Montreal’s Finest Still Undefeated; ONS and Clockwork suffer from first blemish

Peeze’s Playbook

Week 4

By Paolo Della Rocca

This week, our province was shaken as a group of Muslims were violently attacked by a shooter. The shooter, whose name I will not mention in this piece, opened fire in a mosque while Muslim Canadians were gathered in prayer. Khaled Belkacemi, Azzedine Soufiane, Aboubaker Thabti, Abdelkrim Hassane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, and Ibrahima Barry, your lives ended too early. Your lives were wrongly taken from you and your friends and family’s lives have been altered forever. I’m sure I speak for the FPF community when I say our thoughts are with the friends and families of the victims.

In the days that followed the killing, I was personally disappointed in our local media coverage. The words used to describe the attack seemed to shy away from the use of the term terrorism. The technicality that this was not an organized event by a recognized organization does not change the fact that it was a public act of violence targeted toward a group with the intent of spreading terror. One man, however, did make me proud.

For those who have not yet seen it, FPF’s Moe Khan was interviewed on CTV. He received notice on a national platform for this tragedy and he did our community and his community of Muslims proud. It takes an immense amount of bravery to stand tall in these situations. He discussed his personal experience, his family, and reiterated that his faith was in Canadians like he and I. He went on to look at the issues that actually make a difference that are too often neglected. Instead of focusing on politics, or gun control, and many other hot topics that typically serve as panaceas when our nation is in mourning, Moe discussed the importance of helping those who suffer from mental illness. This is a difficult way to process the events that transpired because it is easy for us to imagine we live in a world of ultimate good and evil. Unfortunately, we actually live in a world where more happens in the margins than we ever pay attention to. People are not born with hate. They are taught to hate.

In times like this, I remember that we have things like football, flag or otherwise, that help bring us together and distract us from the horrors that no one should ever have to live with.

What Makes ‘Em Tic

Loonatics faced off against D-Boys, who entered the game with a 1-2 for the first time since (I’m not going to look it up… it’s been a long time). On the first drive of the game Marco Masciotra connected with Theo Ojeaha for a touchdown. This would be Ojeaha’s only score, but he would go on to finish with 8 catches for 96 yards in this game, and his impact was felt on both sides of the ball (more on that later).

Marco Masciotra’s play was phenomenal in this game as he was delivering unbelievable passes all game en route to a 19/28, 242-yard, 5-touchdown performance. One such touchdown was his second touchdown of the game where he threw a perfect 40-yard strike to Jamal Gittens as he was splitting two safeties on his way to the endzone. This would be the first of Gitten’s two touchdowns. Matt Kirouac also proved to be a handful as he turned in a 4-catch, 35-yard and 2-touchdown performance.

Masciotra’s big play on defense was a gift from Paul Lapierre who delivered it to Marco with no receivers in sight. It was puzzling, but the result was a turnover that would keep the game out of reach despite a late score that would allow the score to look somewhat more respectable. Lapierre kept trying to get the ball to Jean-Richard Verger despite tight man coverage from Theo Ojeaha, who essentially shut down Verger most of the night. The one exception to this was the huge catch for a touchdown by Verger on 4th down.

The one advantage that Paul Lapierre seemed to refuse to take advantage of was Jon Lyristis, who gave Leo Lanni fits all night. On one such play that fell incomplete, Lyristis was doing jumping jacks in the endzone. It definitely helped his cardiovascular health, but it did not result in him earning a target on that play. With the game in hand Jason Prince turned a slant up field for a ton of yards and a score. The game would end 33-26 D-Boys over Loonatics

Oh Brian, You So Fine

Brian Larivière was a surprising name to have left of the Hall of Fame candidature list. It is unclear whether this bothers him but, since this is sports media, where the creation of false narrative is acceptable, let’s speculate that he used this as bulletin board material heading into the game. Larivière would turn in an 8-catch, 104-yard and 3-touchdown performance. The game was 21-19 at the half in favor of Montreal’s Finest. Both offenses were clicking and it was a game that got off to a hot start.

