FPF Junior Reaches its Bye Week

Summer is finally here. As things outdoors have been heating, so has the playoff race. However, between now and the playoffs, is FPF’s bye week for the Victoria Day weekend. All teams have this weekend off to recuperate and prepare for the playoff stretch. Before we get to the weekend, we still have last week’s games to recap.

Week Five Recaps:

Mustangs (14) vs Wolverines (12)

With some scrappy play and a few lucky bounces, the Mustangs kept their hopes for an undefeated season alive with a narrow two-point win over the Wolverines. That effort started with the impressive play of QB Coby White. While he didn’t put up staggering numbers, he did a great job of taking what his opponents gave him and slowly but surely moving down the pitch. He completed a total of 12 passes out of 19 attempts. While he gained only 7.5 yards per attempt, he still managed to get the job done. Among his 12 completions, was a TD pass to Josh Jacobson. To add to the Mustangs’ only receiving TD of the game, Josh Jacobson had 3 other catches to bring his tally on the night to four receptions and 26 yards. The Mustangs were missing their top receiver Max Kadanoff but Ethan Brinberg stepped up to fill the shoes left by his absence. His five receptions for 50 yards led the team in terms of catches as well as yards. While the Mustangs may have been able to move the ball, they did not do it as efficiently as in past weeks. They were lucky to get the job done with less than 100 passing yards in the game. Against many other teams in Varsity, those numbers will not be enough. If they want to stay undefeated, they will need Max Kadanoff back and they will need to put up some more offensive numbers.

While they need to make some tweaks on offense, one area the Mustangs do not need much improvement in, is defence. They limited their opponents to 12 points on Sunday and have the best defensive record in the division with only 60 points conceded all season long. On the night, it was Evan Stern who led his team’s defensive effort with four tackles as well as a defended pass. Tied for the lead in tackles was Oren Arbel-Wood, also with four tackles. However, what really makes the difference in FPF is interceptions. In a scoring driven league like this one, giving your offence a few more possessions and thereby a few more chances to score really stacks the odds in your favor. On Sunday, it was once again Josh Jacobson and Ethan Brinbert who made the difference, each registering an all-important interception. To go along with his offensive score, Josh Jacobson returned his INT for a defensive score. That means he combined to score all the points for his team. The Mustangs clearly have half the puzzle in place. They excel defensively but their offense needs to put up a few more points. They have a tough task heading down the stretch as they are set to face-off against three of the very best. If they can manage two wins from those final three games, they will be the title favorites in my opinion.

If we turn our attention to the Wolverines, they had one of their best games of the season. They put up nearly double the yards of their opponents as well as twice as many passing touchdowns. If you just look at the numbers, it would appear that the Wolverines had the much better game. However, what they were lacking was efficiency. They were able to consistently drive the length of the field but when it came to scoring in the red zone, they fell short. I have played on teams where getting those fist 30 yards was no problem. But when it really matters, when you need to score, that’s when things get really complicated. For a QB, windows get smaller and close faster. For a receiver, there is less space to run your route and more bodies going for the ball. Scoring in the red zone is a talent that needs to be learned. It does not appear that the Wolverines have acquired that skill quite yet. If they can learn how to transform their impressive yardage into points, they could turn their season around. While scoring may not have been working for the Wolverines, receivers such as Jason Dankner still managed to have impressive games. Jason Dankner caught one long-bomb pass for a total of 39 yards. The Wolverines completed passes to four other receivers. Among those, Oz Golsse stood out. His ridiculous speed allowed him to transform his two receptions into 26 yards.

Defensively, it’s quite difficult to criticize the Wolverines. They held the best team in the league to only two scores and managed to pick off their opposition twice. In FPF, it’s just about impossible to entirely shut down the opposition. The Wolverines held their end of the bargain by limiting their opponents to 14 points. That effort was led by tackle-master Jason Dankner who finished the match with a season high six tackles. More than being able to stop their opponents, the Wolverines managed two key interceptions which gave them a shot at victory. One of those interceptions came courtesy of the versatile Justin Schwartz. He proved he is more than just a passer when he picked off the Mustangs. The second of the Wolverines picks came courtesy of Noah Bloom. While, admittedly, things may not look great for the 0-5 Wolverines it is clear they have the athletes as well the skills to make a playoff push.

NS Lions (24) vs Knights (6)

After a rough start to the season for a star-studded roster, the Lions are back to their winning ways as we all expected they would be. Any FPF Junior connoisseur, just by looking at the Lions roster, could tell that they were packed with playmakers. Unfortunately, they took a few weeks to click as a unit but since they got their first win, there has been absolutely no stopping the men in orange. This week was no different as they cruised to an easy 18 point victory over the Knights. One of the most interesting story lines over the past couple of seasons in FPF has been the progression of Kaelen Trepanier. When I first played with Kaelen Trepanier, his first instinct was always to scramble. Over recent years, he has become more and more comfortable in the pocket as well as more and more confident in his arm. He has progressed all the way from a quarterback that nearly played like a running back to one of the best pocket passers in the league. Those passing skills were on full display Sunday when he completed an outstanding 21 passes for a total of 127 yards and three touchdowns. His leading target on the night was Jacob Soles who led the team in terms of receptions with six and yards with 43. The only thing he was not able to do was score a touchdown. One of the Lions three TDs came courtesy of all-star defensive back Bradley Parent, who to go along with his score, had five receptions for 35 yards. Every good QB needs a solid pair of hands to serve as his check down man and that is exactly what Kaelen Trepanier has in Ryan Wiwcharyk who tallied six receptions for a total of 24 yards as well as a score.

