Hello FPF community and welcome to the postseason! For some of you, this is your first trip to the wild, unexpected and thrilling FPF Junior playoffs while others have already been there and know just how drastically things can get flipped on their heads. In past seasons, we have seen the mighty fall and the underdogs triumph just as we have seen juggernauts cruise to victory. 

In this first week of action, some teams are on a bye while others play for their survival. That added incentive, that desire to always play one more game is why we see the best out of the young athletes in the postseason. 

Before we jump into the playoffs, let us first take a look at two Varsity matches from the eighth and final week of junior action.

 

Week 8 Recaps

• Fighting Irish (6) vs Thunder (12)

The Thunder came into this match as very heavy favorites. They had never lost to the Fighting Irish or any other team in the junior ranks for that matter. On the other hand, the Irish still hadn’t won a game verus Varsity opposition. While those facts would suggest a run-away win for the Thunder, the result of Saturday’s match between these two teams was anything but that. Yes, the Thunder did eventually win but they faced their toughest opposition of the season in the Irish who had a chance to win until the very last play of the game. This will serve as a warning to the Thunder that they are a beatable team and that their Varsity division crown is anything but a sure thing.

On offence, Noah Lachance did not have the same ease moving the ball downfield as he usually does due in large part to the stellar play of the Irish’s defence, but he still did manage to throw for a total of 109 yards and two touchdowns. His main targets on the night were Mathis Foczeny who caught three catches for 22 yards and most importantly, a touchdown. Also with three catches, was Joey Allen who finished with a total of 20 yards on the night. On defense, it Max Sabourin who stepped up in a massive way for his team.  He finished the match with two tackles, two defended and most importantly, a game winning interception. After he saw the Irish drive 37 yards down the field with next to no time left on the clock, he stepped up in a big way to preserve his team’s perfect record. Another key contributor to that defence was rusher Louis Vincent who, to add to his defended pass, managed to sack the extremely elusive Kaelen Trepanier on two occasions. 

On the Irish’s side of things, their high-powered offence ran through the usual suspects: Kaelen Trepanier and Aryan Jamati. That explosive duo connected four times for an impressive total of 91 yards. Thanks to the expert eye of coach Tony Khoury, the Irish found a soft spot on the Thunder’s defence and exploited that until their opponents were able to adjust. The only thing Aryan Jamati didn’t have on the night was a touchdown reception. That touchdown, came courtesy of a 3 yard touchdown grab by Joshua Taylor who caught one other ball on the night to finish the game with 16 yards receiving. While quarterback Kaelen Trepanier did not rush as much as he usually does, he made those rarer runs count with one going for 18 yards and another for 37 yards. Defensively, the hyper talented Noah Smallwood singlehandedly shutdown the Thunder with a performance for the ages. The young man was all over his half of the pitch and finished the game with an outstanding 9 tackles and 2 defended passes.

• Wildcats (7) vs Thunder (26)

After what, by the Thunder’s standards, was an uncomfortably close call verus the Irish, they stepped things up a level for their regular season finale verus the 2^nd place Wildcats. The upside for the Wildcats is that they will not have to face the Thunder next week because their first opponents will be Varsity’s men (and women) in green, the Irish. If the Wildcats manage to make it past the Irish, they will then once again face off against the Thunder. If they make it there, this Saturday’s game will serve as valuable insight on how to beat their opponent.

Offensively for the Thunder, with no danger of relinquishing their hold on first place, they decided to mix things up and start the game with Max Sabourin under center instead of their all-star regular, Noah Lachance. On one level, this experiment was successful since Max Sabourin threw for 49 yards and a touchdown. However, after he was intercepted, he returned to receiver and Noah Lachance once again took over the reigns under center. Regardless of whom was throwing, the play of stand-out receiver Mathis Foczeny remained impressive. He caught three of Noah Lachance’s passes for a total of 7 yards and a touchdown as well as three of Max Sabourin’s passes to bring his receiving total up to 49 yards. Defensively, rusher Louis Vincent almost single handily neutralized the Wildcats offence with a mind boggling 5 sacks on the day. That means he was in the opposing quarterbacks face just about every single play pressuring him into making poor and rushed decisions. When your’re under such pressure, throwing a rushed passed that gets intercepted is inevitable. Jaden Frenette benefited from his teammates rushing to pick off a pass and record two tackles on his team’s way to victory. 

On the Wildcats end of things, their opponent’s great rushing severely limited their ability to move the ball through the air. Nicholas Di Maulo is one of FPF’s best at throwing on the run but on occasion, it seemed like he took off a bit early instead of staying in the pocket and going through his progressions. If he would scramble when it was needed and stay put the rest of the time, he would be one of the best quarterbacks in his division. He already has the arm so if he plays smart, he could lead his Wildcats a long way in the postseason. When he did move the chains, it was generally through Olivier Gauthier who caught two passes for a total of 27 yards and his teams only touchdown. Defensively, Olivier Gauthier was also a major contributor. He finished the match with an impressive total of 4 tackles, 2 defended passes and most importantly, 2 interceptions. Samuel Langlais was also a key factor for the Wildcats defence with his 4 tackles.

