With the first two rounds of the playoffs now on the books, we have seen our fair share of upsets, losses and wins. However, with every one of those wins, another team is knocked off and they leave the dome wondering what if… I know that each and every player dreams of crowning their season with a win, but the harsh reality is that only one team per division will hoist that trophy. At this time of the year, it is important to remember that the success of a season isn’t measured by silverware. It is measured by the bonds you make with your teammates, the moments you experience on the field and the progress you made as a player and as a team.

 

Playoff Week 1 Recaps

• Gators (38) vs Longhorns (8)

The Longhorns season was anything but straightforward. After losing one of the division’s most talented passers after only four games of action, the team was left struggling to find a suitable replacement for him. To fill that void, Taevian Guy and Terrence Brown stepped up. However, their strong showing one Saturday was not enough to stop the well-oiled machine that is the Gators.

Like he did throughout the regular season, William Leclerc led the Gators passing game and put up phenomenal numbers in the process. He threw for a total of 126 yards, 5 touchdowns and no interceptions. While those 5 TDs are very impressive, the most important stat of those three was the 0 INTs. For yet another week, he protected the ball and led his team to victory. To add to the yards he accumulated in the air, William Leclerc added 101 yards on the ground as well as a rushing touchdown. Not to be outdone, William Leclerc’s brother, Edward Leclerc, put up impressive numbers as well as a receiver. His two catches were both key touchdown grabs for a combined 61 yards. Who had the better night? Hard to say, but it was definitely a very proud moment for their father watching the game from the sidelines.

Other than the formidable Leclerc brothers, Ashton Moustache also put up big receiving numbers with three catches for 23 yards and a touchdown on the way to victory for the Gators. Also snagging touchdowns for the gators were brothers Jacob and Charles-Olivier Ostiguy to round out a strong sibling showing. On the defensive end of things, Edward Leclerc once again stepped up in the biggest way for his team with two massive interceptions on the night as well as a defended pass. Leading the charge in terms of tackles was Marc-Antoine Ducharme who finished the game with four as well as well as a defended pass. Sadly, the Gators season game to a premature end at the hands of the Musketeers in the semi finals.

After a season of struggles, the Longhorns came out strong in the first half of their playoff game verus the Gators, but their efforts came up short. In their final game of the season, they really did leave it all on the field but it just wasn’t enough to compete with a star studded lineup like the Gators.

On offence, the Longhorns were led by the extremely talented and just as versatile Terrence Brown. He started off the match as the Longhorns quarterback where he completed 6 passes for a total of 34 yards. Roughly halfway into that first half, his coach switched Terrence Brown to receiver where he caught three passes for nearly 60 yards and his team’s only touchdown of the match. When he made the switch to receiver, it was Taevian Guy who took over the reigns of the Longhorns passing game. The Longhorns put up nearly as many passing yards as their opponents but they struggled to transform their passing yards into points. While the Gators seemed to pull touchdowns out of thin air, the Longhorns struggled in the all important red zone and the result was the score line we all know. On defence, the sure hands of Camron Brown who recorded five tackles help to minimize their opponent’s yards after the catch. To add to his offensive performances, Taevian Guy was also a defensive leader with his 4 tackles and a defended pass. This match was much closer than the score suggested. With a bit better red zone success and a few turnovers, they could have very well been through to the next round.

 

 

• Buckeyes (39) vs Bulldogs (19)

Throughout the season, the Buckeyes and Bulldogs have been the fiercest of rivals Every time they took to the field against each other, it was a heated closely fought affair. Don’t let the score of this game deceive you: it was much closer than the 20 point spread. All the way up to midway through the 2^nd half, the Bulldogs were right in this game, nipping at the Buckeyes heels and threatening to take the lead. However, the Buckeyes talent eventually prevailed, and their opponents were no longer able to keep up. In those closing minutes, they showed no mercy and racked up their 20 point lead.

As he has countless times this season, the extremely talented Jahmaal Roach stepped up in a big way for his team to lead them to victory. This time, the stage was even bigger, and his performance was even better. He attempted 33 passes and completed 24 of those for a total of 202 yards as well as 5 touchdowns. Impressively, in those 33 passing attempts, he only turned over the ball once. The primary target of Jahmaal Roach was once again the sure handed Tahnyus Steer. The sure handed receiver caught six passes for a total of 64 yards as well as a touchdown on his team’s way to victory. Also with six catches was Lawrence Brassard who finished the game with an exceptional 49 yards and 2 touchdowns. Surpassing both of them in terms of catches was Isaiah Roach who caught seven for 46 yards and a touchdown. What also contributed to the Buckeyes offensive success was the fact that they used six different receivers. This diversification of their receivers kept their oppositions defence honest and permitted them to rack up the offensive yards they did. Their defence was also a team effort with a total of 7 different players getting onto the defensive stat sheet. Leading that defence was a Jahmaal Roach with 6 tackles, Tahnyus Steer with 3 interceptions and Zack Mackey with a sack.

