FPF Jr. | The Real Deal; Big Weekend ahead

Welcome to FlagPlus Football’s Jr Division. Week 6 is in the books, and Week 7 is right around the corner. Last Saturday at the Stinger Dome, we witnessed some great football once again. In all honesty, there are a lot of things I could say about this division. It’s fun, unique, eventful, exciting, and even a lot of laughs. The best thing I will say about however, is that the quality of football is getting better and better each week. The Freshman group is not only growing literally, but figuratively as well! Their excitement and knowledge of the game is enhancing as well. The football newbies are starting to get comfortable on the field and finding their niche, while the players at this level who do have experience, are not only stepping up their games, but are becoming true guides and leaders on the field for their respective teams. You can’t ask for much more than that.

 

The Sophomore Division ss just as exciting, with playmakers and difference-makers spread throughout all 3 teams. Each week feels like a 3 hour version of Sports Center, as I get to witness highlight play after highlight play. As a long time player in FPF, I can honestly say there are more than a few Sophomore players that could suit up today and play at the adult level. From the strong arms of Quarterbacks Ryan Garber, Avery Lalla, and Conor Tomalty, to the speed of Jayden Hogan, Shaylynn Bentley, Rasheim James, Malik James, and Jose Castro, amongst others to the playmaking skills on both sides of the ball by players like Juwan Edghill, Reece Woods, Dalton Paradis, George Aifantis, Khalil Spielman, Nathaniel Peters, and Adam Mahrouse (my choice for fastest kid in all of FPF Jr.) the future of this league is in good hands. As these young competitors get older, I fully expect to see them making a name for themselves in the adult division. I better get ready…

 

Before I get into last week’s games, let me just remind you that this week will see the continuation of the Tigers/Wolverines game that was cut short in Week 4 due to the power outage at the Stinger Dome. We will also see the Crimson Tide/Hurricanes game that was cancelled that afternoon as well.

 

As I previously mentioned, last week’s action was exciting. The Crimson Tide avenged a Week 5 32-12 blowout loss to the Longhorns, by returning the favour. The Tide used great defense, and a fast start, courtesy of a quick Touchdown by the aforementioned Jose Castro, then an interception on their first defensive drive by Malik James for a pick-6.

 

After the shaky start, Longhorns Head Coach Dave Allen switched QBs and went with dual-threat Juwan Edghill. At first the move looked like the wrong one, as Edghill threw a pick-6 to the Tide’s Dalton Paradis on the first play of the 2nd half. Edghill was eventually able to get his feet under him, and started moving the offense, but too many drives ending up stalling with their offense turning over the ball on downs. The Longhorns still had a chance however, down by 6 late in the 2nd half, they had the Tide facing a 3rd and long on their own side of the field. Instead of going for the easy conversion, Tide QB Avery Lalla, chucked up a Hail Mary that was caught by Paradis and run in for a TD to seal the 32-19 victory.

 

The Freshaman Division saw the Tigers take on the Buckeyes, exactly one week after both teams battled to a 38-38 tie. This game was nothing short of exciting, as we saw an INT returned for a TD by the Buckeyes’ Elie Fortugno off of Jaeden Edghill. Some other big defensive performances we saw in the 1st half came from Tigers’ rusher Kaiden Dewey, who recorded an amazing 3 sacks in a row for his team. Not to be outdone, we saw some action on the offensive side of the ball as well, courtesy of the Tigers’ rushing king Terrence Brown, who put up an outstanding 107 yards and 3 TDs. That would make a season for some players, let alone half a game.

 

The second half was just as exciting for the Tigers, in particular Olivier Parent-Lafreniere who not only made his first catch of the season, a 13-yard one no less, but he also had 2 picks on consecutive drives for his defense, which really sealed the outcome in this one. The moment was especially significant for Parent-Lafreniere, as he did it in front of his father who was extremely proud, and other family members who were in attendance. Definitely a nice sight to see.

