Inside the Redzone (D4) – Week 9 – FlagPlus Football League

Welcome everyone to Inside The Redzone, a la week 9, the March Madness edition. We are heading into the last week of regular season in division 4 and there are still a few playoff spots that are up in the air but more on that a bit later. Looking forward to week 10, few games still have playoff implications but for those teams who have already clinched, I suggest you use your last game as a tune up to get ready for playoffs because it just takes one bad game and you’re out. I can’t believe we are so close to post-season, it seems like I just started writing these articles yesterday (well this one I literally did).

Before getting into last week’s action, I would like to speak regarding a tragedy that occurred this week.

Adriano Tassone of the Rainmakers passed away early Wednesday morning (March 18th, 2009). He was a great football player and an even greater human being. If you speak to anyone around the league, they will tell you about his great character and amazing personality. On the field he was a fierce competitor, a leader and a great teammate. My deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the Rainmakers and the Tassones. Although he is no longer with us, he will remain in our prayers and in our hearts. Rest In Peace Adriano Tassone, you will be greatly missed.

Week 9 Review

Centurions 31 – Those Guys 25: Centurions had to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive. QB Mathieu Dumont of Centurions threw for 131 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT while his counterpart Cody Hemsley threw for 203 yards, 4 TDs and 4 INTs. The interceptions by Hemsley proved to be costly especially since 1 of them was returned for a TD by Steve Roussel who also had a great game on offense (5 catches for 96 yards and 3 TDs). Honorable mention on Those Guys goes to Ryan Perry who had 8 catches for 151 yards and 3 TDs on offense in a losing cause. Centurions played great defensively and will take on Bulldogs next week.

Longhorns 31 – Flying Weasels 26: Longhorns also needed to win to stay alive and they accomplished just that. Both QBs put up great numbers; John Lyristis of the Longhorns was 13 of 15 for 165 yards with 4 TDs and Jonathan Lemieux was 15 of 25 for 162 yards with 4 TDs. So what was the difference? John Lyristis’ rushing TD. However let’s not take anything away from the Longhorns defense, which kept Jonathan Lemieux in check most of the game, sacking him 4 times. Sean Farmer of the Longhorns stepped up offensively by catching 6 balls for 94 yards and 3 TDs. Flying Weasels have already clinched playoffs but Longhorns will face the Raiders, more on that later in the article.

In other news Trapstars lost a very close one to the Gators by a score of 31-30. The fact that the Trapstars were so close to winning this game says a lot about their character. Pedro Pana of the Trapstars is becoming a solid player on both sides of the ball (on offense he is the QB and is very creative) and almost led his team to victory. The difference was the extra points. Brian Phaneuf of the Gators had an excellent game on offense; 5 catches for 77 yards and 4 TDs while intercepting the ball once on defense. Kevin Marlowe and the Gators are now 7-1-1 and 2nd in the Conference A. Unfortunately the loss eliminates the Trapstars from playoff contention. Another team who was eliminated from playoff contention was Gia Thang who lost to Team Ditka by a score of 40-36. The interesting thing about this game is that Gia Thang was leading at halftime by a score of 30-19 but they fell apart in the second because they only scored 6 points while allowing 21, thus losing the game. Billy Seretis of Team Ditka is doing a great job for his team. Against Gia Thang, he was 14 of 21 for 188 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs and rushed for 52 yards with 1 TD. He also picked up an interception on defense. He has a great support cast with Adam Lancione and John Makris who caught 2 TDs each. Hats off to Gia Thang who hung in there all season and were quite close to making playoffs. Alexandre Gaudet and Chris Rivest are great leaders for this team so I wouldn’t be surprised to see their return in future seasons, with more success. As for the Longhorns, I’ll discuss their playoff hopes a bit later.

For those of you who think that Snookers beating the Triple Sixers was an upset, it really wasn’t. Snookers are ahead in standings for a reason, they’re a better team. They lost to the Wonderslugs first game of the season and haven’t lost since with a record of 7-1-1 and 2nd over all in Conference B. Chris Politis didn’t put up the best numbers, throwing 92 yards with 4 TDs and 1 INT but it was enough to win the game. Triple Sixers were leading at the half by a score of 19-6. At this point you have to wonder how they could have given up such a lead however let’s give credit where it is due, Snookers fought back and won the game 26-25. Karim Chaoual had a decent game but it came down to the extra points. In any case, both teams have clinched playoffs. Cobras continued their hot streak by defeating Chaos quite convincingly, final score 27-7. The Cobras defense limited Eugene McLaren to one passing TD while on offense, Alex Lever distributed the ball evenly with different receivers catching one TD each. It seems like the Cobras are picking up some momentum at the right time and will take on the Wonderslugs to end the season. Chaos will face a tough Snookers squad in week 10 and must try to gain some positive from it; both teams have clinched playoff spots.

