Categories: Co-EdCo-Ed 2ComplementaryDivisionWomen's

End of the Season is Here in Women’s and Coed

Coed and the Women’s division are no longer advancing at the same pace. While Coed 1 and 2 are wrapping up the final week of the regular season, the Women’s division have already started the semi-finals. Before jumping into the article, let’s take a look at what is at stake in this final week in terms of playoff seeding.

In Coed 1, top seed is still up for grabs but Party Mix control their fate. They are playing against Average and Savage as well as EZFun today and if they win both, they will clinch the top seed. A loss in either of those matches would open the door for Power Rangers to take the top spot as long as they beat Two and a Half Kittens. In the middle of the table, the highest that Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce could climb is into 4th. Even with a win over Bishop Sycamore, they will not be able to pass them in the standings. Presuming SHCS win, the two teams would have the same record and the same head-to-head record so the tiebreaker would be points against. SHCS currently have 310 whereas BS have 220. What that means is that unless SHCS win by 90 points, they cannot pass BS in the standings.

In Coed 2, there are still three teams jockeying for the top spot. The most important game in that fight is the one between Kiss My End Zone and Y&Y. Simply put, all KMEZ need to do is win and the top spot is theirs. For Y&Y, a win coupled with a Fitsquad loss would mean that they would claim the top seed. A KMEZ loss paired with a Fitsquad win would see Fitsquad take the top seed, Y&Y take the second spot and KMEZ fall all the way down to third place. The top two seeds are so crucial in Coed 2 because they will receive a bye through the first round of the playoffs. If my information is correct at the time of writing this article, La Secte pulled off a shocking upset win and beat 3HUNNAS on Saturday. In terms of standings, that means that 3HUNNAS will finish the season in fourth place and La Secte are currently in fifth. If Team Commandos win against Fitsquad, they can climb into the 5th seed, anything less than that will see them finish the season in 6th.

Games of the Week:

Fitsquad (19) vs Kiss My End Zone (27)

This is a game that both quarterbacks would probably rather forget. In total, there were seven interceptions thrown and only 5 TDs.

Things started off great for Kiss My End Zone in this contest. They put up 21 points in the first half and David de Andrade was firing on all cylinders. His connection with James Drysdale was fantastic. Play after play he hit Drysdale in stride and let him turn 2 yard slants into ten yard gains. De Andrade is at his best when he keeps things simple. He does not have the biggest arm and his strength as a quarterback is his playcalling. His concepts will consistently get players open so as long as his receivers catch the ball and tack on a few yards after the catch, this offence is rolling. KMEZ’s defence kept pace with their offence in that first half. It was again Drysdale who came up clutch with an interception on defence.

However well things might have gone offensively for KMEZ in the first half, it was a complete reversal in the second half. They only scored six points and de Andrade threw three interceptions. It looked like the first half had made him too confident in his play calling and ball placement. Instead of completing the easy passes and throwing it away when that wasn’t there, he began forcing the ball into tighter and tighter windows. Sooner rather than later the inevitable happened and he turned over the ball again, again and again. He threw three interceptions in the second half and made this game much closer than it should have been. Kiss My End Zone need to realize that they have one of the very best defences in the division. They have conceded 115 points which is 35 less than anyone else. Their offence does not need to score on every drive. As long as they do not turnover the ball, they are sitting pretty.

As for Fitsquad, this team is brimming with potential. What impressed me the most about them was their defence. They have smart and athletic players across the board and that all starts with Salim Tayae. His cheerful attitude and smiley demeanor on the field are deceiving, he is a ball hawk in disguise and one of the top defensive play callers in the division. He knows how to adapt his defence and take away the other team’s top threats. There is a reason that KMEZ struggled in the second half and it is because Tayae adjusted his scheme and took away what had been working for KMEZ in the first half. Had Tayae adjusted during the first half instead of at halftime, Fitsquad could have very likely come out with the victory in this one. While Tayae might be the brains behind the operation, Laurence Pontbriand was the one executing the defensive play calls to perfection. She intercepted de Andrade twice in this one and secured her spot as one of the division’s top defenders. Her mix of size, athleticism and football smarts make her a menace for any opposing quarterback.

