Inside the Red Zone (Div 3) – Week 1
16-01-2013 12:00 AM
I would like to start my comeback into writing by congratulating FlagPlus Football for 15 seasons of excellence. Remember when there was only one of division of 18 teams? Then it grew to two, followed by three. We currently sit at five divisions of 140-plus teams. It is an honor to have been and still be a part of the greatest flag football league in the world. Way to go Robert Campana, you couldn’t have done it without us but the reverse is also true.
Now you are surely wondering who am I and why am I covering division 3? I’m Rehan Sarwar and I have written for the league before and after a brief hiatus, I decided to make a return into the world of journalism, much like a Jedi once made his comeback (although most people might refer to me as Yoda).
I must admit that the level of writing has increased dramatically since I last wrote an article for FPF. So I have to bring my “A game” so to speak, if I intend to shine with the likes of Andrew, GM and Peeze. Now whether you will admit it or not, there are many of you who missed reading my articles. Why was I given the opportunity to cover division 3? Let’s be honest, with the amount of “local celebrities” and “personalities” in D3, you need someone to stroke their egos, all the while challenging their abilities. All in all, I am up for the challenge and look forward to providing you with end zone to end zone coverage.
What can you expect on a weekly basis? Headlines, power rankings (starting week 2), weekly winners (best handicapper in FPF history) and a new segment called “Meet The Competition” from our newest writer, Justin Blanchard. DON’T FORGET THE RETURN OF STAR-AWARDS©! You want more? I’ll be active on Twitter beginning in the next couple of days and will have random thoughts on Division 3, so please follow me @Rehan_FPF.
So with the formalities and introductions out of the way, it’s time to get started.
In week one, we already saw a couple of top ranked teams lose their games against teams who might have been ranked lower by those in the “know”. One of those teams is GPK, who added depth to their roster by inking Tam Vilaydeth and Corey Greenway. Despite the big signings, they lost their season opener to Les Eudistes (more on them a little later) by two scores. Yes it is only the first week, however I’d look for this trend to continue throughout the season.
Here are this week’s top stories.
The DBs are doing it all
Dirty Birds and D-Boys are two of the most popular teams in Division 3. Why? It is mainly because they hype themselves up by flooding the Facebook walls (and who can forget Marco Masciotra and David Hurley’s press conference in Spring 2012). Going beyond their popularity however, they are definitely not short on talent.
Both teams won their week one matchups convincingly. They defeated G-Men and VPC respectively, and for statistical purposes, both defenses combined for 9 interceptions against top tier QBS in Tony Tabet and Robbie Robinson. How Dirty Birds and D-Boys ended up in the same conference and without a matchup against each other in the regular season is beyond anyone’s comprehension. Maybe to build up to a possible playoff match up? Perhaps. With the D-Boys having lost last Winter to the eventual champs and Dirty Birds losing in a first round upset to the Snookers, both teams are refocused and gearing up for another great season on and off the field.
Will this be their year?
Served With Ice has taken great strides in FlagPlus Football since their inaugural season four years ago; their name should now be mentioned with the top dogs in D3. They’ve proven they have the athleticism and football smarts to compete with the best of them. Will this be the year they finally make the leap to the promised land? They looked very dominant in week one against KGP, but they’ll be tested in the upcoming weeks as they face VPC (last year’s finalists), Prestige World Wide, GPK and Trojans. So I’ll revisit them after week five to see if they’re still holding their own.
Best team names
In week one, two teams that had the best names faced off against each other. I’m talking about Ball So Hard University and Lazy But Talented. The former beat the latter. So far, it’s safe to say their lazy side stood out with only nine pass completions and six points scored. I hope to see the second part of the name in the weeks to come. As for Ball So Hard University, it’s a notch in the win column but a few more will be needed to show they can in fact can ‘Ball So Hard’.
Nate The Great
Nathan Thompson led the empire team SWAT to a Division 3 title in Winter 2012 and has a playoff MVP trophy to add to his mantle. He is back in division 3 this season. This time, he’s been asked to lead the Trojans to the promised land. A little history lesson for those who might be unaware: the Trojans have had Rick Nincheri and Camine Pollice (Division B and Division 2, respectively) throw in the past few seasons, but were unable to win the big one. Will Nate the Great do one better? Pollice aka “CP25” is on back on the roster, but as a receiver and defensive back. The Trojans won a close one in week one. I foresee great things for this team as long as the Trojans tighten up defensively.
