Mid-Season Report Division 6: Group A

The official midway point of the FlagPlus Football regular season is here. Some teams have started to separate themselves from the pack, while other are still trying to find their footing. For those teams that find themselves in the latter category, there is still the entire second half of the season remaining for you to get on track and make a push towards the playoffs.

I fully realize that some teams have played four games, while others have taken part in only three, but the majority have suited up for five contests, and it makes no sense to wait for everyone one else to hit that mark, so without further delay, welcome to the Division 6 Mid-Season Report. This week I will look at Group A.

Group A

Salt’s n a Pepper (4-1)

Their defense gets a lot of attention and rightfully so, as they have played a suffocating style that hasn’t given up more than three touchdowns in any of their five games so far this year. The team’s offense on the other hand needs work, as a combination of turnovers (19) and a lack of execution, has at times limited what should be one of the top offenses in the division led by Quarterback Kyle Folkerson.

This team is coming off a big win over Show Me Dem TDies that gave them sole possession of first place in Group A. Let’s see if they can build off of that.

Team MVP: Nikolas Zaharatos – The second-year player is first on the team in receptions and yards on offense and leads the squad on defense with four interceptions.

WYD Step Bro’s? (3-2)

This team has looked solid defensively, as they have held three teams to less than 20 points. Unfortunately, the WYD in their name could easily stand for What Are You Doing on offense, as the unit has been sporadic the last three contests scoring 12, 19, and 6 points respectively.

This team will have to find some more consistency and production on that side of the ball, as they have a big matchup against Salt’s n a Pepper this Sunday in the Stinger Dome in a battle for first place.

Team MVP: Noah Smallwood – I was going to go with Natan Nettel, but I went with Smallwood, who leads the team and is second in Division 6 with seven touchdown receptions.

Show Me Dem TDies (3-2)

This is a talented team, as evidence by some of the weapons they have, as well as a signature win over WYD Step Bro’s? Despite that victory, at the midway point of the season, the squad is currently on a two-game losing streak after suffering losses to Tex4s Chooches and Salt’s n a Pepper.

The second half of their schedule sees them take on some tough competiton in Cavaliers du Rohan, Le Speakeasy, Cavaliers du Rohan, Towers FT, and undefeated SKOL. We will find out soon whether Show Me Dem TDies are the contender we think they are, or not.  

Team MVP:  Denis Koutavas – This one was fairly easy, as he leads his team in touchdown catches, interceptions, as well as pass deflections, and he is his team’s top playmaker.

Tex4s Chooches (3-2)

Scoring isn’t an issue for this squad as they have put up 109 points so far which averages out to 22 per game. The team’s biggest problem is on defense, as they are the only team in Group A to surrender more than 100 points where they have given up 104. If the Tex4s Choches want to take the division, they will have to tighten things up in that area.

The other place this team needs work on is turnovers, as Quarterbacks Joey Bonarrigo and Giuliano Di Nardo have combined to throw 13 interceptions. That won’t get it done in regular season let alone the playoffs.

Team MVP: Antonio Di Vincenzo – He has only played three games, but he made each one of them count as he leads the team in receptions (12) and touchdowns (6). You can only imagine the damage he would’ve done if he played in all five of his team’s games. Luckily for him and his team, he has the entire second half of the season to make up for those lost numbers.

SKOL (3-0)

It has been only three games so far, but they have been the best defensive team in the league as they have surrendered 36 points. I watched this team play last week in Laval, and I came away not only noticing their size and speed, but also their tenacity, and their ability to defend the deep ball led by Antoine Côté, which is a problem for more than a few teams in Div. 6.

On offense, Quarterback Hugo Stensland has been improving seemingly week to week on his accuracy and decision-making. Both of those attributes combined with his big arm will help on that side of the ball tremendously.

After a showdown with Winded Warriors next Monday, SKOL’s schedule gets significantly tougher, as they take on Towers FT, Le Speakeasy, The Mortadel’s, Show Me Dem TDies, WYD Step Bro’s?, and Tex4s Chooches to close out the season. Let’s see what happens.

Team MVP: Antoine Côté – The man is a ballhawk, as he has averaged one interception and nearly two pass deflections a game. Watching him play, it looks like he loves the physicality that comes from playing defense, which is something that not every player likes or feeds off of. Côté is that guy.

Le Speakeasy (2-2)

After starting off the season (0-2), things have become easier for Le Speakeasy, as they have won two in a row, with a blowout victory over The Mortadel’s, and a nail-biting win over Towers FT.

The team’s offense has been the biggest reason for their turnaround, as after scoring two touchdowns apiece in their first two games, the unit has recorded four TDs in consecutive games.

Is this team the one we saw the first two weeks, or are they the squad we’ve have seen as of late? We are about to find out as their next three games are against Texas Whales, Salt’s n a Pepper, and SKOL.

