Division Recaps and Week 2 Highlights from FPF Junior

After two weeks, most teams are already three games into their season. While it may be hard to imagine, some teams are already halfway through their season. With two or three games under each team’s belt, the favorites in each division are starting to become clear.

In Atom, Grizzlies have gotten off to a terrific start. They won all their games and put up 68 points in the process. What is even more impressive than managing 23 points a game is the fact that they have yet to allow a touchdown this season. They have a star-studded offence led by the versatile Harley Minzberg. On defence, it has been a team effort that has resulted in them pitching three perfect games. Simply put, they are the most cohesive team and the best tackling team. The result is a nearly impenetrable defence. Close on the Grizzlies heels are the McCaig Gladiators 2. Under the expert coaching of Gautama Swaminadham, the Gladiators have also got off to a perfect start this season. The only reason they are in second is because they have played one game less than the Grizzlies. Impressively, the Gladiators also have a perfect defensive record. They have yet to concede a single score. However, something is going to have to break this weekend. At 1pm at Kirkland, the Grizzlies and the Gladiators are going to be facing off. While I honestly have no clue who’s going to win that game, I can tell you that neither team will escape with their perfect defensive record.

In Mosquito, McCaig Gladiators are also in first place with a perfect record. While they have the same record as their Atom affiliate, they do not have the same defensive clean sheet to boast about. Kingston Paquet put on a show last week to lead his Gladiators to victory. He passed for 160 yards and four touchdowns in a perfect performance to storm past the Panthers. Putting pressure on the Gladiators are the very talented AP Hurricanes 2. They are tied for points with the Gladiators and only behind them because they have conceded eight more points. Truth be told, these two teams are very similar. They are both experienced FPF Junior teams with coaches who understand the game. They are both led by extremely talented and strong-armed quarterbacks. I like to compare Kingston Paquet to the Brett Favre of FPF Junior. He has the strong arm and gung slinger mentality to back up that comparison. The downside of that mentality is that he thinks he can make every single throw. While that confidence is an asset in most circumstances, it also leads to him throwing quite a few interceptions. In the case of Hurricane’s QB Markus D’Alessandro, I have not come up with a pro comparison yet, but I can say he is a terrific passer. The Gladiators and the Hurricanes will be going head to head next weekend and I cannot wait to see them battle it out.

In both Atom and Mosquito, there are two teams that are starting to separate themselves from the pack. The same goes for Pee-Wee. Musketeers are in first place with a perfect 3-0 record and close on their heels are the AP Hurricanes 1. While the Musketeers have the extra win under their belt, the Hurricanes have a perfect defensive record. In their two games so far this season, the Hurricanes have yet to concede a score. If you ask me, that is more impressive than three wins. All this talk about perfect records will soon be mute because these two teams are facing off on Sunday. In one of the most anticipated games of the weekend, the Musketeers and Hurricanes will make their way to the Stade de Montreal to see who deserves first place. The Musketeers have experience on their side. They have reunited the Musketeers squad that won the championship last spring season. Musketeers quarterback Kaydon Shaw has all the offensive weapons you could hope for and receiver Massimo Moufrage is leading the charge with 221 receiving yards in just three games. The Hurricanes also have their fair share of weapons. The first of those weapons is quarterback Logan Trepanier who has already run for 123 yards and passed for twice as many. The Hurricanes biggest strength is not one receiver but rather the fact that they spread the ball. In just two games, they already have five players with multiple catches.

In Bantam, the Dusters and North Shore are both living the good life with a perfect 3-0 record. Both of these teams have loads of experience. On the one hand, Dusters have had the same roster ever since they entered the league. They have an all-star quarterback in Adam Malinoff and a very talented corps of receivers. They have played in FPF Junior for five seasons now and have amassed plenty of accolades along the way. The one thing that the Dusters have to worry about is not evolving. Ever since I have known the Dusters, they have relied on two things: Adam Malinoff’s legs and Matthew Eiley coming up clutch. As expected, Malinoff has already run for over 100 yards and Eiley already has twice as many receiving yards as anyone else on the team with 166. While Malinoff and Eiley are fantastic players, they need to start finding new ways to win or opposing teams will clue into their ways. As for North Shore, they have been riding the fantastic play of their two quarterbacks. To give you an idea as to how dominant Marco Gentile has been, he has passed for nearly twice as many yards as any quarterback in the division and Gentile has managed that impressive feat all while sharing the snaps under center with Nicholas Masella. While North Shore’s quarterbacks have been excellent so far this season, their rusher has been even better. In just three games, Brenden Urquhart has terrified opposing quarterbacks with his 11 sacks and two tackles.