 

Week 8 Team of the Week

Offence

QB Jahmaal Roach: 175 yards, 6TDs, 0INTs

Rusher Daniel Taylor: 85 yards, 1TD

WR Aryan Jamati: 91 yards

WR Tahnyus Steer: 77 yards, 2TDs

WR Ashton Moustache: 92 yards, 1TD

WR Ryley Vaughn: 77 yards, 3TDs

Defence

Rusher Louis Vincent: 5 sacks

DB Noah Smallwood: 9 tackles, 2PDs

DB William Leclerc: 7 tackles, 1PD

DB Jackson Lovig: 5 tackles, 3INTs, 1PD

DB Joshua Leznoff: 5 tackles, 1INT, 2PDs

DB Kaiden Dewey-Hull: 3 tackles, 3 PDs

 

Crystal Ball and Shenanigans

Quarter Finals

• Gators vs Longhorns

The only other meeting between these two teams was all the way back in week one when the Gators managed a narrow and hard fought 6-0 win over the Gators. Despite looking strong in that first week, the Longhorns have struggled through the season. However, I opened with this: FPF Junior Playoffs are a time for big upsets. The Longhorns have the defensive talent with the likes of Joshua Leznoff, Camron Brown and Daniel Taylor, but do they have the ability to go head to head with one of the division’s very best in Charles-Olivier Ostiguy? If they can limit his output, they will have a chance of moving on to the semifinals. If they don’t, then the Gators are likely to advance.

• Buckeyes vs Bulldogs

For me, this is one of the most intriguing and hotly disputed of the quarter finals. In their first meeting, these teams went right down to the wire with the lead changing twice in the final three plays. It was one of the most exciting game so far this year. In their next meeting, the Buckeyes managed an extremely close 1 point win. While the Buckeyes have won each of the two previous meetings, it is clear to me that they are very evenly matched, and no one can predict what is going to happen when they face off Saturday. All we know is that with a spot in the next round on the line, both teams will want to bring their A game.

• Cowboys vs Ducks

In both of their previous meetings, the Cowboys came out on top but they have had trouble in recent weeks finding their early season form. The key to winning this game for the Cowboys will be shutting down the always dangerous Kevin De Serres-Payne. However, limiting that young man is much easier said that done because there is nothing on a football pitch he cannot do. For the Ducks to win, they will need to find a way to limit the Cowdoys’ Thomas Hemens who caught 18 passes during the regular season for over 200 yards. The key to victory for both this teams will be shutting down the other’s top player. Whoever does it better should be moving on.

• Red Cougars vs Sunnybrooke Elites

With the Elites week 7 win over the Cowboys, they announced themselves to the rest of the Freshman division as very serious contenders to make it all the way. However, standing between them and the semis are the formidable Red Cougars who beat the Elites back in week three. I believe that this game will ultimately come down to the matchup between Dave Lileka Bolombe of the Elites and Luka D’Aoust of the Cougars. Dave Lileka Bolombe has shredded opposing teams both with his arm and his legs. With 19 tackles, Luka D’Aoust is a premium candidate to nullify the rushing threat and with his 3 interceptions, he also has the ability to cause Dave Lileka Bolombe headaches in the passing game. If Luka D’Aoust manages to limit Dave Lileka Bolombe’s explosivity then he will give his Red Cougars a good chance at victory.

 

Semi Finals

• Golden Eagles vs Dusters

These two teams just faced off in week 8 and the Golden Eagles dispatched the Dusters 34-0 but things will definitely not be that easy for the Eagles this time around. The Dusters tried 3 other players than Adam Malinoff as quarterback. I am sure that with the season on the line, the Dusters will give every single snap to their #1 guy. This game will come down to which of these all-star quarterbacks has a bigger game and most importantly, protects the ball. The Eagles won this week in large part thanks to their 3 interceptions. If the Dusters protect the ball, this could be a very tight match.

• Western Patriots vs AP Hurricanes

These teams, in their only encounter in the regular season played to a 14-12 result in favor of the Western Patriots. The only thing that separated them on that day was extra point attempts. Now, both teams have matured and improved but I still expect to see another even matchup like the one in week 3 game. Who knows, which team advances could very well once again come down to another extra point attempt.

• Wildcats vs Fighting Irish

The Wildcats and Irish both faced off versus the redoubtable Thunder in week 8 and while both teams lost, the Irish had a much stronger game. With Kaelen Trepanier and Aryan Jamati clicking on offence and Abigial Cockerton returning from illness, they have the elements in place for a championsip level offence. On the other hand, they are facing off verus one of the division’s best ball hawks in Olivier Gauthier. If they can keep the ball far away from him, the Irish have a chance to beat the Wildcats for the first time this year and advance to the final.

 

With that, the winter 2018 regular season is now on the books and can you smell that? The smell of playoffs is in the air! We have seen spectacular individual and team performances in the past 8 weeks but now all that is forgotten. These few games are what ultimately matter in each team’s quest for a championship. Personally, I can’t wait to see what these playoffs will have in store.

Also, keep an eye peeled to the FPF website this Friday for my Dubois division by division awards and on Saturday morning for the mighty Commissioner’s picks for team mvp and most improved.