Fourth-And-Goal (Div C) – Week 10

Class of Spring 2011

 

The regular season has officially come to a close. As Les Franciscains, No Names, Spicy Meatballs and Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies bow out gracefully, I’d like to thank them for a season well played, with hopes of seeing them next season.

 

We’re now left with our final sixteen. As I said that I would no longer be doing quick-picks, here’s a full length rundown of every matchup that this playoff tree has to offer. For fun, I’m adding my Week 5 end-season predictions (http://flagplusfootball.com/news.php?article_id=429) as a means of comparing where these teams were projected at the half-season mark.

 

Conference A

1. The Commission: 7-3-0 (Prediction: 8-2-0)

2. Flight of the Conchords: 7-3-0 (Prediction: 7-3-0)

3. Eagles: 6-3-1 (Prediction 6-3-1)

4. Rude Bwoys: 6-4-0 (Prediction 6-3-1)

5. Falcons: 6-4-0 (Prediction: 3-6-1)

6. Rip and Run: 5-4-1 (Prediction: 4-6-0)

7. Longhorns: 5-5-0 (Prediction: 5-5-0)

8. Sphinx: 4-4-2 (Prediction: 6-3-1)

 

Conference B

1. Mysterious and Magical Men: 7-2-1 (Prediction 8-1-1)

2. Park-X Streets: 7-3-0 (Prediction: 9-1-0)

3. Spring Cleaning: 6-4-0 (Prediction: 8-2-0)

4. X-Men: 6-4-0 (Prediction: 5-5-0)

5. Kardiac Kids: 5-4-1 (Prediction: 5-5-0)

6. Predators: 5-5-0 (Prediction 7-3-0)

7. G.O.A.T: 3-5-2 (Prediction: 2-6-2)

8. FAs: 3-5-2 (Prediction: 3-6-1)

 

Now while I was pretty close for most of these teams, I was most wrong about the teams that were dominant early-season. Is this an indicator of what’s to come in the playoffs? We’ve seen many instances in the past seasons of darkhorse lower-seed teams (Division 3 champs: 8 seed, Division 4 champs: 6 seed) who have taken home the championship trophy. As of now, every team has a clean slate.

  

Let’s take a look at what each team brings to the table, and which players may be the difference makers for their teams’ success:

  

Matchups

  

The Commission vs. Sphinx

Last meeting: 33-6

 

The Commission have the strongest defence (statistically speaking) in the league, with the least amount of points allowed of any team in Spring 2011. Even with the efficiency of Jonathan Williams for The Commission, scoring points is really not a priority for them if they’re so easily able to lock their opposition out of the end zone. As such, Sphinx need to be on their offensive A-game. No second needs to be wasted in the huddle as they need every opportunity that they can get on offence against the stifling Commission defence. The Etienne Cloutier-Mathieu Fafard connection will be especially important come Sunday.

 

Game breakers:

The Commission – Bryan Nguyen, Alex Russell

Sphinx – Mathieu Fafard, Philippe Cloutier

Important role-player:

The Commission – Marc Belhomme

Sphinx – Jeremie Ferlatte

 

Prediction : The Commission 24, Sphinx 13

     

 

Flight of the Conchords vs. Longhorns

Last meeting: 43-30

 

The thinking man’s game. Here are two teams with a lot of experience, who seem to have trouble making those all-important clutch plays come postseason. With Chris Rosen back in the lineup, the Longhorns may look very different with all cylinders firing. On the flip side: with the playoff experience that FOTC have, and their just-missing playoffs last season, this may be their motivation to rise to the occasion. In any case, both teams should think long and hard before they give the answer to the 1 or 2 point conversion answer, as that may be the difference in this game.

 

Game breakers:

Flight of the Conchords – Alexandre Girard, Marc-André Paquin

Longhorns – Jon Moodie, Chris Rosen

Important role-player:

Flight of the Conchords – David Faucher

Longhorns – Karim Yasmine

 

Prediction: Flight of the Conchords 33, Longhorns 30

    

 

Eagles vs. Rip and Run

Last meeting: 34-31

 

Expect a gritty, any-means-necessary type of football game. The Eagles have their winning brand of football; you know what’s coming and yet it’s difficult to stop. On the other side of the ball, Rip and Run are incredibly unpredictable; it’s difficult to know exactly what they are going to throw at you from minute to minute. A key matchup to keep an eye on will be how Doug McKernan fares up against the relentless rushing pressure of Gabriel Lapensée.

