FPF Cup Tier 1: Huge Matchup, the schedule strikes again, and Never Overtime

There is basically a month left before the FPF Cup Bowl games begin. As we approach the final quarter of the season, I think it is safe to say that the first three quarters has been a mixture of things. Fun, shocking, informative, and reassuring are just some of the words I would use to describe the results and storylines we have seen so far.  

Is it too early to call the Blessed versus 450 Ballers matchup last Saturday the game of the year? As expected, this was a back-and-forth affair that featured tons of highlights and splash plays by both teams, as the big guns in AJ Gomes, Will Power Jordanson Alexis, Khalil Kerr, Jarryd Taylor, Marvin Steinberg, and Stephen Harripersaud among others came to play.

These teams were evenly matched, as each side scored on seven possessions, and found the endzone on the same number of trips to the redzone. The best Receiver on the evening was AJ Gomes, who led all pass-catchers with four touchdowns on five catches for 78 yards. Joining him in the endzone for he 450 Ballers was Khalil Kerr who caught a pair of TD passes, and Jourdain Alexis with was on the receiving end of one.

For Blessed, it was more a collaborative performance, as both Craig Browning and Will Power reached the endzone twice, while the trio of Jafar Hassan, Ariel Librati, and Marvin Steinberg all recorded a touchdown.

As expected, this game came down to conversions. While the 450 Ballers didn’t even bother going for a 1-point try, their opponents did, and they were successful on their only attempt, as Isiah Allard recorded the score.

In keeping up with the theme of how closely matched these teams are, both squads went two for six on 2-ppoint convo attempts. The problem for the 450 Ballers was that they needed to score one on their final drive of the game, as a TD catch by Kerr with three plays left in the game put them down by one. Unfortunately, they were unable to convert, and wound up losing the game (47-46). I don’t blame them at all for going for the win instead of the tie but going two for six on 2-point convos means you are leaving points on the field. Going for one here and there isn’t always a bad thing, especially since they are easier to convert since are five yards closer to the endzone.

This is my first season scorekeeping and writing articles during the Fall Season. I worked this past Thursday outside at the field in Laval, and let me tell you, the end to the outdoor part of the schedule couldn’t have come any faster. At first, I thought maybe it was me, but as I paced the sidelines during the games that I worked trying to keep my hands and feet from freezing, I had several players tell me that they were cold too.

Way before I ever played flag football, I played nearly a decade of tackle, from bantam all the way up to university ball. When people tell you that cold weather is football weather, I can say with 100% certainty that they are lying. Those same people have either never played tackle football before, and/or they are just repeating what they have heard numerous times on television and radio. Call them a liar on the spot. Goodbye outdoor games. You were great in September, and in those glorious seven of days of extended summer we got last week, but now that the colder temperatures are here to stay, we’ll see you next spring.

Never Overtime has caught my attention. Despite being the only team in Tier 1 not to register a point this season (both they and Terror Squad have zero wins, but the latter has a tie on their record. More on them in a moment), they have been playing better football on the offensive side of the ball seemingly every week. After scoring 24 total points combined during the first three weeks of the season, the team has found a spark offensively as they have 39, 30, and 26 points respectively over their last trio of contests.

The question now of course is can they keep it up? A key to doing that will be limiting interceptions. For all the positivity that they have built up on offense over the last three weeks with Quarterback Ryan Kharouf throwing 14 touchdowns during that span, he has also tossed nine interceptions in his last two games, including a mind-blowing five Tuesday night versus KGP. If Kharouf can cut down on the INTs, he and his team have a chance to jump into the win column as their next opponent is…Terror Squad. Both teams are the only ones who have given up more than 200 points so far. I expect this to be an exciting shootout.

Speaking of Terror Squad versus Never Overtime, the schedule strikes again! Their matchup isn’t until three weeks from now on November 4^th. Terror Squad has a game squeezed in before that on the 28^th against KGP, but Never Overtime who played this past Tuesday, has no games until then. October isn’t even half over yet. Nearly a month off between games is too long.

As you can see by the schedule, there are only three games this week, with Run It Once having to do a double dip, as they take on KGP tonight, and then the Cap Friendly Braves on Monday.

Mangoose, looked great as they pulled off the blowout upset (56-24) win over Run It Once. Quarterback Nicolas Schaefer was phenomenal in the game throwing for a season-high seven touchdowns and ensured that all five of his Receivers caught at least one TD. Unfortunately for the QB and his team, they couldn’t build off that momentum as they were smoked themselves, losing (36-18) to the Cap Friendly Braves. Let’s see if Mangoose can get back on track.

Run It Once has lost two in a row (they fell to Royaume Luminaire as well). They look to righten the ship with three games remaining in their regular season. Can they do it starting tonight?

Five veteran teams who all know how to win and have legit playmakers up and down their lineups. I expect five good games, and maybe even an upset. Let’s see what happens.

Picks

KGP vs Run It Once – KGP

Run It Once vs Cap Friendly Braves – Run It Once (Upset Special #1)

Blessed vs Mangoose – Blessed (My pick for Game of the Week)

Last Week: (4-0)

Regular season: (16-7-2)

Upset Special: (5-2)

That is it for this week. I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and got a chance to hang with the loved ones and take it easy. Good luck to everyone in their games tonight and this coming week.

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.