A special mention goes to the Dirty Birds who are 9-0, just defeated the Marauders and quite easily too. If they feel like they get no respect from me, it is because they are a former division 3 playoff team so it is no surprise that they are doing so well. Also a special shout out to the Cowboys, my team, who are 7-0-2 and are also looking to go undefeated this season. And you’re now up to speed in division 4.

Three STARwars of the Week:

3rd star: Steve Roussel (Centurions) on offense had 5 catches for 96 yards and 3 TDs while returning a “pick six” special on defense.

2nd star: Brian Phaneuf (Gators) caught 5 balls for 77 yards and 4 TDs but also contributed on defense with 1 tackle and 1 INT.

1st star: Billy Seretis (Team Ditka) was 14-21 for 188 yards with 5 TDs, 5 rushing attempts for 52 yards and 1 TD; on defense he had 2 tackles and 1 INT.

March Madness – There were quite a few teams who were eliminated from playoff contention in week 9 and only a couple still remain.

Conference A

7th Team Ditka (4-4-1): vs. Cowboys

Team Ditka offense (207 PF) vs. Cowboys defense (184 PA)

Cowboys offense (252 PF) vs. Team Ditka defense (255 PA)

Team Ditka will need to find a way to stop the potent Cowboys offense while putting up points of their own on offence, not an easy feat. If they win, they are in. If they lose, they would need either Green Machine or Centurions to lose.

8th Green Machine (4-4-1): Trapstars

Green Machine offense (203 PF) vs. Trapstars defense (177 PA)

Trapstars offense (182 PF) vs. Green Machine defense (212 PA)

Even though the Trapstars are eliminated, they can play the role of spoilers. Green Machine has had an up and down season but can clinch a playoff berth with a win. If they lose and team Ditka loses, they would need the Centurions to lose as well in order to make playoffs. However if they lose and Team Ditka loses and Centurions win, they are out.

————————————————————————————————————

9th Centurions (3-4-2): Bulldogs

Centurions offense (175 PF) vs. Bulldogs defense (219 PA)

Bulldogs offense (141 PF) vs. Centurions defense (215 PA)

Centurions are coming off a huge win against Those Guys and need to win this game to even qualify for playoffs. If they win, they would need either Green Machine or Team Ditka to lose in order to clinch playoffs. If they lose, they are out.

Conference B

The last spot comes down to the following game:

8th Raiders (5-4) vs. 9th Longhorns (4-5):

Raiders offense (248 PF) vs. Longhorns defense (223 PA)

Longhorns offense (197 PF) vs. Raiders defense (166 PA)

Raiders defense will need to come up against John Lyristis and a Longhorns offense that has come alive as of late. Basically it comes down to this: Win and you’re in! What an exciting way to end the season and make playoffs.

And now it is time for the last edition of the STARwars and Moe Khans.

Conference A

STARwars:

Cowboys (7-0-2), Gators (7-1-1), VPC (6-3) Those Guys (6-3), Trojan Knights (5-3-1)

Moe Khans:

Team Ditka (4-4-1)*, Eagles (7-2)**, Green Machine (4-4-1), Centurions (3-4-2)

*This team is in on the rise and is looking dangerous. Their match up in week 10 will show whether they are actually a Moe Khan or not.

**Eagles barely beat the Brew Crew, came down to last few plays so if they can beat the Gators next week, they can consider themselves STARwars since this is the last segment.

Conference B

STARwars:

Dirty Birds (9-0), Snookers (7-1-1), Cobras (6-3), Triple Sixers (6-3)*

*A team that is dropping faster than a roller coaster. They still have many components that can render them championship material however they better put it together fast.

Moe Khans:

Marauders (7-2)*, Flying Weasels (5-3-1), Chaos (5-4), Raiders (5-4), Longhorns (4-5)

*I am extremely disappointed and frustrated with this team. They have asked for respect and recognition time and time again yet every time they were asked to step up their game, they lost.

Keep in mind that next week, I’ll be announcing my ALL-STARwar team and break down the playoff match ups with my picks. And that is it for this week’s edition of Inside The Redzone. If you have comments/suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me on Facebook or via email at [email protected]. This is Rehan “J.J” Sarwar signing off and I wish you all luck in your week 10 match ups. I’ll catch you all next week but until then, Stay Classy Division Four!