Fourth-and-Goal (Div C) – Week 11

Before we continue onward, thanks are in order. I’d like to add Flight of the Conchords, The Commission, Rude Bwoys, Favre Dollar Footlongs, Hall of Famers, Prestige World Wide, Monstars and Pap N’ Co to the teams that I’d like to thank.

 

I thank you for the time you’ve spent with us in Division C. I thank you for being part of our FPF community, both on and off of the field. We’ll hopefully see you next season. For now, however, we progress onward!

 

Quarterfinals

 

We’ve got 4 games to cover. Let’s not waste any more time, and break them down one by one.

 

 

Conference A

 

 

Daron Basmadjian Fan Club (1) vs. Mustangs du Gridiron (7)

 

{Last meeting: Daron Basmadjian Fan Club 21, Mustangs du Gridiron 20}

 

The Teams

 

Daron Basmadjian Fan Club

 

The DBFC performed as expected against Hall of Famers. Even with Matt Bishara giving up 5 sacks, and Jordan McLaren arriving late (and playing in loafers!) they never really missed a beat. Despite a low completion percentage, Matt Bishara was able to control the pace of the game. A different approach in Justin Smolar favoring Eric Rapps over Adam Crystal was a good idea, but a 2^nd half pick-six by Eric Bishara snapped the HOF momentum and destroyed any chances of a late-game comeback.

 

Mustangs du Gridiron

 

Well, if the Mustangs didn’t get enough attention before, they’ve certainly gotten it now. Going toe-to-toe with Prestige World Wide and coming out ahead is no easy feat. In a tie game with 3 plays to go, in the redzone, Alex Lever scored on the Mustangs defense and put up the conversion to have a 7-point lead with 2 plays remaining. Taking a page from the more experienced QBs, Simon Valée cut the field in half on the first play in order to make scoring on the second play easier. After going for the two-point convert, the rest (and Prestige World Wide) was history.

 

Notable Matchups

 

Simon Vallée vs. Jordan McLaren & Gordon Hogan – The same matchup as last week… Remove Prestige World Wide safeties, insert DBFC safeties. Simon will have to make much more prudent field reads because there will be little room for error.

 

Matt Bishara vs. ? – Despite being sacked 8 times, Bishara ran 8 times last week for 111 yards. This has the potential to be even more devastating now that Matt will be going up against a team that doesn’t really have an answer in the rushing department.

 

Jason Charbonneau vs. Marco Ritondo – Both players are the unsung heroes of their respective offenses. The question remains: which of the two has the potential to fly under the radar and be the bigger playmaker?

 

The Breakdown

 

Vallée was able to put up a valiant performance last week, but will need to avoid any and all interceptions this week. The DBFC are defense-heavy (mustering over 2.5 interceptions a game) and use any and every opportunity to shatter the momentum that their opposition have built. Simon will have a lot of the game on his shoulders, but at the same time will need to put a lot of trust in his defense. The Mustangs defense are going to need to get creative and step up in order to back up their offense who have brought them this far.

 

The DBFC (with their new fan club T-Shirts) seem to be taking this rather lightly. Granted, one doesn’t want to be too serious either, but DBFC need to avoid falling into a trap. Their last meeting resulted in a one-point victory…none too reassuring. The result of the game is by no means in the bag, and the DBFC need to be firing on all cylinders. Having seen the end result of the PWW game, the Daron Basmadjian Fan Club need to ensure that there is no room for Mustangs to make a comeback.

 

The Prediction

 

Daron Basmadjian Fan Club

 

 

Jewish Cucumbers (4) vs. Pump & Ditch (6)

 

{Last meeting: Jewish Cucumbers 55, Pump & Ditch 18}

 

The Teams

 

Jewish Cucumbers

 

It’s one thing to go an entire game without being sacked. It’s quite another to control the entire pace of the game with your feet so well that the statistics don’t even show that a rusher was present at the game. Concordia receiver-turned-FPF quarterback Ryan Lelinowski really put the game against The Commission on his shoulders. While a great many Commission drops aided their cause, there’s nothing to take away from the Cucumbers’ outing.

 

Pump & Ditch

 

Another match last week that came down to the wire right at the end. Despite throwing two INTs (one for 6) and an imminent Monstars comeback, Vinny Gualano took it upon himself to tie up the game with little time remaining and run in the winning two-point convert. Even when the course of the game had changed, Pump & Ditch persevered and never let up.

 

Notable Matchups

 

Shawn Haney vs. Marvin Golding – Who’s bigger? You can expect a continuous physical matchup between these two from the first whistle all the way until the last. Both players are instrumental to their respective teams on both sides of the ball, and carry an imposing size and physicality to themselves as well.

