working together as a team to make plays during the game

2. With a somewhat inconsistent roster, do you feel that a lot of the success rests on your shoulders?

No because like I said before we work as a team and we will get a lot more w’s if we continue playing how we’ve play last week

3. What kind of impact does Ryan have on your team and will he lead the way for the rest of the season?

He has an amazing arm he can get the ball in tight spots where only our receivers can get it

 

Show Me Your TDs – Mike Addona – 20/33, 206 yards, 6 TDs

1. How did it feel to finally get the first W?

Honestly, relieved, we felt we’ve been in every game with each of the 3 losses coming down to the last play. It really is a game of inches, and unfortunately for us the first few weeks we kept falling short. I’m hoping our win versus one of the top tier teams in the division helps improve the teams overall confidence.

2. What’s been the biggest difference this season and why do you think you guys have been struggling?

Tough question, while our record shows 1-3 I don’t feel we have been struggling, maybe a bit unlucky with a few bad bounces, the way we’ve played up to now I could easily see the team sitting at 3-1. That being said we have a new offence in place l with largely new pieces, it took a few weeks for things to start to gel. We are hoping that the offence continues to click the way we have in the last 2 weeks and that the first 2 were just “growing pains” of getting used to new pieces and plays within the Offence.

3. Who’s the most interesting guy on the team and why?

I could make a case for every member of our team but I’d have to say it’s a tie between Adam Parasuco and Simon Ryan-Ploudre. Adam has been a staple of SMYTDs for some time, largely as a defensive guy. In spot duty over the last couple seasons he’s shown flashes of brilliance on offence, which led to his full time spot on O, he is still learning routes and concepts which is scary given his production thus far and the fact that he has a soccer background and not a football one. He has the potential to surprise a lot of people ! As for Simon, it’s my first season playing with him. He was recruited by Alex David, and he could not be a better fit for this team, sure hands, quick and great attitude. He has added a new dynamic to our team and we are hoping to grow on this. Much like Adam he’ll surprise people if they sleep on him! Overall, it’s a new look SMYTDs team but I believe it has the potential to compete if we continue to improve on a weekly basis.

 

Princes de la Rive-Sude – Frederic Viens – 10 catches, 119 yards, 5 TDs, 1 tackle, 1 INT, 1 Def. TD

1. Safe to say you had an impact in your first game. Will you be playing most of the season and what do you think you bring to an already solid team?

Je vais seulement remplacer quand le cap va me le permettre! Je crois que j’apporte une certaine expertise comme QB alors je peux aider le QB avec de nouveaux concepts et l’aider à lire une défensive!

2. Between you, your brother, Mathieu and Julien at QB, do you imagine any other teams being able to stop you guys?

Sans moi comme joueur, ils étaient déjà 3-0, alors je ne crois pas avoir fait une grande différence dans l’équipe, mais non si moi, mon frère, mathieu et avec Julien comme Safety ça serait difficile nous arrêter!

3. Which position do you prefer playing, QB or receiver and why?

Receiver, less stress hahaha

 

D-2

 

GLC – Mendy Cardichon – 3 catches, 76 yards, 2 TDs, 3 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PD

1. What’s been going on with GLC this season? Can you explain the tough start?

It’s been a while that we haven’t played with our regular QB, Hai Minh Luong. We just need to revive that chemistry in offense with our main qb this season who is doing a great job. The receiver squad will have to step up and make big plays in order to help our quarterback. You will see a turn of event within the next few games.

2. Besides football, if you could play a professional sport which would you choose and why?

Basketball, without a doubt. I just love the intensity, the competition and intelligence needed to play this game. Let’s go Raptors!

3. Can you share something about yourself most may not know?

I started a project with 3 friends and my fiancée that focuses on discovering, promoting and discussing Montreal’s cultural diversity. Football is a great example of unity through diversity. Big things are coming… stay tuned. Go follow us on Instagram and Facebook @qultureal.

 

EZW – Jeremy White – 28/30, 247 yards, 7 TDs, 5 rushes, 31 yards, 3 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PD

1. If you were a player from the NBA finals, which one would you be and why? I guess I’ll go with the easy pick and be Kawhi Leonard because when the game is on the line, I love to have the ball in my hands. I think he brings up the level of his team and thats what I aspire to do.
2. I think you proved people wrong these past two weeks doing so much damage without Charles-Olivier. Do you think you’re a better quarterback when you don’t have to depend on him? I think that people get wrong the fact that Charles-Olivier has crazy stats every week he plays. I feel like I play the same way with or without him. I call the same plays and go through the same reads. The thing is that Charles-Olivier is a really smart and gifted player. He gets open and understands how defenses play. Plus, he’s so explosive that he can take any catch to the house. There is not many players that can take a 5 yard hook for 40 yards, but Charles-Olivier is one of them and that’s why our team does so much damage when he plays.
3. To spread the love a bit, if you had to give a nickname for every guy on EZW what would be their names?

To start with an obvious one, Charles-Olivier would be “The Cheatcode”, no explanation needed. Félix Léger would be “Megatron” because he’s so big and fast at the same time that I literally have no other comparison than Calvin Johnson. Esteban would be “The Speedster” because he runs so fast that his body can’t even follow his legs. Félix Bissonnette would be “The Energizer” because everytime he makes a play, it gets me soooo hyped. Samuel O’Connor would be “The Diver” simply because he always finds a way to finish the play on the ground. Maxime would be “The Smiler” because everytime he looks for the ball in the air, he has a huge smile on his face. Samuel would be “The Mirror” because anywhere I go on the field, he’s always there with me and he’s always the first guy I see. Victor would be “The Sloth” because he is the laziest player I’ve ever seen.

 

Renegades – Jeffrey Lefebvre – 3 catches, 29 yards, 1 tackle, 2 INTs

1. Just wanted to get you on the article this week because it hasn’t been a great start but you’ve been a great leader and recently let Alexis take over at QB and still had a solid game for your team. Can you let us know how the season has gone from your perspective?

You’re right the season has been tough so far for our team. I thought we had a chance to win in week’s 1 and 2 and I was either getting intercepted or turned over on downs at critical points in the games. After getting blown out in week 3, I knew It was time to give Alexis an opportunity if there was to still be a chance for us to compete for a playoff spot. He took full advantage and put up a great performance to lead us to our first win.

2. What has been the toughest part about transitioning to QB for you?

I would say it’s the pressure of the responsibility that come’s with it, i’m trying to learn the position, but at the same time it can’t be easy for my teammates to have to deal with that inexperience.

3. What’s the best part about playing with the Renegades?

A positive team spirit despite having way more losses than wins in recent history. We have no internal fighting no matter how bad a game is going.