Early random thoughts:
-Treldon James has jumped ship and now is a member of DK. Rude Bwoys definitely take a hit and DK gets a huge boost.
– CF might better off with last year’s QB Sevag Kaloussian at the pivot position.
– G-MEN are in division 3? Tony Tabet, Paul Kamel, Nareg Yessayan. If the name wasn’t already taken, they could have named themselves the Hall of Famers.
-Early dark horse teams are Le Loft, Fighting Irish, Afternoon Delight and Pap N’Co, the last making a jump from division C to Division 3, way to go! (Mind you, having Matt Connell throw for you doesn’t hurt).
-Much like the Eagles in NFL, the FPF version have to make a statement. They’ve been in this league long enough now and have only one semifinals appearance in a Spring season to show for it. Give them credit, they never opt to drop a division. E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLESSS!!!
Before I make my picks, as promised, here is the segment that will cover one team in depth on a weekly basis. Justin Blanchard is a member of D3’s GPK and is our on-field reporter. He’s a star in the making; I’ll hand the floor over to him.
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Meet the Competition: Les Eudistes
By: Justin Blanchard
Having just made the jump from Division 4 to Division 3 this year and composed of players barely old enough to enter a bar, it’s easy to take one look at Les Eudistes and underestimate them.
That would be a big mistake.
If there’s one thing this team showed after stunning the veteran GPK 41-25 in Week 1 of the 2013 season, it’s that taking them lightly is the last thing you should do.
Even if they take the game lightly themselves.
“We don’t really take ourselves too seriously,” said quarterback Hugo Henderson, who keeps his game face for when he takes the field playing the same position for the Cégep du Vieux Montréal Spartiates in the RSEQ’s Division 1 collegiate football league. “We’re really just trying to have fun and I think it shows when you see us play.”
Like many teams in the league, looking for fun is how it all started for Les Eudistes.
“We all played together at [College] Jean-Eudes and one of my friends told me about the league and we just decided to join,” said Henderson.
Les Eudistes rose from humble beginnings in FPF, going from a 2-6-2 record in their debut season in Winter 2011 before making it to the playoffs with a 6-3-1 record last winter—a turnaround made possible thanks to simple adaptation.
“We tried too much to play regular football in our first season,” said Henderson. “So we adapted in our second season by coming up with more flag football plays instead of regular football plays and on defense we started to adjust to our opponents.”
And whenever their calls don’t go as planned, Les Eudistes have a backup: raw talent.
Six of the 10 players that make up Les Eudistes played alongside Henderson at CVM last year, helping lead the Spartiates to a 7-3 record and a finish a game away from playing for the provincial championship.
Among them was receiver Louis-Christophe Lafontaine, who gave us a taste of how big a threat he can be after making three receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns against GPK last Saturday.
“It’s going to be five years I’ve played with him,” said Henderson. “He’s the guy I know the best on the team and we have a really strong connection.”
That connection, along with the one he has with his other teammates, is what Henderson hopes will propel his team to a deep playoff run this winter.
“We’re not the most athletic but we have a lot of cohesion,” said Henderson. “I think we’re going to take a lot of people by surprise in Division 3 this season.”
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And that was the week 1 edition of “Meet The Competition”. You can look for Justin’s piece every week in my article; good job JB!
Here are my picks for week 2 matchups. I’ll pick outright winners every week and will keep track of my record to see how I am faring over the course of the season:
Sandlot Saints vs. Ball So Hard University – Sandlot Saints
Jonesers vs. B.D. Bandits – B.D. Bandits
G-Men vs. Trojans – Tie
Mongoose vs. Pick Squad – N/A
Rude Bwoys vs. High Rollers – Rude Bwoys
GPK vs. Legends – GPK
PWW vs. DK – DK
Dirty Doggers vs. Lazy But Talent – Dirty Doggers
D-Boys vs. KGP Champs – D-Boys
Le Loft vs. Fighting Irish – Le Loft
VPC vs. Served With Ice – VPC
CF vs. Raw Dawgs – CF
Eagles vs. Les Eudistes – Les Eudistes
ONS vs. Afternoon Delight – Afternoon Delight
Pap N’Co vs. Dirty Birds – Dirty Birds
So that’s it for my triumphant return to the world of writing. DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER! If you liked what I wrote or completely hated it, please share your feedback by sending me your thoughts/comments/suggestions. You can contact me at [email protected] or on facebook, twitter, in person, snail mail, telegram, etc… I wish everyone luck in their upcoming games. Til’ next time, stay classy Division 3!