Highlights and Reviews from Co-ed, Previews for the Women’s Division

Co-ed has always been a difficult division to predict. Many teams are unknown so predicting games early in the season can be especially difficult. I am proud to announce that I went 6-3 in my week 1 predictions. One of the games I got wrong was the one between Tigers and Rhinos. I was excited to predict that Tigers were going to win their first game. In reality, they fell 32-25 to Rhinos. Over these first two weeks, the Tigers offence has been formidable. They scored 24 points in their first game and they scored 25 in this one. Clearly, their offence is not the issue. Cam Chaput and the rest of the Tigers offence has found a way to consistently march the ball down the field. However, their defence has been letting  them down. Rhinos are a new team to co-ed and while they may be talented, they are unexperienced. A team like Tigers with a season under their belt should be able to slow down a team like Rhinos. As for Rhinos, they definitely surprised me. I though that it would take them a while to adapt to the particularities of co-ed, but they seem to be learning quickly. Yan Dominique, the Rhinos had a QB,  had a perfect game. He accounted for 200 yards of offensive production and most importantly avoided turning over the ball. The Rhinos offence will be tested next week when they face Kiss My End Zone.

A team that has disappointed me so far this season are 3 Hunnas. When I saw this roster before the season, I thought they had the perfect mix of raw talent and experience to excel in co-ed. Unfortunately, their lack of organization has proved costly over the first two weeks. Their week 2 opponents, Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce was surprised by just how chaotic 3 Hunnas were. If 3 Hunnas want to turn their season around, they need to find an identity. They need to find a stable quarterback and build a system around him. On defence, they need to find a competent signal caller who can alternate between man and zone defences. No one is denying this has the talent to succeed. The only question is whether they will be able to use that talent to its full potential.

It’s a Match kept up their strong play with a dominant performance over A-Town. I remember before the season when I questioned whether quarterback Alexis Labonté would be able to lead this team. He has definitely proved me wrong. Labonté completed over 66% of his passes and threw for five touchdowns in his teams’ 33-18 win over A-Town. Daphne Maurais is a rising star for It’s a Match. In two games, the talented receiver already has 100 receiving yards and four touchdown catches. Using the women on your team is a key to success in co-ed and this team has clearly understood that. It’s a Match are scheduled to face the talented ATH Squad and Yin & Yang in the next three weeks. If they can beat both those teams, they have to be considered as the frontrunners in this division.

Perhaps the most surprising game of week two was the one between Speed Academy and Party Mix. To be perfectly honest, I expected Party Mix to smoke Speed Academy. In week 1 Party Mix blew past Midtown and I saw Speed Academy as a less talented version of Midtown. Clearly, that perception was wrong since Speed Academy and Party Mix tied 32-32 last week. Emile Plante had a game for the ages. He passed for 250 yards, threw five touchdowns and most importantly avoided turning the ball over. I think SA’s offence was so effective because they spread the ball. They had three receivers with over 60 receiving yards. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Speed Academy is that their cap is low enough to fit into co-ed 2. The only reason they reason they are in co-ed 1 is because their quarterback, Emile Plante rating is at 72, slightly above the co-ed 2 QB cap of 70. This team is establishing themselves as a contender in co-ed 1, just imagine the damage they could have done in co-ed 2.

 

Week 2 Team of The Week:

Each week I will choose the top performers from co-ed to create the team of the week. There will always be two girls on offence and on defence. If you are on the offensive team of the week, you cannot be on the defensive one.

Offence:

Quarterback: Emile Plante (Speed Academy) 249 passing yards, 15 completions, 5 TDs, 123.4 QB Rating

Receiver: Djomax Mukuna (A-Town) 2 receptions, 86 passing yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Philip Enchill (Midtown) 4 receptions, 121 receiving yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Rachel Clarke (Tigers) 6 receptions, 64 receiving yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Charbel El-Sayah (It’s a Match) 7 receptions, 63 receiving yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Valerie Frappier (La Secte) 4 receptions, 18 receiving yards, 1 TD

Defence:

Rusher: Adrien Dusautois (Js) 3 sacks

Defensive Back: Jasmine Farmer (Power Rangers) 4 tackles, 2 PDs

Defensive Back: Raphael Ducas-Lapalme (Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) 4 tackles, 3 INTs, 2 PDs, 1 defensive TD

Defensive Back: Alyson Francillon (La Secte)  2 INTs

Defensive Back: Olivier Laberge (ATH Squad) 3 tackles, 2 INTs 1 PD

Defensive Back: Giovanni Lanni (Yin & Yang) 2 INTs, 1 PD, 1 defensive TD

 

Week 2 Game of the Week:

