Inside the Redzone (D4) – Championship Recap

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE! All the smoke has cleared and only one perfect team remains– literally speaking, the Dirty Birds. Before the finals, many people had predicted that the Dirty Birds would remain perfect and capture the championship; they definitely didn’t disappoint. More importantly, they won with class and integrity. Their hard work throughout the season paid off in the best way possible and my utmost congratulations g out to the entire Dirty Birds team for winning the Winter 2009 Division 4 championship. Other than having their name engraved on the trophy, they are now a part of some exclusive company. They have joined the Wolverines of Winter 2006 and Young Guns of 2005 and Spring 2006 as being the only teams to have a perfect regular season followed by a championship.

 

The final between the Dirty Birds and Team Ditka was viewed by many and will be on the website for everyone’s viewing pleasure very soon. I will briefly recap the showdown, the score was 32-12: Jon Young (Dirty Birds) had an excellent game; he led on the field by words and action. He was 21 of 26 for 167 yards with 5 TDs and 1 INT. On the defensive side of things, he contained Billy Seretis (Team Ditka) quite well sacking him once and pressuring him on many plays. Matthew Bishara (Dirty Birds) had 9 catches for 54 yards and 1 TD. On defense, he had two important interceptions and 2 PDs. The entire Dirty Birds squad came to play and performed great all game. At times it appeared that the momentum was switching towards Team Ditka however at that moment, Dirty Birds made the clutch play needed to regain the momentum. Billy Seretis was only able to complete 5 passes all night which speaks volumes about the Dirty Birds defense. Jon Makris (Team Ditka) only had one catch and no TDs.

 

Team Ditka self imploded on many occasions which definitely hurt their team cohesion and eventually cost them this game. Some of the Team Ditka players acted out of line due to frustration. This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not go unpunished. I could go on and on about the lack of respect and class some that was exhibited by some of the Team Ditka players (definitely not all) however I will not give them the satisfaction for that day and this article belongs to the victors. Hence, they deserve the credit and the glory. So congratulations to the Dirty Birds, you guys represented the league in the best way possible and I couldn’t be more happy and proud to refer to you as champions.

 

 

 

STAR-AWARDS© II

 

The STAR-AWARDS© are supplementary awards that are designed to cover different aspects of FlagPlus Football and are selected by Rehan Sarwar.

 

 

Best Scorekeeper – This award is handed out to the scorekeeper who best does his job. He is not influenced by players yelling in their ear or asking for extra added yards to their nightly total. He is calm, composed and accurate. Winner: Victor Coppola

 

Best Zebra (best referee) – This award is handed out to the referee who best does his job. He is not influenced by players like Rostyn Castleton yelling in their ear. He also makes sure no bias is exercised and the right call is made on every down. He is firm, authoritative and fair. He also brings a coin which is used before the game for the coin-toss. Winner: Leo Gervais

 

Best Entertainer – This award is handed out to the player who will make you jump out of your seats or cleats. He puts on a show on the field and very much so off the field. He is considered the “class clown” of FlagPlus Football. Either way, he keeps us entertained with his antics, something any league needs. Winner: Billy Seretis (Team Ditka)

 

Fastest Man – This This award is handed out to a player who is just simply a rocket. He will use his jets whether he is in running with or without the ball. They say, “Speed Kills” and this player can do exactly that to his opponents. Winner: Patrick Jerome (Triple Sixers)

 

Class Act award – This award is handed out to the player who best represents this league with regards to class. He respects everyone and makes sure that his demeanor is an example for the league to follow. He also brings a superior talent level to the game. Winner: Jon Young (Dirty Birds)

 

Best Hands – This award is handed out to a player who has hands like glue. In other words, whether the ball thrown at him might be a great one or a “duck”, he will catch it and make a play. Winner: Frank Grenier (Cobras)

 

Best Route Runner – This award is handed out to a player who runs his route to perfection. Whether it is 5 yard hook or a post-corner, he knows how to run his pattern and find an opening. Other times, his router running will get others open as well.  Winner: Ryan Perry (Those Guys)

 

Best General Manager/Coach – This award is handed out to a player who has put together the best team. He uses his persuasive skills to find the best players and motivates his team to make them play at their best. He makes sure everything runs smoothly on and off the field. Winner: Joe Birds (Dirty Birds)

 

Best Dresser (football gear) – This award is handed out to a player who puts on a show, with regards to his apparel. He will wear the best to show that he likes to look good while playing. Winner: Matthew Bishara (Dirty Birds)

