Inside the Red Zone (D1) – Week 4

Congratulations to the Redhawks for winning their first ever FPF game. But before celebrating this feat, I’m sure many of you would like to know, who are the Redhawks? We’ll find out a little later on, as I take you behind the names. Here is another question, What’s the best way to get over a devastating loss? No, I don’t mean the loss of a girl, because that question is better answered by a psychologist. But rather, a loss to another team. Some teams’ confidence plummets, while other teams regroup and come back stronger. Such was the case for Montreal’s Finest. They absolutely dismantled the CLR Forces and made a statement to the Demons that they’re ready for round two, whenever that may be. Speak of the devil, so to speak, the Demons are still 4-0, and their latest win came against an Old Skool squad that were determined to win the game, but came up short in a controversial ending. Finally, the Rainmakers keep on winning, but will it last?. Now that we’re going into the bye week, this is the week that was!

 

**After the bye week, only six games will remain so it will be the last week for a new player to start playing if he wishes to qualify for playoffs **

66-25? Talk about blowing off some steam. The Finest weren’t happy with the loss to Demons and more importantly, weren’t happy with my recap of that same aforementioned game. No matter the motivation, they came out to play and made a statement that they were ready for anyone. Kevin Wyeth threw for 275 yards and 9 TDs. The Finest defense had five interceptions (one returned  for a TD). It was a complete annihilation, and the Finest’s next opponent should be careful becauseit’s clear they’re on a mission. Given their potential, this is how the Finest should be playing every game, sans exception!

Old Skool came as close as they ever could to capturing their first win. With only a last second incomplete pass, of which they contested, keeping them out of the win column. Andy Peterkin was as comfortable as I have ever seen him as he was making great throws, most of them into tight coverage. As mentioned on the WEPL, there are a lot of positives that Old Skool can take away from this game. Therefore they should go into the bye week with that mentality and REALLY be ready to battle because their next opponent is Montreal’s Finest.

As for the Demons, this is the second game they’ve managed to win (first was against Rainmakers) without a few of their top guns present, so hats off to them for being 4-0. They have the number one ranked offense and as I just mentioned, they are doing it with whoever is on the field. Although they’re going to enjoy a week off (especially since most of them are… “seasoned”), they will have a tough test in week five against the Expos.

Are the Rainmakers for real? They are 3-1 and have both the third best offense and defense in Division 1. With CLR Forces next on their schedule, there is a good chance they’ll go 4-1. Everything is clicking for them right now on offense (2 players with 200+ receiving yards and 6 TDs) and as I mentioned on the WEPL, their defense is doing well thanks in large part to their superstar rusher, Francis Toupin. Perhaps I was wrong about them in that they didn’t have an X-Factor. It appears they have added the right pieces to compete at the highest level and proving it week in and week out.

 

The Expos didn’t have their full roster present in week four, but I believe whether they have Chad Byers or Rick Nincheri throwing, they are in good shape. Therefore, I give full credit to the Redhawks for their first win. Never have I seen a team so enthusiastic and ecstatic after a win, and it was well deserved. They made a change at the QB position and brought in Charles St-Martin. He passed for 235 yards and 6 TDs while also adding a rushing TD. All five receivers caught a TD including former QB J-D Chevalier. Is this the solution they were looking for? Will this be the recipe for success? Only time will tell, however, now that they’ve tasted victory, they will be hungry for more.

 

Behind The Flag

I mentioned in last week’s column that I’ll look at one team each week in detail. First up are the Redhawks, who are fresh off their first victory. They’re new to Division 1 and I want everyone to have a chance to get to know these young men. I sat down with team captain, Benoit Fredette and he gave me the 411!

The Team

Benoit Fredette: “The Redhawks are a team composed of all different types of players that I have played with over the years (and some others that have been referred to me by players on our team). When I started to form the team last fall, I looked for great athletes but more importantly, I wanted guys with a good attitude (in other words, guys  that I enjoyed to play with on previous teams). Since I was already playing in Division 2 with Mikhail Davidson, I thought about creating a new team in Division 3. However, when I saw the final roster, we thought that we could give it a shot in Division 1. I understand that we didn’t “win that spot over the years”, which might be argued by some FPF veterans, but we plan to earn our credit on the field. Even if the players don’t know each other that well, they all share the same love for the game and they all bought into the team concept. A good example is after three games, we quickly realized that we needed to make some adjustments/position changes to win in this division, and all the guys agreed and accepted their new roles knowing that it was better for the team.

The players

Charles St-Martin (QB): He is from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, where he played for the Geants at the CEGEP level. After that, he played 4 years for the Vert et Or in Sherbrooke. Even if he played in the shadow of JP Shoiry, he started a good number of games and many argued that he should have played more. This guy’s vision on a football field is insane! As a QB, he has the full package: he can beat you with his arm, but don’t give him too much space because he knows how to run, as well. He is playing with the Wolfpack (the outdoor A level team) in the summer.