 

The Crimson Tide tried to make it 2 wins in a row, as they took on the undefeated Hurricanes. Both teams came out firing quickly, as they each traded quick TDs on their opening drives. Despite the fast pace, the game had to be stopped momentarily after Tide snapper Dalton Paradis went down with an ankle injury. Being tough as he is however, he only missed a few plays and came back in the game despite having a noticeable limp. Hats off to him for returning. Just before the end of the 1st stanza, the Tide’s Jose Castro scored a TD to bring his team within a TD as the score stood 19-12 Canes’ heading into the break. The 2nd half saw some turnovers and drops committed by both teams, which ended up keeping this one close. With the game on the line however, and the Canes’ needing to generate first downs to eat up the clock, the game turned into Roupen Djourian Show. The snapper came up with big catch after big catch to move the chains, and more importantly wear out his opponents. Hurricanes win a close one.

 

High Five

The Hurricanes – yes they got the win, and maintained their undefeated streak, but it’s the way they won that put them up on the list. Being short-handed after the Juwan Edghill team swap, and missing key Cornerback Isabella Aguiar, the Canes’ still found a way to get it done, especially defensively. The coaching staff’s decision to rotate QB Ryan Garber and Adam Mahrouse at rush was a brilliant move. Garber is fast, and being a QB should give him insight on how to rush. Mahrouse (more on him in a second) their regular sack-master, was getting his first extensive playing time at WR after the trade, so the decision to keep him fresh by taking him out of the two-point stance was smart. Their D also held the immensely talented Reece Woods to a modest 4 catches for 65 yards and a TD. Great numbers for some, but pedestrian for Woods.

 

Terrence Brown (Tigers)  – Simply put, when you crack 100+ yards rushing, you’re guaranteed to make the list, and that’s exactly what young Mr. Brown did while galloping for 107 and a game-high 3 TDs against the Buckeyes. BTW, he also added a pick-6 on defense, and a catch for 3 yards on offense. Great job!

 

Adam Mahrouse (Hurricanes) – Last Saturday marked the beginning of a possible huge change for this team. Already possessing stud WRs George Aifantis, Gianni Frassetti, and the very-underrated Roupen “first down maker” Djourian, the full-time addition to the offensive side of Adam Mahrouse is a scary thought. Blessed with blazing speed, precise route-running, and good hands, there is a chance the Canes’ offense might become even more explosive. He also played rusher for half the game as I mentioned above, and picked up 2 sacks, and forced Tide QB Avery Lalla in some bad throws under pressure.

 

Olivier Parent-Lafreniere – (Tigers)

The Tigers’ two-way player had a great afternoon. As I said earlier, he recorded 2 INTs to go along with the 1 he already had, and he added the first catch of his FPF career. Pretty cool afternoon indeed. Let’s see if he can build on that this Saturday again against the Buckeyes.

 

George Aifantis (Hurricanes) – I am really not trying to turn this into a Hurricanes fest here, but I couldn’t ignore his performance. 6 catches for 44 yards and 3 TDS on offense, and 2 INTs, with a pass defended on defense. Enough said.

 

Matchups

 

Terrence Brown vs the Buckeyes’ Defense

Will Brown top 100 yards rushing again, or will the Buckeyes’ defense respond? I don’t think in the long history of FPF have we seen a not QB rush for 100 yards in back to back weeks. Could we see history in the making this Saturday?

 

Dalton Paradis vs the Hurricanes

After badly injuring his ankle last week, will Paradis be able to go, and how close to 100% will he be? For the Crimson Tide to have a realistic shot at taking 1st in the Sophomore Division, they will need to win this game.

 

Reece Woods vs the Hurricanes

After having the worst game of this brief FPF career, how will the best WR in the league respond? Paradis’ status will also put extra pressure on him.

 

Picks

 

Tigers vs Buckeyes

I am going with the Tigers after what they pulled off last week. The Buckeyes had no answer for Terrence Brown or Kaiden Dewey. I’m not sure how they stop them this time around either.

 

Crimson Tide vs Hurricanes

I went with the Hurricanes last week, and I am going to do it again here too. Too many question marks for the Tide in this one, with the most important being, how do they slow down the Canes’ O?

 

Wolverines vs Tigers

This is remarkably only the second meeting of the season between both squads. The Week 2 encounter saw the Tigers roll to a 39-12 victory. I have  a feeling this one will be a lot closer, as the Wolverines have found their defensive swagger after a HUGE last second win over the Buckeyes last time out. Due to that momentum, I am going to roll with them this week.

 

That’s it for this week. I will see you guys on the sideline this Saturday.

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt I left something out, don’t be shy. You can shoot me a tweet at @BADNEWS51.