Categories: Division ADivision BSpring

Elite QB Play, Upsets, Playoff Clinchers, and Welcome Back College Football!!!!

Welcome to the final week of regular season. I was going to do the usual and use a team picture for the cover page, but a photo of Jerry Rice was in the database, so since he is my favorite player of all time, and because he is the G.O.A.T, I decided to go with number 80.

This week was unique in that there were six games played over a five-day span.

Last Sunday was the first night of action, and it delivered in a big way, as we saw two massive upsets. First, it was KGP edging out the All-Stars (46-45) on the back of a Phil Cutler 1-yard touchdown pass to Quaysie Gordon-Maule with four plays remaining, then the KGP defense returning the favour to their offense by making a defensive stand to end the contest and ensure the victory.

Both Quarterbacks in Cutler and Kevin Wyeth were phenomenal in this game, as each threw for seven touchdowns and nearly 300 yards. Cutler, was just a hair better as he had only three incompletions compared to six for Wyeth.

The Receivers for both teams also stepped up their game as well as all five pass-catchers for both squads reached the endzone at least once. Paul Lapierre led the way for the All-Stars with 8 catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns, while Gabe D’Amico-Mazza did it for his team with seven receptions for 91 yards and a pair of TDs.

For KGP who was victimized last week by bad Quarterback play in their (38-7) blowout loss to BYOB, it was a big win that not only helped them climb the Division B standings, but it also showed that they can beat one of the Division A heavyweights.

The second upset that took place was Get Off Our D beating top seeded Urgence Médic (31-27) in Laval.

Playing a key role in the upset win, was the performances of Quarterback Jeff Rosenblatt, and Receiver Anthony Brisebois. The QB would go 24 of 32 throwing for five touchdown passes in the win. He was aided by his top target, who caught seven passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns, leading all players in each categories.

As impressive as his offensive game was, it was a play that Brisebois made on defense that made the biggest difference, as his interception of Quarterback Jesse Dupuis late in the second half, resulted in a touchdown for Get Off Our D just three plays later.

Get Off Our D did not rest on their laurels with the win over Urgence Médic, as just four days later, they scored another huge victory, as they knocked off Here For The Beers (38-26) Thursday night once again in Laval.

Jeff Rosenblatt was able to make it two outstanding outings in a row, as the veteran QB torched the Here For The Beers defense for six touchdowns on 22 of 27 passing and 240 yards. No matter what level of football, when a QB throws more touchdown passes than incompletions, it is always impressive.

For the second straight game, Rosenblatt teamed up with Anthony Brisebois to cook up some magic, as the pair connected seven times for a game-high 107 yards to go along with two touchdowns.

There appeared to be a little bit of magic left in the pot, as Raoul Baroudi also did some damage to the tune of five catches for 50 yards and three touchdowns.

If you do the quick math, the receiving duo did enough by themselves to beat Here For The Beers. Fortunately for Get Off Our D, they weren’t alone, as they got help from Erik Brousseau, Jad Aridi, Jonathan Lyristis, and a solid defensive effort from Adam Rockman who led his team in pass breakups with two.

BYOB had a chance to make it a trifecta of upsets, and more importantly take a stranglehold on a playoff spot as they took on both Here For The Beers, and Khantraband over the four day span of games.

The contest versus Here For The Beers was full of fireworks as both teams traded big plays and scores.

One of the turning points of the game came via a turnover, as Vinny Gualano intercepted BYOB QB Mathieu René, two plays after Here For The Beers had jumped out to a (21-12) lead on a touchdown by Wide Receiver Jordan Allard. HFTB would add more salt in the wound four plays after the INT, as Allard would score his second TD of the evening on an eight-yard pass from Sean Avraam, extended their team’s lead to (29-12).

BYOB staged a furious comeback in the second half, as they outscored their opponents (20-6), on touchdown receptions by Jonathan Grizzley, Mathieu Lepage and Stephan Osman. Unfortunately for the team they would fall short by three points, as they failed on four of their five conversion attempts, including missing both of their final attempts of the contest. Final score (35-32) Here For The Beers.

Heading into the evening, Here For The Beers was on the outside looking in of the playoffs, as they trailed BYOB by two points in the standings. Credit to them for getting the victory, as it secured the head-to-head tiebreaker over their opponent.

Fortunately for BYOB, they had a chance for redemption, and one final shot to secure a playoff birth Thursday night in Brossard when they took on Khantraband.

Just like in their game versus Here For The Beers, BYOB, was slow coming out the gate against Khantraband, as they were only able to score just two first half touchdowns.

Also standing in BYOB’s way was the triple threat of AJ Gomes, Serge Pilon Jr., and Isiah Allard. The trio dominated the game offensively, as they combined for 16 receptions for 187 yards and a jaw-dropping seven touchdowns. Pilon Jr. showed exactly why he is in the FPF Hall-of-Fame, as he would also add Week 11 leading three interceptions, one of which he returned for another TD.

BYOB would try to storm back once again in the second half, as their offense finally woke up and answered with 20 points, but it would be too little too late, as they would fall (55-34).

 Not showing up for the first half and failing to stop the Khantraband offense and their QB Daniel Lazzara, who threw for seven touchdowns and ran for another score, proved too much for BYOB to overcome.