 

Game breakers:

Eagles – Jonathan Goyette, Tommy Ippersiel

Rip and Run – Derek Daoust, Matthew Brethour

Important role-player:

Eagles – Marc-Olivier Bourgeois

Rip and Run – Matthew Smith

 

Prediction: Eagles 28, Rip and Run 42

 

 

Rude Bwoys vs. Falcons

Last meeting: 38-12

 

Two teams who got locked out of the Division B playoffs last spring. The key to success for the Falcons will be for Simon Richard to slow down the pace of this football game. The Rude Bwoys, who have an efficient and relentless defence, tend to struggle when their offensive capabilities are limited. As a postseason team, the Rude Bwoys tend to do exceptionally well, and even more is expected considering the Eugene McLaren’s finals experience.

 

Game breakers:

Rude Bwoys – Eugene McLaren, Brian Eudoxie

Falcons – Simon Richard, Vincent Roy

Important role-player:

Rude Bwoys – Doug Gelevan

Falcons – Sébasien Ravary

 

Prediction: Rude Bwoys 27, Falcons 25

    

 

Mysterious and Magical Men vs. FAs

Last meeting: 39-12

 

Can the FAs muster a full roster for the entirety of the playoffs? Laurent Koné and Robert White are the sole two players on the FAs roster who have played in every game. This is definitely cause for concern when facing off against Joe Birds’ regular season winning squad. While it’s especially difficult to lock down the MMM offence, the FAs are going to need to pay particular attention to Victor Kozlowski as MMM approach the redzone. Maybe rekindling the magical chemistry between Phil Cutler and Olivier Saleh could be the key to the FAs staying in this football game?

 

Game breakers:

Mysterious and Magical Men – Gordon Hogan, Eric Bishara

FAs – Phil Cutler, Robert White

Important role-player:

Mysterious and Magical Men – Victor Kozlowski

FAs – Joel Watson

 

Prediction: Mysterious and Magical Men 26, FAs 14

    

 

Park-X Streets vs. G.O.A.T.

Last meeting: 20-25

 

G.O.A.T. are the only team to neutralize Park-X Streets at full strength. Coming off of a two game losing streak, and a QB who hasn’t played in three games, this should be cause for concern. While G.O.A.T. have more than a handful of different players with lots of playoff experience, Park-X tend to make early playoff exits. Will this be the year that everything changes?

 

Game breakers:

Park-X Streets – Jonathan Makris, John Papadimitriou

G.O.A.T. – Jason Edwards, Ben McHenry

Important role-player:

Park-X Streets – Niko Zermalias

G.O.A.T.- Rick Cummins

 

Prediction: Park-X Streets 18, G.O.A.T. 28

 

 

Spring Cleaning vs. Predators

Last meeting: 24-25

 

Probably the most inbred game of the whole playoffs. James Floreani used to play with G.M. Kolethras and Kenton Lowe on Run N Wild. Sean Kennedy used to play with Terry Tamvakologos, G.M. Kolethras and Kenton Lowe on Darkhorses. Shawn Haney used to play with James Floreani and Scott Noivo for John Abbott. See how these teams are connected? This game will be a defensive battle as both teams try to one-up each other as the stakes are high, especially with their last meeting having been decided on the last play. The question, however, remains: Who will step up for Spring Cleaning with the one-game suspension of Kenton Lowe?

 

Game breakers:

Spring Cleaning – Shawn Haney, Kevin Lubin

Predators – James Floreani, Sean Kennedy

Important role-player:

Spring Cleaning – Alex David

Predators – Matthew Broadfoot

 

Prediction: N/A

 

 

X-Men vs. Kardiac Kids

Last meeting: 32-21

 

The only game where the higher seed can be considered the underdogs. The last time these two teams met, both were missing key elements. Now, with both teams at full force, this should make for some interesting competition. Essentially, we’re going to see a brain vs. brawn matchup. The X-Men will be no match for the athleticism of the Kardiac Kids, so routes and defensive zones will have to be especially emphasized. Arguably the best game of the entire first round.

 

Game breakers:

X-Men – Nicholas Abelhauser

Kardiac Kids – Jordan McLaren, Jason Prince

Important role-player:

X-Men – Geoffrey Brown

Kardiac Kids – Shawn Steen

 

Prediction: X-Men 28, Kardiac Kids 24

    

 

The Road Ahead

 

Well, those are my picks based on what I’ve seen. I’m not, however, taking into account how my words may sting some teams that I’ve chosen to lose and be the motivator that slingshots them into success. If that is the case, I take full credit for that as well.

 

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