The mid-point.

Week 4 has gone by since the beginning of the Winter season and there’s only 4 more weeks before the playoffs come rolling in with its unique atmosphere and feel. For those of you who had the pleasure of participating in FPF’s playoffs, you know exactly what I’m talking about, but for those of you who haven’t yet, you are in for a real treat!

Alexis Dubois is away on vacation, so I’ll take the reins back from him for the time being, but have no fear, he’ll be back in no time and continue his great work with our weekly articles.

Let’s get started

Week 1

With many of last week’s games being cancelled, we were forced to have to reschedule a few of the games around, we truly apologize for that; we can’t control Mother Nature. There’s only 3 teams left undefeated (Golden Eagles, Musketeers, Thunder), but I have a feeling that is about to change this week!

Recaps

• Tigers vs Red Cougars: What a game. In a game that started off quite slow, Tigers were leading 6-0 at halftime over the Red Cougars and, myself included, couldn’t have guessed that both teams were about to kick it up a notch and really put their teams into 6^th gear as they combined for 31 points in the second half and one of the best finishes of the season. Luka D’Aoust has a cannon for an arm and can really sling the ball well, but he struggled to hit his receivers on Sunday afternoon until Braylen Ramsay really emerged as a clear #1 receiver late in the game with two beautiful grabs; both for touchdowns. Looking back on those plays, you can’t help but wonder whether or not they could’ve put up 40+ points if they would’ve used those plays earlier in the game, but a wise coach once told me to keep your money play for when the game is on the line. Ryan Whitehouse had himself a very dominant afternoon defensively finishing with 2 tackles, 3 interceptions and 3 Pds, but the real unsung hero of the game was definitely rusher Ben Parent who got himself 4 sacks and 2 tackles on running plays; he kept the pressure on all game! Tigers were able to move the ball up and down the field with ease, but struggled in the redzone until Amani Ho Sang started using Jonah Edghill’ hands; two monster grabs for touchdowns and a first down on the 3^rd catch of the day. With the game on the line, Tigers were driving, but Red Cougars’ defence really stood tall and made one of the best defensive stop by containing dual threat Ricardo Di Zazzo (who had himself quite the afternoon running the ball for 100 yards and a TD) and ended up winning this game 19-18.
• Cowboys vs Silver Cougars: In a very defensive-oriented battle on Sunday, the Cowboys looked poised to continue their winning streak, but the Silver Cougars had other plans and managed to make a brilliant redzone stop late in the game to secure the win and walk away victorious. After throwing a couple of interceptions to Patrick McNab, QB Kingston Paquet had a shot to win the game, down by 1, with the football, but failed to connect with one of his receivers on what could’ve been a remarkable end to a great game. Nonetheless, he still had a good outing distributing the ball well to 4 different receivers and using his legs to move the chains at times (55 rushing yards). Silver Cougars got a late touchdown to tie the game when Jackson Levig connected with Eliot Patterson for a big 17 yard touchdown and got the ensuing convert to go up by a point, which ended up being just enough to walk away with the Win. The Silver Cougars’ defence was all over the place on Sunday getting key tackles and turnovers when their offence really needed them the most. A few players emerged as potential key playmakers for the weeks to come for both teams; Phoenix Thomas had a great outing for the Cowboys and is poised to be more involved in the weeks to come after that performance and Eliot Patterson, for the Silver Cougars, who got his 3^rd TD of the season; one per game the last three weeks.

Players of the Week

• Ryan Whitehouse (Red Cougars): One of the most dominant game on the defensive side of the ball I’ve seen in all FPF; 3 interceptions, 3 Pds and 2 tackles. He was all over the place on Sunday.
• Dave Ileka Bolombe (Sunnybrooke Elite): Rare are the Qbs able to do it all, but he really did this week as he got himself an interception on defence, 2 passing touchdowns and another rushing. Quite the feat!
• Marco Gentile (AP Hurricanes): Tossed two touchdowns, played receiver, caught two more and even found room to run one in. Is there anything he cannot do?