To lead their offence, the Bulldogs opted to use a combination of two passers. Those two quarterbacks, Otis Szembratovics and Nicholas Manalopoulos combined to pass for a total of 137 yards and threes touchdowns. No matter who was throwing the ball, most of the catches were made by the talented Logan Trepanier. The coach’s son made a total of six grabs for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Second on that receiving corps was Alessandro Frassetti who caught 5 passes on the night for a total of 46 yards and a touchdown. Rounding out the receiving corps was Kian Gupta Frassetti who was on the receiving end of two passes for 26 yards. On defense, what the Bulldogs were able to do well was tackle. They finished the match with three players, Tristan Dermody, Nicholas Manalopoulos and Samuel Bibaud Wentink, all recording over 5 tackles. The Bulldogs had a rough season and failed to win as many games as I’m sure they hoped for, but they were rarely blown out. They stayed close in many of their games and made their opponents sweat. This season could very easily have been a much more successful one but the cards did not fall in their favor.

 

 

Playoffs Week 1 Team of the Week

Offence

QB Jackson Lovig: 174 yards, 3TDs, 0INTs

RB William Leclerc: 101 yards, 1TD

WR Ben Arnovitz: 163 yards, 4TDs

WR Olivier Gauthier: 109 yards, 1TD

WR Mateo Vergara: 89 yards, 3TDs

WR William Bradford: 97 yards

Defence

Rusher Jackson Cooper: 5 sacks

DB Dylan Hayes: 10 tackles, 1PD

DB Tahnyus Steer: 3 tackles, 3 INTs, 1 defensive TD

DB Diego Leone: 4 tackles, 2INTs, 1 sack, 1 PD, 1 defensive TD

DB Jahmaal Roach: 5 tackles, 1PD

Tristan Dermody: 6 tackles, 1PD

 

Crystal Ball and Shenanigans

• Freshman Division Finals: Silver Cougars vs Sunnybrooke Elites

The two teams in this final prove that in FPF Junior, it is not your regular season record that matters most but how you finish the season. The Silver Cougars finished their regular season in second place and got a bye to the second round of the playoffs where they faced off versus the very talented Cowboys. They overcame their division’s third place team in a convincing fashion and now find themselves in the finals. On the other hand, the Sunnybrooke Elites finished the season lower in the standings but in red hot form. In the quarterfinals, they knocked off the Red Cougars and then achieved a hard fought 2 point win over the regular season champs; the Tigers. Now, the Sunnybrooke Elites enter the final after having knocked off the supposed favorites. They look to finish their underdog title quest on Saturday when they face off versus the Silver Cougars.

 

• Sophomore B Division Finals: Huskers vs Musketeers

While the Freshman division final may not be the suspects we expected, the Sophomore B final is a duel between the two regular season leaders. The Huskers finished off the season with a very strong regular season record of 6 wins and two losses. The Musketeers were close on their heels during the entire regular season. They finished only half a game back with a record of 5 wins, 2 losses and a tie. Out of the two losses the Musketeers suffered, one came at the hands of the Huskers back in week 5. However, the Musketeers also lost to the Gators in week 8 who they beat last week to advance to the finals. This game could very well come down to the duel between Riley Element of the Huskers and stand out defensive back Massimo Moufrage of the Musketeers. If the Huskers QB manages to avoid turnovers, he could very well lead his team to the championship. However, if Massimo Moufrage comes out on top, the title might go to the Musketeers.

 

• Sophomore A Division Finals: Golden Eagles vs Western Patriots

The Golden Eagles soared through the regular season with a 7-1 record. The only team that managed to beat them was the Dusters all the way back in week 5. Since then, they scored over 30 points in all but one of their remaining 5 games including one where they scored 59. However, that one game where they weren’t able to score over 30 points was versus the Western Patriots. In that game, what the Patriots didn’t manage to do was score points. In this championship final, the Western Patriots need to once again hold their opponents to under 30 points if they are to have any chance of winning the division crown. What they will have to add to that defensive performance is the offence to back it up. That offensive responsibility will ultimately fall on the shoulders of quarterback Jesse Morris and his talented corps of receivers led by William Bradford and Darrius Nicholson. However, scoring points versus the Golden Eagles as well as limiting their offence is an extremely difficult task. If any team has a chance of stopping the Eagles on their path to the championship, it is the Western Patriots.

 

• Varsity Division Championship: Thunder vs Wildcats

An argument could be made that the Thunder are the cream of the FPF Junior crop. With an 8-0 record. They have been on what seems like a direct course to the championship crown. The only time they appeared to waiver on that path was the closely fought week 8 affair versus the Irish. However, the Wildcats took care of them in the semi finals. Now, all that remains between the Thunder, an undefeated season and the championship are the Wildcats. While the Wildcats have never beaten the Thunder, they’ve been progressing every week along with their quarterback Nicholas Di Maulo. The one thing that Nicholas Di Maulo still needs to learn is how to avoid pressure. After being terrorized by the Thunder’s Louis Vincent in week 8 and limited by the Irish’s talented Erica Dubois in the semis, he will need to find a way to get away from the Thunder’s pass rush as he once again faces the nightmare that is Louis Vincent. However, if his coaches give him plenty of routes underneath like hooks and slants that develop quickly, Nicholas Di Maulo should be able to get the ball out of his hand before he is sacked. If Olivier Gauthier can continue his ball hawking antics and Nicholas Di Maulo can avoid pressure, the Wildcats have a realistic chance of being the Giants to the Thunder’s Patriots. Fittingly, that makes Noah Lachance the Tom Brady of FPF Junior. The only question remaining is who will play out David Tyree’s role.

 

For many teams, the season is now over but for a select, talented and lucky eight, they have one last game to play: two 22 minute halves and a chance of hoisting a trophy at the end of that. It’s a rare chance to finish the season with a win but this weekend, we will see that happen on 4 occasions.

Good luck to all the teams playing this weekend!