Fourth-and-Goal (Div C) – Week 4

Another week of punishment

 

It seems, unfortunately, that if you’ve followed me thus far, chances are you’re going to be reading up until playoffs are over. I finally got a revelation: once you get facebook messages from players, as well as text messages from your own teammates, wondering when your article will be up – you know that this is for real. I will, however, be one who delivers, so without further ado: this week’s article.

 

Indigestion?

 

Spring Cleaning showed that they have no problems getting things done, despite being without their starting quarterback. Filling in for J-M Beaudin, John Roveto had a great outing; throwing 5 touchdowns and having a completion percentage of 76%. Opting out of favoring the receivers that he’s usually comfortable with, Roveto instead found himself throwing the majority of his passes to two receivers unfamiliar to him; Alex David and Kevin Lubin. On the Spicy side, Chris Niphakis had 6 receptions for a more-than-decent126 yards, however the Meatballs’ offence had trouble breaking through Spring Cleaning’s secondary. Also of note: Spicy Meatballs safety, receiver and vocal tyrannosaurus Jeff Moscato was absent for the game. Now is the time for Spicy Meatballs to stop this downward spiral; they have a very winnable upcoming game against the FAs, and this may or may not be the deciding factor in their postseason qualification.

 

Unraveling the mystery

 

Well, it looks like sure bets are off. MMM were once seen as the likeliest finalists in all of Division C. This loss might only be a slight hiccup along the way. The Predators, meanwhile, showed after their Spicy Meatballs game that they were more than just a one-trick (or one upset, as the case may be) pony; defeating the heavily-favored MMM team. Matthew Bishara had an uncharacteristic 6 completions in only 15 attempts. This looks like it can be the formula for success against MMM; keeping the ball away from their hard-hitting offence as much as possible. So long as James Floreani keeps this rhythm going, and finding all of his receivers at the right times, they may just be setting the foundation for a playoff position. Just keep the celebration to a minimum, boys.

 

Les Franciscains capitalize

 

Flight of the Conchords looked like a very different team without QB Jonathan Lemieux. Frederic Arsenault did an admirable job filling in for Jonathan, but this absence unfortunately happened at a time when Les Franciscains were at their hungriest. Vincent Jacques looked like a top-tier quarterback; 12 completions for180 yardswith 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. When I mentioned that FOTC looked different, it wasn’t just on the offensive side of the ball; their usually-stifling defense looked more than absent. Maybe the FOTC players who played in the Moose Bowl asPhoenixwere a little bit tired? Food for thought.

 

 

Award frontrunners:

 

Here are (in my opinion, of course) the candidates for end-of-season awards. I’m not taking into account anyone who plays in a higher division.

 

Quarterback of the year:

– Billy Seretis (Park-X Streets)

– Jean-Michel Beaudin (Spring Cleaning)

– Jon Moodie (Longhorns)

 

Receiver of the year:

– Jonathan Makris (Park-X Streets)

– Mathieu Fafard (Sphinx)

– Nicholas Abelhauser (X-Men)

 

Defensive player of the year:

– Gordon Hogan (Mysterious and Magical Men)

– Jeremie Ferlatte (Sphinx)

– Jeff Moscato (Spicy Meatballs)

 

 

 

Power Rankings:

 

1: Park-X Streets – Is this even a surprise? A plus/minus of 56 and currently the most potent offence in the division makes for a winning formula. They can coast, but not be too careless; we’ve seen bigger upsets happen.

 

2: Spring Cleaning – It’s hard to stay objective when my team is currently undefeated and are a single point behind the best offence in the division. SC remains unchallenged, but have a much more difficult second-half of the season.

 

3: Mysterious and Magical Men – Despite a loss to the Predators, they’re still front-runners to win this year. Sorry G.O.A.T.; it looks like they’re going to make an example of you this week to avenge their loss.

 

4: Longhorns – Are 3-1 just like The Commission, but they may finish ahead of them due to the fact that no divisional games have been played yet. This team is the very definition of clutch.

 

5: The Commission – Statistically the best defense in Division C. Hakim Kasbi has been a great addition; this is a team that shows that role players are all it takes to get those victories.

 

6: Eagles – It’s difficult to defend against their offence, and they have a stifling defense to boot. It’ll be no easy picnic against them; I don’t care which team you are.

 

7: Predators – Hurting right now only by their plus/minus of -58 despite being 2/2, this squad is on a hot streak. They’ve found themselves in a big way, the only question is: will it last?

 

8: Rude Bwoys – They’re back! Brian Eudoxie is a dominant force on both sides of the ball right now, and is definitely a reason for their success. 

 

9: Sphinx – A strong team with decent weapons at their disposal; they need to focus on winning those close, important games… Being in Conference A means that most of the playoff spots will be decided in Week 10.

 

10: X-Men – Are badly hurting with the loss of their starting quarterback. They’re crafty enough to make it into the playoffs despite Gautama’s injury, but the speediness of his return will decide their postseason position.

 

 

 

 

Stray observations:

 

–          Jon Moodie had 6 running attempts this week for88 yards? Jon Moodie leads all of the quarterbacks with 3 running TDs?

–          FlagPlus Football > Any touch tournament in the area. There, I said it.

–          The power rankings are harder to put together. Darkhorse teams are emerging.

–          The addition of Tony Khoury and Jason Prince to Kardiac Kids means that we’re going to see a second-half of the season turnaround for this team. Expect them to live up to their name.

 

Quick picks:

 

Predators vs. No Names: Predators

Flight of the Conchords vs. Rip and Run: Rip and Run

Sphinx vs. Eagles: Sphinx

FAs vs. Spicy Meatballs : Spicy Meatballs

Park-X Streets vs. Les Franciscains: Park-X Streets

Mysterious and Magical Men vs. G.O.A.T.: Mysterious and Magical Men

Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies vs. Kardiac Kids: Kardiac Kids

X-Men vs. Spring Cleaning: N/A

Longhorns vs. The Commission: Longhorns

Rude Bwoys vs. Falcons: Rude Bwoys

 

That’s it for this week. Be sure to check out next week as I will do an overview of all of the teams in the division; sort of a mid-season rundown.