While Fitsquad’s defence might have been stellar, their offence had issues. As a general rule, when you complete just two more passes to your own team than to your opponents, it is not a good game. Despite having the best arm in the division, Felix Goulet struggled in this one, completing just 6 passes for 82 yards, 2 TDs and 4 INTs. If anything, Goulet’s arm strength was his downfall in this game. Time and again he tried to force the ball deep and got picked off. Simply put, he is not patient. Even if the shorts are consistently open and he could drive the field 5 yards at a time, Goulet would rather take a deep shot. With five plays left in this game Fitsquad got the ball with a chance to score and tie the game if they converted a two-point attempt. Instead of slowly marching down the field, he took a shot deep on his very first play which was intercepted by Drysdale and ended the game. Fitsquad have a tremendous cast of receivers. Pontbriand proved she has some of the best hands in the division with a ridiculous catch on 4th down with a defender draped all over her. If Goulet starts completing passes underneath to his receivers this team could very well be unstoppable.

Flamants Roses (45) vs Concordia (35)

My days of overhyping the Concordia team and Sara Parker have come to an end. The Flamants Roses ended their playoff push in the very first round. The biggest story from this game was the fantastic play of Flamants Roses’ quarterback Élisabeth Ashkar. After Vanessa Birri went down with injury they were forced to use the IR rule to transfer Birri’s games to Ashkar so that she could play in the playoffs.

In her very first start of the season Ashkar was on point, throwing for nearly 200 yards and 6 scores. In the regular season, the FR’s biggest weakness was their offence. They finished the season with just 164 points which was the second least in the division. Only the last placed The Rock scored less points. No one was happier about the play of Ashkar than Lauriane Beauchamp. She led the team with 9 receptions for 86 yards and 3 TDs. Most impressively, the Flamants got better as the game progressed. They were trailing at the half and came back big after the break to score 28 points and take this one 41-35. If Ashkar can keep on progressing throughout the playoffs, the Flamants Roses could be a dark horse contender to win it all. They had always had the athletes to contend with the top teams in the division and the only thing holding them back was their offensive production. If Ashkar can maintain a pace of six scores a game, that could pose issues for any team.

Defensively, the Flamants Roses picked up where they left off in the regular season. After recording nine picks in seven games, they intercepted Concordia and Sara Parker three times in this one. Once again, it was Beauchamp leading the charge. On her own, she accounted for seven tackles and two interceptions. The final interception came courtesy of Ariane Neveu. If there is one area this team can look to improve on as they fight it out for a championship is their rushing. They recorded just four sacks in the regular season and no player had more than one. In this game, they did not manage a single sack. If this defence wants to take the step from good to great, they will need to find a way to turn their QB pressures into sacks.

As for Concordia, this was a frustrating end to a frustrating season. The talent was never an issue with this team. We all know that Sara Parker is the best female quarterback FPF has ever seen and she is continuing to prove that right now in Coed with the Bishop Sycamore’s where she has been tearing things up. This team was just never able to get on the same page. Week after week either their offence would click or their defence would stand on their head. However, they were never able to consistently put everything together. Despite having all the talent in the world, Concordia is out after the quarterfinals.

Teams of the Week

Every week, I will name 12 players to the team of the week. If you make the offensive team of the week, you cannot be on the defensive one and vice versa. I will name one team of the week for both Coed divisions combined and a separate team of the week for the Women’s division. You can make the team of the week in both divisions. For the Coed team of the week, there will always be a minimum of two women on the offensive and defensive team.

Week 10 Coed Team of the Week

Offence

Quarterback: Sara Parker (Bishop Sycamore) 14 completions, 229 passing yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT

Receiver: Rabbi Bositampen (Bishop Sycamore) 5 receptions, 92 yards, 4 TDs

Receiver: Veronique Beaudoin (EZFun) 3 receptions, 47 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Clovis Desrochers (Team Commandos) 6 receptions, 89 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Ryan Dobbs-Garnett (Y&Y) 14 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Abigail Cockerton (Kiss My End Zone) 4 receptions, 32 yards

Defence

Rusher: Camille Ste-Marie (Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) 3 sacks

Defensive Back: James Drysdale (Kiss My End Zone)  1 tackle, 3 INTs

Defensive Back: Wade Shallcross Jr. (Power Ranger) 2 tackles, 2 INTs

Defensive Back: Serge Pilon Jr. (Power Rangers) 5 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PD, 2 TDs   

