I Do Not Know What DNE Stands for. I Do Know They Pulled Off The Upset of The Season!

We are down to the Sweet Sixteen as I like to call it. There were 8 teams that saw their season end on Thursday night. Five of the eight games finished within one possession, with Save the Turftles and Born in the 80’s going to overtime! Gotta love all these close games. Let’s jump into the recaps.

Do you believe in miracles? In what can only be described as David taking down Goliath, DNE eliminate the mighty Les Petites Carottes. DNE went from a team fighting to win a single game to now eliminating one of the best teams in all of Division D. Just last week I had talked about how impressed I was with Les Petites Carottes. If I am being honest, I did not chose this game as one to preview because I did not expect it to be close. For DNE it was much of the same. Jordan Panetta leading the way with all 3 of his teams touchdowns. The difference may have been Akeem Hoyte-Charles‘ 2 interceptions though. Nick Richard was able to avoid throwing an interception of his own and ran for 39 yards. Jason Rayes was only able to complete 8 passes, which was 33% of his attempts. For a team that had very little trouble scoring during the season I have to ask myself what went wrong for Les Petites Carottes? It just goes to show you that the playoffs are a completely different animal. DNE showed us all that it doesn’t matter how you get to the dance. Once you’re there, you’re there.

Bandits D’Ahuntsic made quick work of The Rude Saks. François Rochette continued his All-Star caliber season with another 3 touchdowns and 64 yards. QB Justin Gauthier sliced and diced through The Rude Saks’ defense going 15 of 17 with 194 yards. Bandits D’Ahuntsic defense came to play as well. They only gave up 6 completions and picked off Raffi Bastadijan twice. What impressed me the most is that their defense got 12 passes defended! Not sure I ever remember that happening in a single game. I expected this game to be a lot closer. You could not have scripted a better way to start the playoffs for the boys from Ahuntsic. Next up, a rematch against Idaho Udapimps!

Glory Boyz vs Stallions was a close game as I anticipated. Both QBs had almost identical stats. Hiotis and Spina each attempted 31 passes and threw for 4 TDs. The difference in the game was converts. Stallions went 1/4 where Glory Boyz went 3/4. My game ball goes to Lucas Crivello who made his presence felt on both sides of the ball. He had 5 receptions, 58 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. It’s been a bit of an up and down season for both teams, but the better team advanced. Tough game coming for the Glory Boyz as they take on Les Renards Vifs.

Born in the 80’s and Save the Turftles treated us to an overtime game. Unfortunately for Cheung and the crew the were unable to convert on any of their 3 converts in OT. The game was filmed as a “Game of The Week” segment and is on YouTube. Craig Browning and Tony Vo both had great games for their respective teams. Browning had 3 TDs and a pick, and Vo had 2 TDs along with 3 sacks. A huge play in the game was when Born in the 80’s scoring on the last play of the first half. It’s a shame one of these teams had to lose because I could only imagine the energy on the football field throughout this game. In watching the GOTW both teams were not only focused but came prepared. There was no panic from either side after a dropped ball or even a penalty. Save the Turtles put up a heck of a fight, but Born in the 80’s are just too solid from top to bottom.

Ballz Deep almost completed an upset of their own against Les Bleue Dry. Les Bleue Dry were only able to muster up 6 points in the second half, but that was still good for them to come away with the 32-26 victory. Guillaume Dufresne put up his usually stat line of 91 yards and 2 touchdowns. We also saw a touchdown on the last play of the first half in this one. That 2 yard TD for Les Bleue Dry could have been the difference. Ballz Deep are a scrappy team that plays a bit of an ugly but smart game. I think that’s why they gave LBD a run for their money. Ryan Dobbs marches up the field and completes a high percentage of his passes. He had 12 more completions than Frederic Juneau but Juneau’s ability to complete the deep ball proved costly for Ballz Deep.