While Jacob Soles may have got the job done offensively, it was his brother Carter Soles who made the biggest impact on defense. His interception was one of his team’s three but his two defended passes also went a long way to shutting down his opponents. I have already talked about the impact of turnovers in FPF, but I am going to reiterate just how key they are especially in Junior where they are the only way to give your offence better field position. The Lions secondary has clearly grasped that concept since they managed to pick off the Knights three times during the game. Another of the Lions’ picks came courtesy of Bradley Parent who must be one of the best defenders in Varsity. When you think of shutdown corner, no one can rival the skill-set of Bradley Parent. He is fast enough to keep pace with the quickest receivers and physical enough to cover big physical receivers. While he may not rack up the same stats as other DBs, I wanted to point out his stellar defensive work. The final pick was a product of Ashton Moustache’s impressive play. After starting off the season as a rusher, he made the transition to defensive back. That decision by the part of his coaches to move Ashton Moustache into the secondary was rewarded when he intercepted the Knights. The Lions announced themselves as championship contenders with their win over the Falcons and this result just solidifies their position as frontrunners in the Varsity division.

When I see a team like the Knights, with the talent they clearly have on their roster, I have a really tough time explaining their 0-5 record. The first thing I always look at when evaluating a team is their quarterback. Does he have the arm strength? Is he accurate? Well, in the case of the Knights’ QB Jeremy Elhadad he ticks both those boxes off. He can get the ball out quickly, there is serious mustard behind his throws and he is quite an accurate passer. On one hand, I know he has those abilities but on the other, I look at his stats from the Knights vs Lions game where he completed just 5 of 21 attempts and I have a hard time explaining why he did not put up better numbers. Part of the solution may be in the play calling. When you have a hard time connecting, it may be time to start calling more hooks and slants. Complete passes, build a rhythm and get the ball into the hands of your receivers. I have seen championship caliber offences where 90% of routes are hooks at five. If the deep ball isn’t working for the Knights, it’s time for them to return to basics and find a way to produce more offence. One player who is producing for the Knights is Spencer Strasser. The Knights player caught nearly half of his teams passes with three receptions to tally 36 yards as well as a score.

One thing the Knights did very well on Sunday was their tackling. Often, missed tackles turn into big gains but that was not an issue for the Knights. Leading their sure tackling defense was Michael Knafo who finished with a very impressive nine tackles. They managed three defended passes on the night. If a few of those PDs could have been transformed into interceptions, the result of this match could have been very different. Granted, when you are facing off versus a quarterback like Kaelen Trepanier managing an interception is no easy feat but if you can pick one off, it can change the entire outcome of the match. Two of the Knights’ defended passes were the defensive handywork of David Salonichios. I know things have not been easy for the Knights so far this season and saying things are about to turn around seems a bit over-optimistic. However, the Knights have got the hardest opponents out of the way and they now have the chance to gain some momentum over the final three weeks before the playoffs start. This team has the talent and if they change up their playbook and I could see them making a run down the stretch.

Week Five Team of the Week:

Offence:

QB Danny Stamiris (Sun Devils): 217 passing yards, 4TDs, 81,5 completion percentage

RB Kevyn De Serres-Payne (IB Vikings): 60 rushing yards, 2TDs

WR Dylan Hacker (Buckeyes): 7 receptions, 100 receiving yards, 1TD

WR Samuel Cahill (Sun Devils): 9 receptions, 42 receiving yards

WR Abigail Cockerton (Spartans): 6 receptions, 68 receiving yards, 1TD

WR Raphael Gadbois (Sooners): 3 recptions, 61 receiving yards, 1TD

Defence:

Rusher Cedrick Leroux (AP Hurricanes): 2 tackles, 3 sacks

DB Ashtin Philistin (NS Hurricanes): 10 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD

DB Phoenix Thomas (X-Men): 1 tackle, 2 INTs, 1 PD

DB Michael Knafo (Knights): 9 tackles

DB Anthony Solomon-Payne (AP Hurricanes): 2 INTs, 3 PDs

DB Nicholas Di Maulo (Spartans): 7 tackles, 2 INT

Each week, we see the playoff race get clearer and clearer. This week was no exception. In Freshmen, the X-Men remained undefeated. I am disappointed that I have not yet been able to see those famed X-Men play but I really hope to catch one of their games before the playoffs begin. I also look forward to seeing what will happen in FPF Junior’s most heated conference: Sophomore B. In that division, we have three teams all within two points of each other.

This upcoming weekend is Victoria Day weekend and that means no games. Week six action kicks off on the 27th of May but sadly it will not be me on the sidelines at Kirkland. You will be in good hands however with scorekeeping royalty Moe Khan filling in as well as FPF Junior’s own Noah Lachance scorekeeping at Kirkland from 3-7.