Defensive Back: Marie-Anne Landry-Duval (Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) 2 tackles, 1 PD

Defensive Back: Kevin Malonga (Bishop Sycamore) 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 TD

Quarterfinals and Semifinal Women’s Team of the Week

Offence

Quarterback: Marie-Lune Foczeny (Volts): 18 completions, 213 passing yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Laurie Turcotte (Bleu Poud) 5 réceptions, 90 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Lauriane Beauchamp (Flamants Roses) 9 receptions, 86 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Sana Ali (Concordia) 6 receptions, 94 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Laurie St-Pierre (Concordia) 7 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Beatrice Bouchard (Bleu Poud) 9 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD

Defence

Rusher: Rochelle Bethelmy (Red Nation) 1 tackle, 1 sack, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Cathy Bernard (Bleu Poud) 3 tackles, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Reka Sivasubramaniyam (Concordia) 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD

Defensive Back: Victoria Di Loreto (Volts) 2 INTs

Defensive Back: Tatiana Bakos (Red Nation) 3 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PD, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Jenna Araujo (Red Nation) 3 tackles, 2 INTs

Predictions:

Bleu Poud (7-1) vs Brutes (5-2)

To say that the Brutes breezed through the first round of the playoffs would be an understatement. They won 60-0 without even showing up to the field because Griffons forfeited the match.

The biggest question heading into this confrontation between the #2 and the #3 seed is who will be playing quarterback for Bleu Poud. While Emmanuelle Bronsard had a fantastic regular season, throwing for 34 TDs and only 3 picks, she was not there for the opening round of the playoffs. While Catherine Gaumont did a commendable job filling in for her, Gaumont does not have the same skil set as Bronsard does. If they do not have Bronsard at quarterback, things could get tricky for Bleu Poud because Brutes have a fantastic defence. Annabelle Chevrier had a fantastic regular season with four picks and their defence finished the season with 14 interceptions. If Bronsard is there, I trust her to protect the ball. However, I do not have the same faith in Gaumont. Ultimately this prediction comes down to a guessing game as to who will play QB for Bleu Poud.

Prediction: Bleu Poud

Kiss My End Zone (7-2) vs Y&Y (6-3)

Y&Y won their last match versus Kiss My End Zone and have been on a tear since then, winning both of their last games. However, when the going gets tough Y&Y’s offence becomes predictable. In their last match versus 3HUNNAS, Y&Y’s quarterback Robert White only completed passes to Ryan Dobbs-Garnett and Justin Weir. Not a single other receiver was even targeted. Other than being predictable, the strength of Y&Y are the women on their team. Marilou Côté Noël, who is finally healthy, is one of the best female receivers in Coed 2. For her to finish the game without a single reception is criminal.

For Kiss My End Zone, the question is very simple. Which David de Andrade will show up? Will we see the de Andrade who had a perfect first half versus Fitsquad or the one that threw three interceptions in the second half against Fitsquad? Ultimately, I have no clue and that is why I am leaving the prediction for this game empty. Feel free to comment who you will think will win this one.

Prediction: You tell me

Party Mix (6-2) vs EZFun (4-4-1)

Presuming that Party Mix will beat Average and Savage in their second game of the night, this match will likely decide whether or not Party Mix finish in first place.

While Party Mix might have split their season record so far with EZFun 1-1, they have a new weapon to unleash on Jeremy White and company in this game and that is a healthy Marilou Côté Noël. After being injured for a majority of the season, she is finally back and nearly at full strength. While she was present for the last confrontation between these two teams she was not rushing. She is now at 100% and I expect her to be rushing in this one. EZFun have a weakness and that is playing against a good rusher. Their offence is reliant on White scrambling and gaining invaluable seconds. Not only can White run, but he also gives time for his receivers to shake man coverage or find the open zone. If EZFun are facing a good rusher, that ability is neutralized, and their offence loses its most dangerous weapon.

The question in this one is whether or not Côté Noël will be able to neutralize White and I think the answer is yes.

Prediction: Party Mix

Sorry for another late article. I have just finished my exams so hopefully next week I will be back on track and posting sooner.

Good luck to everyone in this last week of the regular season and as always, feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any questions, comments or critiques.