Big Fat Bats beat Dilf Gang and will now play Bandits in the second round. Can’t wait for that one! Against Big Fat Bats you need to score on nearly every one of your drives. Defensive player of the year Ryan McNally made sure that was not the case as he got another interception. This is getting ridiculous. AJ Zeppetelli caught 3 TDs from Mathew and that was all they needed. To sum it up, Big Fat Bats won in their usually fashion. Their stars on both sides of the ball making plays, and their other players also making an impact. One of those “other players” being Luca Leccese who had 5 sacks on the night! Safe to say they have very few, if any, weaknesses.

Every Inch Counts put up 46 points as they eliminated No Ragrets. Justin Lerner and Daron Migdesyan had 5 combined touchdowns and Migdesyan added 2 interceptions. Yanakoulias had a near perfect game throwing 7 TDs and 1 interception. He is in complete control of this offense. Looking at the play-by-play it’s interesting to see how many TDs were scored on 4th down. Good job from both offenses of making plays when it mattered most. I think the youth and athleticism of Every Inch Counts was too much for No Ragrets. West Island Boys will be a tougher test.

In one of the games I hesitated the most in making my picks, and ended up getting it wrong, Studz r us beat Red Dragons. If I told you one QB threw 5 TDs while the other QB threw 2, who would you have thought won the game? Even my cat knows the correct answer. Ya sorry Rocky (my cat’s name) you would’ve been wrong. Guillaume Boulanger threw 5 TDs for Red Dragons. Philippe Gélinas threw 2 TDs for Studz r us… and won. I love games like this. So, how did Studz r us win? Glad you asked. They got 2 pick 6’s, a rushing touchdown, and a safety. Talk about scoring any way necessary. Now, some credit has to be given to Gélinas. While he only threw for 2 touchdowns, he was smart with the football, only throwing 1 pick. Still crazy to me how games likes this play out. Gotta love flag man. Game ball goes to Mathieu Houde who was able to find the end zone 3 times.

Quarter-Finals Viewing Guide

D1

1. X-Men vs 23. DNE

Can DNE do it again? The answer is yes they can. Over the years of watching and playing sports I’ve come to the conclusion that the most dangerous teams are those who have nothing to lose. DNE was not supposed to be here, but here they are. There is no doubt this team has talent. It’ll have to be a near perfect game from QB Nick Richard. He can’t afford to float balls over the middle against the X-Men defense. Important to note that in their previous meeting, DNE lost by only a possession. They are not coming into this game afraid of playing the number 1 overall seed. X-Men are simply on another level right now. While I acknowledge DNE have a chance, I don’t see X-Men losing their first of what should be many playoff games ahead.

Prediction: X-Men win 41-27

2. Prime Time vs 21. Studz r us

I can see the size of Prime Time being problematic for Studz r us. Prime Time have some big boys that know how to use that to their advantage. Studz r us have the advantage of having played just a few shorts days ago. They won’t need to worry about rust, while Prime Time are coming off that bye. Something tells me Prime Time’s defense will make their presence felt early and often in this game. The way they communicate on defense is fun to watch. You don’t ever really see them blowing assignments. You pair that with the fact that they are extremely efficient on offense, and it’s tough to imagine an upset here. Keep on eye on Elliott Vivien-Tremblay for Studz r us. I’ve seen him play and can say he is deceptively good and adjusting his body in the air. If anyone can handle the size of Prime Time it may be him.

Prediction: Prime Time win 39-18

3. Les Renards Vifs vs 20 Glory Boyz

Lemme tell you right now this is not your typical 3 for 20 seed. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The Glory Boyz are inconsistent. This game will depend on which Glory Boyz team shows up. The good or the bad? They are capable of beating anyone in Division D when they’re focused and play as a unit. When they lose their cool, they become an easy out. They are coming off a hard fought emotional win. I expect that to carry on early into this game. Can it be sustained however? I’m not sure. Les Renards Vifs are my hottest team right now. They are playing championship-caliber football. They have only thrown 3 interception on the entire season. Couple that with the Glory Boyz defense not creating many turnovers on the season, and this could be an offensive masterpiece from the Les Renards Vifs.

