FPF Jr. Week 2; Holiday Edition

Welcome to Week 2 of the FlagPlus Football Jr season. If you guys thought the first week of games were great, last week’s action was even better, as the pace has picked up, and plays are looking smoother. A big reason for the jump, is due to the fact that teams are now getting used to not only the rules, and the game, but to each other as well. 

After two weeks of action, 5 teams remain undefeated, with identical 2-0 records. The Buckeyes, Hawkeyes, Bulldogs, Ducks, and Horned Frogs; all remain alive on the path to perfection. Each teamm has used a combination of offense, defense, and capitalizing on their opponents’ mistakes to end up where they are.

Fortunately, there are two HUGE matchups in Week 3, with the Horned Frogs vs Bulldogs and the Hawkeyes vs Buckeyes, that will go a long way to determine who keeps that zero in the loss column a little longer. 

Without any further delay, let’s jump right into our weekly recap:

 

Freshmen Division 

 

After surviving a scare in Week 1, the Ducks, led by duo-threat Quarterback Kaiden Dewey, and an extremely stingy defense, strolled to a 32-0 victory over a hungry Fighting Irish team. 

Dewey, spread the ball around to multiple receivers, and kept the Fighting Irish defense guessing all afternoon. Let’s see if the Ducks can repeat their magic on both sides of the ball in Week 3 when they take on the (1-1) Wolverines. 

Speaking of the Wolverines, they suffered their first loss of the season, as they were shut out 20-0 by the Musketeers last Sunday.    

Besides their stifling defense, the Musketeers used a strong performance from both Malakai and Isaiah Roach, as the QB/WR combo, combined for 2 touchdowns in the victory.  

After losing a 13-12 nail-bitter to the Ducks in Week 1, the Cougars notched their first win of the season, by knocking off the Bruins 25-12. QB Tristan Dermody (more on him later), had a phenomenal day passing, as he threw for 2 TDs, and connected on passes to 8 different targets.   

 

 

Sophomore Division 

 

The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes stayed in the unbeaten column, as they knocked off the Hurricanes (38-14) and Red Devils (30-14) respectively. Both teams used momentum-turning plays on defense to frustrate  their opponents, and build a lead that would not be topped. 

No matter if it’s the adult league, or FPF Jr, extra points always after. Unfortunately, for the Seminoles, they learned it the hard way, as they ended up on the wrong side of a 19-18 defeat to the Gators. 

Conversions will make or break you. For the youngsters, now you know.

 

Varsity Division 

 

The first year Horned Frogs, have been the toast of the Varsity Division so far. In addition to being undefeated at 2-0, they are also the highest scoring team as well, as they have scored an impressive 73 points. Twenty-nine of which, were scored last Saturday against the defending champion Longhorns.   

What was even ore impressive, was the Horned Frogs’ defense, as they carried their end of the bargain by delivering a goose egg to their opponents. Defensive Backs Kaylem Ferdinand, Zachery Stehr, and Jordan Murphy all came up with interceptions, with Ferdinand running his pick back to the house. 

The Horned Frogs’ 29-0 win over the Longhorns, shows that they are legit on both sides of the ball. 

Speaking of legit, so is the other team who remains undefeated in this division, and that is none other than the Bulldogs. 

The first-year Bulldogs squad got a gritty come from behind 24-19 victory over the Spartans last Sunday at Stade Hebert, curtesy of a late 5-yard TD by WR Sean Marineau. 

Also playing a huge part in the victory, was second-year player Gianni Frasetti, who not only had 2 catches for 52 yards and a touchdown on offense, but also added a pick-6 on defense, to go along with 3 tackles, a one pass defended. 

 

 

High Five 

 

Sam El-Mashtoub (Bulldogs) – For the second week in a row, the Wide Receiver led the division in receiving yards, as he had 111, to go along with a TD on 5 catches. 

 

Vincenzo Frank (Gators) – The rookie, had arguably the best day out of any FPF Jr., player, as he threw for 2 TDs, and scored another one on defense, to go along with 2 INTs, 2 PDs, and 3 tackles.

 

Kaelen Trepanier (Hawkeyes) – Trepanier, was a terror on both sides of the ball at the Stinger Dome last Saturday, as he threw for a TD, picked off a pass, and ran for a game-high 3 touchdowns and 67 yards. A big thanks should go to his QB Tristan Dermody, who had an amazing afternoon, completing 10 of 12 passes, for 104 yards, with 2 TDs through the air, and one on the ground.

 

Trey Bentley (Buckeyes) – He threw for a league-high 5 touchdowns. What more is there to say? 

 

The Ducks – I have to give credit to where credit is due. Whether it was Kaiden Dewey’s 4 TDs ( 2 passing, 1 receiving, and 1 on D), the defense pitching a shutout, recording 3 pick 6’s including 2 on consecutive plays, (Dewey, Jayden Michel, and Malik Sabourin-Danglade) or intercepting a total of 7 passes, there are a ton of reasons why the Ducks make the list.

 

   

Bird’s Eye-View 

 

Despite being so early in the season, a lot of teams are starting to find their groove on both sides of the ball already. Some of that can be attributed to the solid coaching that is being displayed so far this year, a big part of it however, goes to the players, a lot of who have come ready to play from the get-go. 

Although this is an offensive game, defenses throughout FPF Jr., came to play last week, as we saw 3 teams pitch shutouts, and multiple squads only allow 2 touchdowns or less. Impressive D guys. 

The battle between the Ducks’ Kaiden Dewey, and the Buckeyes’ Trey Bentley, to see who will be crowned the best Quarterback in FPF Jr, should be a fantastic one, that I expect will continue all season-long. Both QBs bring speed, a strong arm, and most importantly, smarts to the position. What makes this even more interesting, is the fact that both players were teammates last season on the Tigers.  