Mikhail Davidson: Three years ago, Mikhail Davidson came to play in an outdoor tournament for one of Pascal Murray’s teams and from then, on, he played for the Wolfpack. Being a member of the College Andre-Grasset Receiving Crew, he introduced me to JD Chevalier and Félix Prévost. Mikhail Davidson is one of the best route runners I’ve seen! Mikhail had a great impact on the Wolfpack when he joined, and he’s now a big chunk of the Redhawks offense, as well.

Jean-Daniel Chevalier: JD is also part of the Andre-Grasset’s Phenix Receivers Crew (along with Félix Prévost and Mikhail Davidson). They won the Bol d’Or in their division last year and all three were starters for the team. JD started the 2011 Division 1 season as a QB for us, but he had not played this position for years. Plus he’s a natural receiver, so he is very happy to be back at his position.

Félix Prévost: He played for the Ducks in Division 3 (Winter 2010). He has a little more size than Mikhail Davidson, but they both have gifted hands. He is an all-around player, so he’s really helping our defense with a solid rush.

Francis Lapointe: I met Francis last summer in an outdoor football league and I would have been the stupidest guy on earth to not recruit him on our team. He’s a receiver and played for CEGEP Edouard-Montpetit in the AAA and was selected on Team Canada in 2009. He is now in his second year with the Vert et Or. Even with many seniors on the team, he managed to dress, even in the playoffs against Laval! Along with SCC (Simon Charboneau-Campeau), he will be a serious threat for any opponent. This is his first season in FPF and he loves it, especially the challenge of Division 1.

Olivier Pellerin: Olivier played his university years for the Carabins and he was elected as a receiver on the Provincial All-Star Team in 2005. Since then he is still active in different outdoor football/flag-football leagues. It is his first season in FPF and he is playing both offense and defense. His experience in the game is greatly helping the junior guys of our squad.

Mathieu Bernier: Mathieu is our defensive coordinator. He played for the University of Ottawa’s Gee Gees and for the Carabins. He has the perfect profile to become a defensive coach (he coached the Challenge Wilson Richelieu team recently). He’s a great communicator and he understands the defensive game like no other and that helps a lot our defense to perform well even if the guys never played together.

**WE NOW TAKE A SMALL BREAK and look at this week’s “The Eight Ball”**

This week’s question is “Were the 5 interceptions by the Finest defense as a result of excellent rush by Moe Khan?”

Answer: My sources say no.

So there you have it, the eight ball has spoken.

**We now return to Behind The Flag**

 

Alexandre Branco: Alex currently plays for the Vert et Or as a corner. He also played for the Geants de St-Jean in his CEGEP years, so he knows the other guys in the region. As Francis, he made the Team Canada roster in 2009. He’s also new to FPF.

Dany St-Martin: Danny is Charles’ brother. He played for the Geants de St-Jean where he was converted from a QB/receiver to a defensive player. He’s a true athlete and he fits our defensive squad quite well. He plays for the Wolfpack outdoor team (with his brother and Mathieu) and he is new to FPF.

Benoit Fredette: I played football in CEGEP in St-Jean. However due to a car accident with a severe concussion, I can’t play contact football anymore. So after many years of no football, he finally started playing with Pascal Murray’s outdoor flag-team and then joined the FPF Wolfpack in Division 2. I am still getting back my talent due to my absence from football. Furthermore being a team player, I am more than happy to let the rest of the team do their thing, while being a role player myself. I am the communication link between all the new guys and I am trying to share my FPF experience. On the field, I adapted to the Division 1 level by switching from receiver to snapper where I can fill a specific role.

 

The Redhawks are obviously composed of players who are experienced in the game of football however many players are playing FlagPlus Football for the first time. That said, it will not stop this team from succeeding and reaching new heights. Benoit Fredette feels that in their network of friends/football players, they have many great players at their disposal. Hence, they feel they have a lot of depth in their inventory. Even though it took them four weeks to get their first victory, they do not have any regrets joining Division 1, but rather, they love the challenge of Division 1. As Benoit Fredette said “We needed the first few weeks to adjust and we are now ready to make some noise in D1 for the upcoming years!”

 Well said Mr. Fredette; we definitely hope to see you and the Redhawks in FPF for many seasons to come.

 

The next segment of Behind The Flag will cover the Rainmakers.

That’s it for this week folks, hope you enjoyed the read. There will be no games this weekend and consequently, there will not be any articles/WEPL until the following week. I wish everyone a great week off and hope everyone enjoys the Super Bowl. Similar to Donald Shepherd, I am picking the Green Bay Packers to win it all. As usual, if you have comments/suggestions, please email me at [email protected]. Be good, be safe, have fun and see you all in a couple of weeks. Till then, I leave you with the following:

“…so Rehan please get off Carmine’s private parts, I know he’s your D2 qb but trust me when we play them again…and if since they might not make it to the finals, we will destroy them” – Karim Binette of Montreal’s Finest