Team MVP:  Vincent Richard – The eight-year veteran leads his team with four pass deflections and five interceptions, two of which he ran back for touchdowns. On offense, he is second on his team in catches, yards, and trips to the endzone.

Texas Whales (1-2)

I was the scorekeeper for their game last Wednesday against SKOL. This team has speed and athleticism. The one thing they are lacking is execution, as drops, bad decisions-making, and blown coverages cost them dearly against SKOL.

When I talked in a recent article about playing smart and taking what the defense gives you, repeatedly throwing the long ball when the opposing defense is playing a deep zone and waiting for you to do it, and you still do it anyways, makes no sense. Let’s see if this offense learned their lesson as they have two games in three days coming up when they take on Le Speakeasy and Towers FT to close out the first half of their schedule.

The second half of their schedule isn’t a walk in the park either as they go head-to-head with WYD Step Bro’s?, Salt’s n a Pepper, and in the battle of Texas reminiscent of the Texans and Cowboys, the Texas Chooches. Let’s see what happens.

Team MVP: Tyler Cousins – His stats don’t show it yet as he has only six touchdown passes compared to eight interceptions, but Cousins is the team’s most valuable player. As a QB, he has a lot of size, and a big arm to go along with good scrambling ability to keep plays alive and gives his Receiver like Elio Cariglia and Chazz Pisanelli (who looks like a true Tight End) a chance to get open. Once Cousins improves on his decision-making, he’ll have a chance to carry his team to the playoffs.

Towers FT (1-3)

I was the scorekeeper for their Week 2 game against WYD Step Bro’s?. I came away thinking that Towers FT would be a force to be reckoned with as they had a ton of size and speed at Receiver, and they used those attributes on defense to play an aggressive style that allowed them to get a lot of pass deflections on deep passes. Three weeks after that game, I think I could be wrong, as their only win has come against a winless Winded Warriors squad (15-6).  

Team MVP: Joël Valois-Brunet – The second-year player has made an impact on both sides of the ball, as he leads the team in touchdowns with six, and both tackles and pass deflections with nine and three respectively.

The Mortadel’s (1-3)

After scoring 12, 12, and 6 points their first three games, the team hit the 19-point mark in their (25-19) loss to Les Super Turbo Navet.

On the positive side, they have an upset win over the Tex4s Chooches in their back pocket, and they have a chance at their second victory of the year when they take on the winless Winded Warriors tomorrow night in St. Leonard. Can The Mortadel’s avoid an upset of their own?

Team MVP: James Di Costa – Starting on defense, the rookie is averaging more than an interception a game as he has five already this year. He is also helping the team’s offense, as he is first in both catches and yards, and is second in touchdowns with two. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Winded Warriors (0-4)

The main culprit behind their lack of wins has been their offense, as only one team (Nard Dogs) have scored fewer points than the 25 they have put up so far. Quarterback John Emmanouelides has struggled with interceptions as he has 11 so far to go along with only three touchdown passes.

On defense this team has shown some signs of life as they have seven INTs through only four games, which averages out to just under two per game. That’s impressive. Hopefully this team can continue that trend and give their offense more opportunities to put some points on the board and find some consistency.

Team MVP: Vinusan Velautham – I was torn between Velautham and teammate Adamo Albanese, as the latter has the same number of interceptions (2) and leads the team in tackles with six, but on a team that struggles to score points, I couldn’t ignore the pick-six the former has under his belt.

Picks

Meat Fiddlers vs Les Super Turbo Navets – Meat Fiddlers

Flag Dealers vs Chomedey Chodes – Chomedey Chodes

Winded Warriors vs The Mortadel’s – Winded Warriors (Upset Special)

No Fly Zone vs McGill Swim – No Fly Zone

Tex4s Chooches vs Meat Fiddlers – Meat Fiddlers (My Pick for Game of the Week)

Royals vs Chomedey Chodes – Chomedey Chodes

Demons vs Towers FT – Demons

Nard Dogs vs Jurassic Park Rangers – Jurassic Park Rangers

Free Agent Squad vs QUEENS – Free Agent Squad

Last Week: (2-1)

Season: (21-13)

The NFL season is sadly over. My 9ers had the game, but too many self-inflicted wounds and Patrick Mahomes being Patrick Mahomes late in the 4^th quarter and in overtime killed San Fran’s dream of winning their fourth Lombardi Trophy. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but the team who made the least number of mistakes won, as you can’t give away points, and waste the defensive performance the 49ers defense put up in the first half despite losing the hammer on that unit in Dre Greenlaw, and still win the game. Until September NFL.

If you’re wondering why the pic of the ref for the article, it is my friend and FPF veteran player and ref Sean Mudrosky, who is a die-hard Chiefs fan. He’ll get a kick out of me using his pic for this.

That is it for this week. Good luck to everyone in their games tomorrow and this weekend.

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.