Prediction: Les Renards Vifs win 44-27

4. The Penetrators vs 5. Born in the 80’s

A rematch from just over a week ago. I guarantee you The Penetrators were hoping for a chance at revenge and here it is. Their previous meeting was tight. I expect this one to be no different. What jumps off the stat sheet from that game was how many incompletions Born in the 80’s were able to produce. Goodman only completing 12 of his 28 passes. A way to avoid that? Throw the ball to Nicholas Fon. This guy is frickin good, people. He stretches the field for Goodman and they make it look easy. That won’t be easy against a disciplined defense in Born in the 80’s. I’m excited for the Fon vs Browning matchup. Their playstyles are quite similar. I think the difference in this game will be the veteran leadership that Born in the 80’s has and continues to display.

Prediction: Born in the 80’s win 32-26.

D2

7. Idaho Udapimps VS 15. Bandits D’Ahuntsic

I was treated to a great game in their first meeting. I sat back, had an iced cap on a beautiful summer day in Laval, and watched Idaho Udapimps escape with a 42-38 win. Legit nothing beats an iced cap, eh? This game will be much of the same. Both QBs are playing backyard football out there. Hitting receivers with ease and very little thought. The first team to force a turnover may very well be the team who wins. There is no lack of talent on either team. What I love about both squads is the amount of two-way players. You can make a case that all of these players are better defensively than they are offensively and vice versa. In what should be a back and forth affair, converts may be the reason the winner gets to keep dancing.

Since I am playoff eligible to play for Idaho Udapimps, I won’t predict a winner, but will certainly predict a great game.

8. Friends with Danny VS 13. Les Bleue Dry

I can honestly say this was the hardest of all 8 games to predict. On one side, you have a veteran team that knows each other inside out in Friends with Danny, and on the other you have a few more raw and athletic guys. The biggest question mark in this game will be who is covering Dufresne. There is no secret he is the guy for Bleue Dry. Defenses have known this all season long and it has still not made a difference. My guess is it’ll probably be the QB himself Danny D’Amour who takes matters into his own hands and lines up in front of Dufresne. That’s what I would do. Don’t be surprised if this is a first to 50 points wins type of game. Both QBs have command in the huddle and receivers that buy into the system.

Prediction: Friends with Danny win 46-45

9. Bandits vs 13. Big Fat Bats

A heavyweight matchup between two of the top teams in the division. I could have really seen this as a championship matchup. I believe AJ Zeppetelli is the best player on either team. I also believe Bandits have a bit more depth. The Big Fat Bats have no weak links. The Bandits have NO weak links. See the difference? I get the feeling that the consistency from the top of the Bandits roster to the bottom will be difficult for Big Fat Bats to handle. I have to give the edge to someone. Looking at both teams position by position it’s hard to. Both QBs are great, but receiving cores are great, both defenses are great. I use the term “unit” a lot. Both teams are that. They’re units that play as a team and their successful seasons are a result of that. The unity I have seen from Bandits is second to none. I don’t wanna mess with that.

Prediction: Bandits win 33-32

10. West Island Boys vs 11. Every Inch Counts

The last time these team’s met we were treated to a dandy of a game. West Island Boys won 37-33. Can the West Island Boys slow down Lerner and Migdesyan? Can Every Inch counts slow down Bayliff? These two questions may be the only ones needing answers. Of course, there will be a multitude of others things that factor into the game, but I do believe it will be what decides the winner. If either defense can figure out how to slow down each teams stars, it would put the offenses in unfamiliar territory. Don’t get me wrong, the WR2s and WR3s from both teams a very solid. They are good enough to be WR1s on any other Division D team. However, all 3 aforementioned players have been so used to getting what they want. How do we know what will happen if they don’t? Well, we don’t.

Prediction: Every Inch Counts Win 36-32

Playoff Record: 6-2

Good luck to all teams still fighting to host that championship banner! Contrary to what I said last article, I will actually be there in person to catch all of the highlights on Monday night. The Elite Eight is on the line folks. What could be more exciting than that!? Until Monday night…

Stay Blessed