 

Best Trash Talker – This award is handed out to a player who can use his words to get inside of his opponent’s head which in effect puts his team at an advantage. Winner: David Hurley (Dirty Birds)

 

STARWAR of the year – This award is handed out to a player who received the most STARWAR nominations on a weekly basis. There was a six way tie however I weighed in a few factors and have narrowed it down because there can only be ONE who takes it home. Winner: Alex Lever (Cobras)

 

League MVP – This award is handed out to an all around best player who not only pushes himself to play better but also his teammates, possesses leadership and plays at a level that is extremely exciting to watch. Winner: Jon Young (Dirty Birds)

 

A few extra awards…

 

Best WEPL personality – This award is handed out to the host who best does his job. He is calm, cool and collected. He will be serious when needed and make wise cracks to lighten the mood. He is organized and is the glue that holds the show together. Winner: Daron Basmadjian (2nd straight)

 

Best Team Name – This award is handed out to a team who has the best name, in terms of creativity. Winner: Love Cows

 

The Moe Khan award – This award is handed out to Moe Khan. Winner: Moe Khan (2nd straight)

 

Best Team Jerseys –  This award is handed out to a team who has the best looking jerseys, hands down. Winner: Centurions

 

Best Writer – This award is handed out to that person who writes well for FlagPlus Football. His articles are entertaining, informative and keep you on the edge. Winner: Rehan Sarwar (who else?)

 

That is it for the STAR-AWARDS©  II, thanks to everyone who voted and congratulations to all the winners.

 

 

Team MVPs

 

Cowboys – Karl De Nie

Those Guys – Ryan Perry

Trojan Knights – Nicky McGuire

Team Ditka – Jonathan Makris

Centurions – Jean-Francois Cloutier

Gia Thang – Chris Rivest

Hulkamaniacs – Phil Sabbah

 

Gators – David DaSilva

VPC – Louis Richard

Eagles – Jonathan Goyette

Green Machine – Dany Gilbert

Trapstars – Pedro Pana

Brew Crew – Dean Dimitriou

Bulldogs – Raffi Bastajian

 

Dirty Birds – Jon Young

Marauders – Stephane Roussin

Flying Weasels – David Faucher

Raiders – Mario Choueiri

Longhorns – Jonathan Lyristis

Dawgs – Giovanni Accruso

Love Cows – Darcy Ferreira

 

Snookers – Andre John

Cobras – Alex Lever

Triple Sixers – Patrick Jerome

Chaos – Eugene McLaren

Wonderslugs – Scott Dunn

Orangemen – Phillippe Marier

Pompei Roughriders – Billy Marquez

 

 

TOP FIVE HEADLINES OF WINTER 2009 DIVISION 4 SEASON

 

5. Moe Khan’s Chalk Talk was welcomed with open arms by all of division 4 because of the addition of Adi Sharma.

 

4. Cobras defeat the heavily favored Triple Sixers twice, in regular season play and the playoffs.

 

3. Billy Seretis led Team Ditka to a playoff spot (didn’t lose as the starting QB until finals) in the last week of regular season by defeating the Cowboys. They defeated the Cowboys again in the first round of playoffs, Gators and Trojan Knights in rounds two and three (respectively) in overtime to clinch a berth in finals.

 

2. Rostyn Castleton didn’t need Diet Pepsi Max to stay awake (as was the case in previous seasons) during the filming of WEPL division 4 segment. Mostly due to excellent play in D4 throughout the season!

 

1. Dirty Birds accomplish the perfect season by going 14-0 and winning the championship.

 

 

That is all folks. This was truly a great season in terms of intensity, excitement, play making, trash talking, clutchness and much more. I am truly proud to have covered everything that transpired from week one until now. I hope you all enjoyed reading my articles as much as I enjoyed writing them. The Winter 2010 is only eight months away and will be just as exciting as this past season, probably even more. I also want to thank everyone who wrote emails regarding suggestions, comments or just their two cents. The last fourteen weeks were incredible due to all of you guys and I look forward to the next Winter 2010 season. For those of you who just can’t get enough football, please sign up for the Spring 2009 season that will start on May 17th, 2009. The registrations are currently underway on our website so don’t miss this opportunity and reserve your spot. If you don’t have a team, you can add yourself as a free agent either on the website or on our Facebook group. With that said, I will see some of you in the upcoming weeks in the Spring season. For the rest, I wish you  a great off season. For one last time this season, this is Rehan “J.J” Sarwar signing off, Stay Classy Division Four!