 

The Pump & Ditch defense vs. Ryan Lelinowski – The P&D defense are tasked with a HUGE goal: maintaining coverage while Lelinowski attempts to buy time scrambling. This will be no easy task, especially with a Cucumbers’ offense built on sitting and waiting for coverage to break.

 

 

The Breakdown

 

While these two teams faced each other as recently as Week 10, I don’t know what to make of the end result. With Vinny Gualano having played but not quarterbacked, it really takes the game out of perspective. I’m forseeing Gualano going back to the QB position come Sunday (I mean, why mess with success) and a much closer game.

 

While it’s not always advisable to have a team with one defining successful attribute, Jewish Cucumbers seem to be incredibly offense-based. More specifically, Lelinowski-based. Pump & Ditch will need to maximize the time that they have offensively and prevent the Jewish Cucumbers from taking control on offense and killing out the clock. Specifically, my prediction is that the team who has more possession time offensively will win.

 

The Prediction

 

Jewish Cucumbers

 

 

Conference B

 

 

Broccasion (1) vs. KGP Champs (5)

 

{Last meeting: Broccasion 38, KGP Champs 37}

 

The Teams

 

Broccasion

 

If one team could come close to coasting through their first round, it would have been Broccassion. Facing a team without their starting quarterback, snapper and one of their lead receivers, Broccasion had a great game (for both their statistics and their confidence). Marco Masciotra saw his best game of the season, and the game was well out of reach at halftime.

 

KGP Champs

 

KGP are coming off of what I would consider their most interesting win this season. The main focus of the matchup is how Phil Cutler adjusted to what the FOTC defense gave him. Going from his average 13.3 yards per completion to 8.6 is a significant drop. Cutler took what the defense gave him, and obviously it worked out in the favor of KGP.

 

Notable Matchups

 

Phil Cutler vs. Alec Cerantola – Despite being sacked three times last week, Cutler managed to best David Faucher. The question remains: can he do it back-to-back and best Alec Cerantola? While Cerantola lacks the experience that Faucher brought, he will arguably be more perseverant and more effective.

 

Marco Masciotra vs. Sean Brophy – Brophy has been indispensable to the KGP offense. Aside from last week’s performance, when he’s in the linup, he’s in the endzone. Can Marco keep consistent coverage on one of Cutler’s favorite targets and lock him down?

 

The Breakdown

 

This has all the makings for a trap game. With absences and a 1 point margin the last time that they faced each other, KGP Champs may be the worst matchup that Broccasion could have been given. Broccasion are due to be without a player or two, and will have to do their best to grind out a victory.

 

KGP Champs have a real opportunity to upset one of the top teams in the division. Phil Cutler will need to lead by example and use his experience to his advantage. They need to get into the heads of the Broccasion players, and hope for a little bit of luck.

 

The Prediction

 

KGP Champs

 

 

Predators (2) vs. Formerly Teamless (3)

 

The Teams

 

Predators

 

The Predators are coming off of a game in which they took hold of early on and then controlled the pace of. Not only did James Floreani throw five solid touchdowns, he also helped his own cause by generating two back-to-back INTs on defense. The Predators move forward looking supremely confident, and are a favorite to go far.

 

Formerly Teamless

 

FT come off of a win that was somewhat aided by the drops that the Rude Bwoys gave them. Nonetheless, Jonathan Brown had his best game of the year, and nicely distributed 7 TDs to 5 different receivers. The FT squad had solid ball control, and gave the Rude Bwoys minimal chances to get in the game.

 

Notable Matchups

 

Jonathan Brown vs. Thomas Zorko – Brown is at his best when he has time to read the field and react. Unfortunately, Zorko will be on him in a way that you’d assume that Brown owed the Predators money. Zorko might just be the key to unraveling the Teamless offense, especially after his performance against Myles Gibbon

 

Kevin Lubin & Kenton Lowe vs. the Formerly Teamless defense – It’s no secret to whom the majority of the passes go to on the Predators. However, as the old FPF adage goes: “Even if you know what’s coming, you still have to stop it” The question is: are the Teamless defenders up to the task?

 

The Breakdown

 

The last time captains (and friends) James Floreani and G.M. Kolethras faced each other in the playoffs, Kenton Lowe and Kevin Lubin were playing for the other side. With the amount of parity (and surprises) that we’ve been seeing in the division, it’s surprising to see a 2 seed and a 3 seed square off. Teamless cannot for a second let the Predators take the lead by more than 8 points… if that happens, the game is over.

 

The Predators seem to quietly go about their business. They’ve flown (relatively) under the radar despite having the best statistical defense in Conference B. Pair that with a one-two punch of a potent offense with capable receivers, and you have a recipe for success. The first time these two teams saw each other was the only time in the entire season that Floreani threw for 7 TDs… Will the Teamless squad be able to keep up this time around?

 

The Prediction

 

N/A