Last season, with FPF Jr., taking place solely at Concordia’s Stinger Dome, I had the opportunity to do score-keeping for all the games. Doing so, also gave me a chance to see a lot of fantastic young players. One of the players who caught my attention on a weekly basis, was Adam Mahrouse. After playing rusher for the majority of the regular season, Mahrouse, started playing Wide Receiver after some of his teammates on The Hurricanes missed a few games, and to his credit, he never gave the spot back, as he led his team in catches and yards down the stretch. 

This season, Mahrouse, has picked up where he left off. After leading the league last week in catches and yards with 8 and 135 respectively, the speed demon, was at it again, as he led his team (Spartans) with 4 receptions for 67 yards, including a beautiful deep catch on a stop and go in which he blew by his man and former Hurricanes teammate George Aifantis for a touchdown.  

The Varsity Division is full of talented Wide Receivers, and Mahrouse is definitely among them. 

Speaking of receivers, the Buckeye’s Jaden Frenette, is steaking his claim to being the top WR in the Sophomore Division. This past week, the second year player led the FF Jr., in receiving yards with 133 and touchdowns with 3, in his team’s 38-14 win over the Hurricanes. Let’s see what the young Frenette does in Week 3 versus the Hawkeyes.  

 

 

Picks 

 

Freshmen Division 

 

Ducks vs Wolverines – Ducks 

While I think the Wolverines will find a way to score un-like last weekend, I think that the Ducks have too many weapons for the Wolverines to handle. 

 

Bruins vs Fighting Irish – Bruins 

Despite their struggles last week against the Cougars, the Bruins added a play-maker to their offense in Maurizio Mercuri Jr. The tall and fast receiver, had an impressive debut, with 2 receptions for 53 yards. As he and QB Eloi Tremblay develop more chemistry, they have a chance to become an explosive duo. I think they start against the Fighting Irish. 

 

Cougars vs Musketeers – Cougars 

This is an intriguing matchup, as both teams have playmakers on both sides of the ball. Expect to see players like Adam Bateman, Jackson Lovig, Alexis Ortega-Crudo, and the aforementioned Roach brothers, as well as Trepanier, and Dermody to be huge factors in the outcome of this one.  

I think the Cougars will make one more play than their opponents, to escape with the victory. 

 

Sophomore Division

 

Hawkeyes vs Buckeyes – Buckeyes 

This contest has a chance to steal the show Week 3. Not only do the Buckeyes have the aforementioned Trey Bentley and Jaden Frenette, but they also have a fast, play-making, and experienced team with players like Ben Arnovitz, Jaeden Edghill, Malcom De Pooter, and fellow 49er fan Max Arnovitz. 

The Hawkeyes have game changers of their own in Noah Smallwood, Jonathan Lebensztajin-Shahrabani, and the aforementioned Trepanier, but I just don’t think they’ll be able to keep up with the Buckeyes. 

 

Gators vs Hurricanes – Gators 

The Gators pulled one out of the fire against the Seminoles last week. I think they learned their lesson, and will use a new found defense to shut down a Hurricanes offense who still hasn’t found their game at this early point of the season. Not helping the Canes’ cause will be speedy rusher Terrence Brown who had 1 sack last week, and was a terror all last season rushing opposing Quarterbacks.  

This isn’t set in stone naturally, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the Canes’ woke up offensively. If I were the Gators, I would pay special attention to Wide Receiver Carter Soles, he looks like an impact player.  

 

Red Devils vs Seminoles – Seminoles 

After looking like a dominant team in Week 1 with their 39-6 win over the Gators, the Red Devils looked anything but in their 30-14 loss to the Hawkeyes last Saturday. While the team did get a spark offensively when they inserted William Bradford in at QB, he and their other pivot Noah Lachance were victims of bad throws, and multiple drops by their receivers. Hopefully, by the time Week 3 rolls around, the team time will have had enough time to work out the kinks. 

The Seminoles have an experienced and talented team, with the likes of David Bensemana, Brayden Bevan, and the Fleming brothers among others.Their problem so far this season, has been putting it all together and delivering on game day.  

Due to their experience in FPF, I am going to slightly lean towards the Seminoles in this one. 

 

Varsity Division 

 

Bulldogs vs Horned Frogs – Horned Frogs 

As I said earlier, these are the two-highest scoring teams ins the Varsity Division. I going with the Horned Frogs for two reasons. First, they have put up 73 points, and secondly, the Bulldogs have yet to play a complete game. For the past 2 weeks, they have had to crawl back form behind to get the win. Against a team like the Horned Frogs, that simply can’t happen. 

 

Longhorns vs Spartans – Spartans 

Although it’s hard to bet against the champs, especially considering ho they turned it around after a similar start last year, the explosion and big-play potential doesn’t seem to be there this year. While losing stud Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Juwan Edghill is certainly as huge hole that hasn’t been filled yet, the team seems to be lacking the championship mojo and swagger you would expect.  

The Spartans on the side, despite their record, are a team that looks like they are close to figuring it out. They have firepower on offense, in Spencer Fitzpatrick, Justin Grenon, and the previously mentioned Adam Mahrouse, and it will only be a matter of time before QB Ryan Garber and his new group of WRs get on the same page. I think that starts to happen in this game. 

 

 

That’s it for this week guys, sorry for the delay with the article, as I am sure most of you guys know, this time of year gets a little crazy for everybody, including yours truly. Speaking of which, we will be off for the next 2 weeks due to the holiday break. We will commence FPF Jr action on Saturday January 7th.  

We here at FPF, would like to wish everybody A Merry Christmas, happy Kwanzaa, happy Hanukkah, and a happy New Year! All the best in 2017!  Have a great time, be safe, and we’ll see you guys next year. 

Cheers!