This week’s Welcome Back section focuses on Brandon Aylward. I’ve written about Brandon numerous times over the years when I was writing for Division 6. The seven-time All-Star is a solid defender, and a threat to score from anywhere on the field when he gets the ball in his hands as a Receiver. Both he and his brother Danny were one of the many things that made my time writing for the lower divisions a lot of fun too.

Having last played in 2020 with he and his brother’s team the Greendale Human Beings, Brandon made his FPF return suiting up up for Here For The Beers, and the Suicide Squad in Division E.

He only recorded one tackle for Here For The Beers, while contributing 6 catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns to go along with a pair of tackles and pass breakups for the Suicide Squad. Nonetheless, it was great to see one of the good guys in FPF back in action.  

Power Rankings

Division A

1. Braves (9-1) – Nothing has changed here since the Power Rankings debuted just over a month ago. Last Week: 1st

2. Khantraband (7-3) – The second-best team in all of FPF, Khantraband, will have their first opportunity to show that they should have the title of the best – next week, as they face the Braves for the third time this season, in the Quarterfinals. After losing the first two meetings by a combined seven points, will third time be the charm for this ultra talented squad? Last Week: 2nd

3. All-Stars (4-5-1) – The All-Stars ended the final month of the regular season with a dud, as they won only one of their last four games. With this team, you can’t help but think that the regular season was just a formality, and they will turn their mojo and championship swagger back on when the playoffs start. Last Week: 3rd

4. Chernobyl – 21 (3-6-1) – At the end of July, I said that Chernobyl – 21 was a team that no one wanted to face in the first round of the playoffs. After not winning a single game in the month of August, this team looks nothing like the threat it once was. The only saving grace for them was earning a (33-33) tie against the All-Stars to end their regular season. Despite their flaws, this team still has a lot of talent, and has shown the ability to go score for score with anybody. They may not be as dangerous as they looked earlier this summer, but Chernobyl – 21 is still not a team to be slept on. Last Week: 4th

Division B

1. Urgence Médic (7-3) – After going on a five-game winning streak, Urgence Médic, ended the regular season with a (31-27) loss to Get Off Our D. The loss didn’t hurt them, as they already locked down the top seed and first round bye for Division B. Now they play the waiting game, as they wait to see who they will be playing in the Semi-Finals between the winner of the four versus five Quarterfinals matchup between the fourth seed Junkyard Dogs, and the fifth seeded Here For The Beers. Last Week: 1st

2. KGP (5-5) – They earned an impressive win over the All-Stars of Division A to close out the regular season. Locked into the third seed, KGP will now go head-to-head with the number two seeded Get Off Our D in the Semi-Finals. Both teams split the regular season series at one game apiece. Last Week: 3rd

3. Get Off Our D (5-5) – Two big wins to close out the regular season, boosted them from potentially being on the outside of the playoff bubble looking in, to all the way up to the second seed. With their aforementioned win over Urgence Médic, Get Off Our D should be swinging with pride as they march towards the post-season. Last Week: 4th

4. Junkyard Dogs (3-7) – Despite the fact that they have gone (2-2) over their last four games, the Junkyard Dogs have been playing their best football of the season. There were also just a play or two away from going (4-0) during that span. Hitting their stride at exactly the right time, JYD could be a dark horse team to make a run to the Division B Finals. Last Week: 2nd

5. Here For The Beers (3-7) – Sean Avraam’s quest to win QB of the Year, hit a bit of a snag the last month, as his offense has failed to score more than a touchdown in the second half in three of their last four games, three of which ended with a loss. More importantly, this team essentially qualified for the playoffs with a win over BYOB, their only victory in the last month. As mentioned throughout the season, this team has had a mostly rotating cast of characters. Even though the subs like Travis Moses, Brandon Aylward, Nikki Papich, Jordan Mcinnis, and Jaylan Greaves aren’t exactly average players, chemistry and timing were hard to establish.

Looking forward, it will fall on Avraam, both the team’s QB and Captain, to motivate the team and steer them in the right direction if they want their season to continue past the first round of the playoffs. Last Week: 6th

6. BYOB (3-7) – Turnovers, inconsistent football, and having to wait almost two full months to get their second win of the season were three key reasons why this team failed to reach the playoffs. If they weren’t enough, losing to Here For The Beers and Khantraband to close out the regular season was the final nail in the coffin. It was a disappointing end for a team that has a lot of talent on paper and was starting to show signs of improvement. Last Week: 5th

Like many of you, I am happy and excited that college football is back!!!! Last week was the Canadian version, and this week was the NCAA.

I watched my Seminoles lose a heartbreaker tonight to Notre Dame. As gut-wrenching as the loss was (how do you miss that Field Goal?) FSU showed some signs of improvement compared to last year. Also, how could you not root for Noles’ QB McKenzie Milton, after his inspiring comeback from a horrible knee injury? R.I.P Coach Bowden.

Picks

*No Games this week

Final Record

Last Week: (2-2)

Upset Special (5-4)

Regular Season: (26-15-1)

That is it for this week. I will be back later this week with a playoff preview. Enjoy the rest of the long weekend off. I will be back Thursday night/Friday morning.  

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt like there is something I left out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]