I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around what is happening in Midget this season. Two teams I did not expect to be undefeated are sitting atop the standings while the team I thought was going to challenge for the title is siting winless in last place. I often say that the most important element to success is a dominant quarterback. Before the season started, I presumed that Kaelen Trepanier of Mountain Goats was going to be the most dominant passer in this division. After two weeks of action, that assumption seems to be incorrect. After a heartbreaking exit from the playoffs last year, Noah Lachance of Montreal’s Youngest has returned with a vengeance and is looking like the best quarterback in Midget. He is currently leading the division in passing yards, passing touchdowns and completions. In yet another feature matchup, Noah Lachance and Montreal’s Youngest are going to take on Garner Ross and first place TuneSquad. I saw what TuneSquad were capable of when they played at Kirkland in week 1. While I was skeptical before the season, everything fell into place for them. Garner Ross is not the most elegant quarterback in the division, he does not throw the prettiest spiral, however, he may very well be most efficient. He has been playing with his receivers for a few seasons and they are on the same page. The result is a dangerous looking offence. That offence is going to go up against a very talented Montreal Youngest’s defence and I cannot wait to see who comes out on top.

Week 2 Game of the Week:

Atom:

Silver Cougars (6) vs Jaguars (6)

After a rough first game, the Jaguars entered the second game of their double header fired up and ready to win. Most importantly, they got their all-star quarterback Vinh Bastien back. Vinh Bastien may not have passed for 100 yards, but he had a quietly impressive performance. In fact, he completed over 30 % of his passes and threw for 37 yards and a touchdown in the process. In Atom, you do not need your quarterback to steal the show. You just need him to produce one or two scoring drives a game and you will win. His 37 passing yards and 53 rushing yards were just enough for the Jaguars to escape with a tie and their first points of the season. Every quarterback needs a big-time target. For Vinh Bastien, that receiver is Aaron George. He dominated this game with two catches for 25 yards and most importantly, the Jaguars only score. Rounding out the Jaguars receiving corps were Jayden Harripesaud with an eight-yard catch and Adem Wasti with his four-yard reception. On defence, it was a remarkable team effort that limited the Silver Cougars to only one score. Leading that defensive charge was once again the talented Aaron George. His three tackles were the most on the team. However, it was his crucial interception that made the biggest impact. Not to be outdone, the talented Jacob Jenikovszky also left his mark on the game. His two defended passes were crucial in limiting the opposition to six points. The contribution of Elif Balci with his one tackle cannot be overlooked either.

As for the Silver Cougars, their game plan centers around the exceptional athleticism of Malcolm McLaren. He was responsible for every single yard that the Cougars gained on offence. In the passing game, he was the quarterback that threw for 33 yards. In the running game, he accounted for 100% of the Cougars’s 41 rushing yards. Most importantly, he scored a touchdown on one of his 6 rushing attempts. If you do the math, that makes for a very respectable total of 74 yards of net offence for Malcolm McLaren. Out of those 33 passing yards, 24 came courtesy of a magnificent catch by Jake Roberts. Five more yards came from Emerson Lin’s clutch catch and the final four came from a grab by Xavier Parent. Defensively for the Cougars, there were two players that really made their presence felt. Luke Sabbagh had a monster game with his three tackles and one sack and the talented Emerson Lin had just as impressive a performance. His two interceptions were vital to his team securing the draw. In fact, the second of those two picks came in the dying moments of the game and halted a Jaguars drive that looked like it was about to score the game winning touchdown.

With that, the 2nd week of FPF Junior is now in the books and week three is just a few days away. Storylines are starting to emerge, and I cannot wait to see how they continue to play out in this third week of action. As always, if you have any feedback about the articles or questions about the league, feel free to come see me on the sidelines at Kirkland or reach out to me at [email protected].