Midtown (27) vs Power Rangers (25): Midtown proved me wrong. I thought they were going to be schooled by Power Rangers. Midtown proved me wrong and managed to beat Power Rangers. Clearly, Midtown followed my suggestion and they decided to follow my suggestion. They decided to use Jean-Christophe Morin-Phaneuf as quarterback and that decision payed off big time. Despite only completing nine passes, Morin-Phaneuf passed for nearly 200 yards and for scores. To break that down, nearly half of Morin-Phaneuf passes were for touchdowns and he averaged over 20 yards per completion. While this deep ball technique might not always pay off, clearly it was very efficient against Power Rangers. Power Rangers are a shorter team then Midtown. Clearly, Midtown realised they had the height superiority so they took advantage of it. Defensively, Midtown did just enough to slow Power Rangers down. Philip Enchill led that defensive effort with his five tackles, 1 PD and most crucially, his interception.

Power Rangers must be disappointed after this loss. They have established themselves as perennial title favorites in co-ed and I am sure they will not be pleased to love to a new team like Midtown. However, if I were Power Rangers, I  would not be overly worried by this loss. PP have always been a playoff team. When they won their winter 2019 title, they had an average regular season and followed that up with a fantastic playoff run. Power Rangers did play this game with a depleted roster. I have a feeling that if Power Rangers had their full roster, this game would have ended differently.

 

Week 3 Predictions:

Women’s:

The Rookies vs Spartiates: I know nothing about the Rookies and even less about Spartiates. I will take a guess here and chose The Rookies to win.

Prediction: The Rookies

Ahunstic Girls vs Fleur de Lys: While Ahunstic may be a talented squad, they do not have the talent or experience to rival Fleur de Lys.

Prediction: Fleur de Lys

Team Texas vs District: If writing about co-ed has thought me anything, it is to not bet against Sara Parker.

Prediction: Team Texas

Co-ed 1:

3 Hunnas (0-2) vs Midtown (1-1):

Prediction: 3 Hunnas are struggling to find an identity while Midtown is on a high after beating one of the best teams in the league. I do not think this game will be very close.

Prediction: Midtown

Michael Scott’s Tots (0-2) vs Party Mix (1-0-1): Poor Michael Scott’s Tots. They are started off their campaign in co-ed 1 against two of the best teams in the division and they are facing another heavyweight in week 3. MST’s first win will come soon but just not quite yet.

Prediction: Party Mix

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (1-1) vs Power Rangers (1-1): Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce are fresh off a blowout victory while Power Rangers are reeling from a devastating defeat. Despite all that, SHCS simply does not have the talent to rival with Power Rangers’ offensive firepower.

Prediction: Power Rangers

Speed Academy (1-0-1) vs 3rd Down for What (2-0): This is going to be an interesting match. Speed Academy startled me by drawing with Party Mix. However, if they want to compete with 3rd Down for What, they will need to raise their game to a whole new level. I don’t think that Speed Academy has that gear in them.

Prediction: 3rd Down for What

Co-ed 2:

ATH Squad (2-0) vs Tigers (0-2): I was convinced that Tigers were going to win their first game last week when they faced Rhinos. Unfortunately, their defence was not able to slow down their opponents. If they struggled against Rhino’s offence, ATH Squad’s offence is sure to tear their defence apart.

Prediction: ATH Squad

Js (0-2) vs Yin & Yang (1-1): Y&Y bounced back from their opening week loss with a convincing win over La Secte. Despite getting quarterback Hai Minh Luong back, Js struggled. Minh Luong did not seem to be on the same page as his receivers and threw quite a few picks. Yin & Yang’s defence should be able to contain Js with ease.

Prediction: Yin & Yang

A-Town (1-1) vs La Secte (0-2): La Secte struggled to move the ball in week 2. This week, they are facing an extremely athletic A-Town secondary and I do not see their lives getting any easier. A-Town should be able to shut down La Secte and score more than enough points to win this one.

Prediction: A-Town

Kiss My End Zone (2-0) vs Rhinos (1-1): Rhinos had a strong showing in week 2 versus the Tigers. They proved that they are able to move the ball with ease. However, questions still remain about their defensive abilities.

Prediction: Kiss My End Zone

It’s a Match (2-0) vs Dream Crushers (1-1): It’s a Match have been perfect throughout their first two games They have already totaled 400 passing yards and 11 TDs. While Dream Crushers might be a better than either of the previous two It’s a Match have played, they should be able to blow past them

Prediction: It’s a Match

 

Week 3 should be an exciting one, we have some great matchups in Co-ed and the Women’s season is finally getting under way. I will be scorekeeping in Papineau this Monday so if you have any comments or feedback, please feel free to come up to me on the field or let me know by email at [email protected]