Inside the Redzone (Div C) – Week 11

 

I was away this past weekend and when I checked the score on my BlackBerry and found out that Vicious Canucks had defeated Lobster Dinner, I thought Alex Porras made a mistake on the website. Is this a surprise? Not really. I think the Vicious Canucks finally played up to their full potential and I can definitely see them continuing their Cinderella run, but more about that a little later. Let’s take a moment to say good bye to Lobster Dinner, KGP Champs, Point Point, Broccasion, Jets, Chaos, Cobras and Darkhorses because they are no longer in the post-season, better luck in the Winter season. For the remaining teams, if you think you’ve accomplished something, you haven’t. No one remembers a first round upset, people only remember Moe Khan’s hair and championships. Therefore all the effort you put in last Sunday, you’ll have to step it up even more this Sunday. The team who is willing to go the furthest in any game will win. So who will make it to the final four?

 

Before I can get into that, congratulations to all the players who made it to the All-Star team. It is a great reward for your hard work during the regular season but remember that winning the STAR-AWARDS© is a better accomplishment. I will announce the categories next week and you will have a chance to vote for the winner. Now back to the action!

 

ELITE EIGHT

 

BOOM! Goes The Dynamite vs. Briscoe High Hawks

 

Season series: BHH won 33-28

 

Some people might say that Eugene McLaren’s absence helped BHH win this game, because the two-way player of the year is a dominant force. I am here to tell you that BHH will take the win and even if Eugene McLaren was there, BHH would have been in this game. Scott “J.T” Kelly is proving that winning QB of the year was no accident. He spread the ball really well against Chaos and will need to do the same thing this Sunday.

 

BOOM! Goes The Dynamite won an ugly one against Broccasion, however, a win is a win. Chris St-Francois is becoming a great offensive threat and that’s scary because he is already a defensive beast. Dave Faucher looks healthy and back in shape. This team is firing on all cylinders and a healthy squad is going to take them really far. I would definitely worry about Edward Shoshan’s performance as two interceptions can get his team into more trouble against BHH.

 

Analysis: BHH are just clicking well right now and ball distribution is one of the main keys to their success. BOOM will have to fight off GT, OP and NT to even stand a chance. On the flipside, Dave Faucher will have to play his best game yet against QB of the year, Scott Kelly. I definitely give the battle of the passers to Scott Kelly and I worry about Edward Shoshan and his team’s ability to all step up in this game.

Prediction: Briscoe High Hawks

 

Those Guys vs. Vicious Canucks

 

Season series: Those Guys won 32-14

 

Those Guys have been a mystery all season, and won a very close game against Point Point. I said last week I would wear their jersey on WEPL. Although I couldn’t be on WEPL, I can tell you I was wearing their jersey in spirit. Cody Hemsley still needs to have a better pass percentage but he is making some big plays and his athleticism is bailing him out. However, the real key to their success is their defense and thus, the D must come up big every week. So far whatever they are doing is working out so I don’t see any reason for it to stop now.

 

What can you say about VC, except WOW! As I said before, I am not really shocked because their roster definitely has some talent. Even though it took Tom Cesari this long to get his act together, he seems like the old Tom Cesari who played with the Thundering Herd a few years ago. Robert O’ Grady has definitely stepped up in the leadership and performance roles. Angelo Garofalo is the X-Factor of VC and will continue to make plays whenever he is presented with the opportunity. As I said, there is a lot of experience on this roster and I look for them to come up big again this Sunday.

 

Analysis: Who is better Cody Hemsley or Tom Cesari? That’s a tough question and given their recent performances, I would have to say Tom Cesari. Tom does lack some athleticism due to the injury he suffered last year. Which supporting cast is better? Another tough question because if we judge by name value, it is VC, however Those Guys’ supporting cast with Matthew Rankin, Huey Issacs, Dexter Tanner and Keenan Alleyne are no doormats. Unfortunately I will have to challenge Cody Hemsley once again to come up with a big game because Tom Cesari and the Vicious Canucks will play smart, control the clock, football, as they did against Lobster Dinner, which should be enough to win the game. This week I will definitely wear Cody Hemsley’s jersey on WEPL if he can win OR have a higher than 50% pass completion.

Prediction: Vicious Canucks

Fools Of The Country vs. Terror Squad

 

Season series: FOTC won 24-12

 

FOTC had a close encounter against the Jets but that doesn’t really surprise me because Jets are a good playoff team with horrible conversion skills. FOTC have to learn from this experience because they’re facing Terror Squad, who are a much better version of the Jets. The depth of FOTC paid off because Martin Tougas bailed out Lemieux with some passes of wraps when the former was struggling, and was 3 of 3 for 2 TDs. Hats off to FOTC defense for limiting the Jets to only 12 points.

 

Terror Squad is doing quite well for themselves considering it’s their first season together. Tam Vilaydeth is taking his game to the next level and proved last Sunday why you don’t have to be a long time veteran to win in this league. He had 3 passing TDs and ran all over the KGP Champs with one 1 rushing TD. He is also a smart GM because during the season he acquired Anthony Bozzo, who paid dividends last Sunday; he had five sacks. Also Maxim Paterson and Alexandre Giroux are great X-Factors, so right now, it appears, TS has no intention of slowing down.

 

Analysis: I am a bit worried about FOTC’s ability to get the passing game established early in the game. Will it be Lemieux? Will it be Tougas? Will both struggle? I know FOTC has a strong defense, but do they have an answer for Tam’s legs? I think TS is a team everyone underestimates but I can assure you, they’ll be ready to battle. I like their intensity and their ferociousness over FOTC.

Prediction: Terror Squad

Trojans vs. Mysterious & Magican Men Of Terror

 

Season series: Trojans won 26-20

 

Trojans won convincingly against Darkhorses and looked determined to reach the ultimate stage of the playoffs. Sean Avraam had gaudy numbers on offense and even had an interception on defense. Just look at the starting five: Ciampini, Chiba, MacDonald, Gualano and White. That is some serious talent for Avraam, which is one of the main reasons the Trojans put up 38 points. Just like the Vicious Canucks, there is a lot of experience on the Trojans. They also have an insane amount of talent.

 

MMMT defeated the Cobras as we all had predicted, however do they have what it takes to beat the Trojans? It is possible because they have championship experience and the athletes to match up against the men of Troy. The defense will have a daunting task to contain the Fantastic Five of the Trojans, however, with Joe Birds at the helm, it is very possible. They picked off Frank Grenier FIVE times last week, so I know they’re ready and hungry for Sean Avraam.

 

Analysis: This is the best game in Division C this Sunday because both teams have the ability to break the game wide open or play catch up if they fall behind. It should go down to the wire. It is very tough to predict which team will come up with the big play at the right time so it’s a toss up for me. Therefore I’ll flip a coin, Trojans is head, MMMT is tails… It is tails!

Prediction: MMMT

Good luck to all remaining eight teams and make sure to leave everything on the field this Sunday. That’s it for this week’s column. As usual if you have any comments/suggestions, email me at plusfootball.com”>[email protected].