Crystal Ball and Shenanigans

• Fighting Irish vs Wildcats: The rematch. Both teams played each other last week on Saturday and the Fighting Irish will have a shot at revenge this weekend at Loyola. Beating a team twice in a row is a very difficult task and I don’t expect Kaelen Trepanier to have two bad games in a row; can Nicholas Di Maulo have another stellar outing to continue their win streak? How big of a factor will Olivier Gauthier and Xavier Orsat-Parker be in this one? What about Aryan Jamati and Joshua Taylor? Saturday, Loyola, 12PM.
• Golden Eagles vs Dusters: The Dusters started off red hot, but have struggled a little bit recently; have no fear, the defending champs aren’t going down without a fight anytime soon. Golden Eagles will have their 3^rd outing of the season hoping to remain undefeated and it’s bound to be a very exciting game on Saturday; can GE keep Matthew Eiley out of the endzone? What about Evan Shiveck? Is there any stopping Kaiden Dewey-Hull and Jaeden Edghill? Will Valerian Cyrenne build on his last outing and break the 50 yard marker? I’m already excited for this one.
• Huskers vs Musketeers: Technically still undefeated, the Musketeers will look to rebound from their previous outing against a very good Huskers’ team led by star QB Riley Element and breakout star Ben Arnovitz. The tandem has been very difficult to contain for any team and the contribution from their other playmakers such as Max Arnovitz, Dean and Mason Fleming have been tremendous offensively, but let’s not count Musketeers out so quickly as their defence features one of the fastest core and most of these guys are turning into real ball hawks such as Lucas Piscopos, Maya Di Fazio and Massimo Moufrage. Could this be another low scoring affair?
• Western Patriots vs AP Hurricanes: After a rough patch, it seems the Western Patriots are back on track offensively and won’t let AP Hurricanes stop them from doing what they do best; spread the ball offensively between all their weapons and put up big numbers. Their defence is slowly creeping up on teams as one of the leagues’ best and it’s only a matter of time before everyone takes notice of our dominant this unit is becoming. AP Hurricanes have had their ups and downs also, but the constant threat of the duo of QB in Marco Gentile and Nicholas Masella is very difficult to contain. Let’s not overlook how dominant their defence has been lately led by star rusher Brenden Urquhart who is poised for a big game anytime now!
• Gators vs Bulldogs: Gators’ offence really hit the ground running in their week 3 game and we can only assume it’s bound for such success once again this week against the Bulldogs. With William Leclerc under center, the brother connection between him and Edward Leclerc has been electric as of late; add in the mix stellar snapper Nicholas Kousaie and speedster Charles-Olivier Ostiguy and you’ve got yourself a ground-breaking offence. Can the Bulldogs defence keep up? 100%. Although they haven’t played since before the Christmas break, I have no doubt this team will come out of the gates swinging and ready to compete better than ever. Offences need to steer clear of DB Nicholas Manolopoulos as he just might make you regret throwing his way anytime soon. Can Alessandro Frassetti have another big game and help his team to their first win of the season?
• Silver Cougars vs Sunnybrooke Elites: After last week’s upset over the previously undefeated Cowboys, every eyes are on the Silver Cougars’ stellar defence and how they’ll attempt to stop Sunnybrooke Elites’ offence on Saturday afternoon. With Jackson Lovig and Patrick McNab both having 3 interceptions so far on the season, opposing Qbs don’t know where to go with the football anymore. Last week’s game saw Dave Lileka Bolombe emerge as a true playmaker on both sides of the ball and might need, yet another, big game to elevate his team past a tough opponent such as the Silver Cougars, but if anyone can do it, it’s him. Helped by the Vergara brothers, Mateo and Tomas, alongside offensive star Diego Leone, I have no doubt this might be one of this week’s best games!
• Buckeyes vs Gators: In the Gators’ second game of the day, they’ll face a stingy Buckeyes’ team who are poised for another big game after getting a tie against the currently undefeated Musketeers. Expect another big game from Adam Bateman and Lawrence Brassard, but the unsung hero of this week’s game might actually come from the defensive side as Isaiah Roach is an underrated star and Tahnyus Steer could surprise more than one opponent if they don’t keep a close eye on him all game long. Will the Buckeyes have an answer for William Leclerc’s mobility in the pocket and his ability to break a play open with his legs? This might be the type of game where we see a rusher earn the game ball for his impact on the game!
• Ducks vs Tigers: The Ducks’ offence found itself recently and has been rolling as their defence continues to keep every single game close and within reach, but this week’s matchup vs Tigers is bound to be a difficult one as Ricardo Di Zazzo’s speed is very difficult to contain and Amani Ho Sang might have one of his best outing as a passer after last week’s game. Let’s not overlook how talented guys like Michael Paliotti, Markus D’Alessandro and Kevyn De Serres-Payne can be when the game is on the line and how they can turn any snap into a game breaking play. Justin Pitts and Theo Tremblay have been playing well defensively, but this might be the week they truly emerge as defensive stars for their team. Can they keep Jonah Edghill out of the endzone? Will they have an answer for Jailen Chopra?
• AP Hurricanes vs Longhorns: In their first game of the day, Longhorns are tasked with slowing down the AP Hurricanes’ ascension as they play their second game of the weekend; can they finish the weekend with two victories? Isak Parenteau is bound to have a breakout game and he’s surrounded with just enough playmakers to really help him do so. Guys like Terrence Brown, Kymani Morgan and Camron Brown can really turn a game around and it’s only a matter of time before it starts to reflect on their current record. If Taevian Guy and Daniel Taylor can continue their defensive prowess, they might just be able to help their team log their first win of the season!
• Cowboys vs Red Cougars: The Cowboys suffered their first loss of the season last week in a gritty battle against the Silver Cougars and are looking to rebound from that game this coming Sunday; I wouldn’t like to be in Red Cougars’ shoes right now. Kingston Paquet is quickly turning into a very impressive QB in the Freshman division and his offence is really rolling with the help of star players like Phoenix Thomas, Thomas Hemens and Justin Swaminadhan. Can they be stopped? Well, they are playing probably the best DB duo in their division in Ryan Whitehouse and Luka D’Aoust; if anyone can do it, it’s them. Ben Parent will be a torn in Kingston Paquet’s side all game long and he might just force enough throws to generate defensive momemtum for his team once again. Will we have another great defensive performance from both teams?
• Longhorns vs Musketeers: In their second game of the day, Longhorns will look to play spoilers to the Musketeers and their undefeated status as they also play for the second time of the weekend (two games in two days!). There is no doubt that the Longhorns’ defence can hang with the best of them and will be able to keep even the stellar Kaydon Shaw contained, but can their offence pierce right through the Musketeers’ great defence? Lucas Piscopos had a breakout season last Spring and continues to build up his resume this season with the help of an amazing cast featuring defensive playmaker Massimo Moufrage and Maya Di Fazio. Favorites coming into this game, I have a feeling Musketeers might struggle a bit more than people would think against this battle-tested Longhorns team

That’s it for me this week. Hopefully I’ll still have a job by week 2. Happy, annoyed, frustrated, humbled by my comments? Take a second to send me a quick message either via twiter (@DagenaisFPF) or via email ([email protected]) and I’ll be sure to rectify or simply explain my point of view. I’ll be at the fields all day Saturday; don’t be shy to drop by and talk some football!