Micahel Chitayat and Derek Kastner caught five passes and two touchdowns apiece by the time the game ended. Ryan Kastner completed 22 passes on 34 attempts and 5 touchdowns. The one hiccup for either quarterback was a pick-six thrown by Kevin Wyeth to Michael Citayat when he perfectly timed an out pattern. For Montreal’s Finest, Pat Jérome got his hands on one pass that would not turn into a turnover, but his three catches on offense would lead to touchdowns.

In the second half, we saw the kind of Finest/Rainmakers game we are used to seeing. Montreal’s Finest managed a two-score lead for most the game. Typically, one player will elevate the Finest defense in games against the Rainmakers. In this case it was Michael Harrington, who got five sacks and continuously challenged the Rainmakers offense and affected their field position. The game ended in a 48-38 win for Rainmakers.

Braves More Chipper than Glad

The Braves list nine men on their roster. In their Week 4 contest against Gladiateurs, they were only six players. This was somewhat brazen, but the Braves were ever-confident. They did not expect to start the game having George Gariépy being sent off for five plays for walking onto the field while wearing a chain. François Lebeau was happy to take full advantage and completed his first of five touchdown drives. Their two-point convert would ultimately fail despite the power play and Gladiateurs would take a 6-0 lead to open the game. Geroge Gariépy came back onto the field after his five plays off like a man possessed. Gariépy would score on his first play back in the game to tie the score quickly after allowing Gladiateurs to get on the scoreboard.

François Lebeau had a decent game, but he was far from perfect. With just a few plays remaining in the half, Lebeau would look to Julien Thisdale along the sideline. He felt pressure from rusher Emile Piché and would deliver the ball slightly off target. Thisdale reached for the ball with one hand, and by tipping it, the ball remained in the air akin to a movie scene where the bride tosses bouquet and it soars, in slow motion, through the air in the waiting jungle of excitable bachelorettes. The ball would fall into the waiting hands of bachelorette George Gariépy who would make a ridiculous toe-dragging interception and give his quarterback, Jonathan Maheu, the ball. Maheu and the Braves would take this opportunity to extend the lead going into halftime to 27-19.

The half would end somewhat ominously for the Gladiateurs. A throwback to Alex Lever would leave him scrambling just to acquire an eight-yard loss and narrowly avoid a safety. Once the Gladiateurs fell behind the Braves by two scores, they were never able to re-establish themselves. For the Braves, Antoine Boulard would add to Gariépy’s pair of touchdowns with two of his own. Emile Piché would catch two balls for three yards and add a touchdown to his sack and his PD. JP St.Pierre, Alex Nadeau Piuze and Chales Baillargeon would score a touchdown apiece to add to Nicholas Guimier’s two touchdowns, but that simply would not be enough as the Braves would beat the Gladiateurs 42-33.

Not Quite Back from the Fire

I saw Mathieu René listed as the full- time quarterback for a talented Wild Boys roster and I had high expectations for this team. He, however, has not had a game where he has thrown more touchdowns than interceptions this season. Week 4’s game would be no exception as René would go 17/30 while throwing for 150 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Points R’ Us entered the game with their own troubles at quarterback as James Floreani will likely be out for most of (if not the entire) season. They did have the cap room for an upgrade as they called on Rochdi Benabdelkader to lead the Points R’ Us squad. Fresh from drinking tropical favorites from the shoreline, Benabdelkader readied himself to lead a crew of unfamiliar faces.

One notable event saw Wild Ones’ Ryan Perry getting into a heated argument with referees and it resulted in an OC penalty. The undermanned Wild Ones then had to play defense with five players on the field. Rochdi Benabdelkader actually turned the ball over in the redzone against only five players. His ill-advised pass was intercepted by Jamil Springer. The action continued after that play as Ryan Perry continued to get into it with referees and received a second OC and an expulsion before he was even eligible to return.

In Rochdi Beabdelkader’s defense, this would be his one poor decision of the night as he distributed four touchdowns to three receivers: Sean Kennedy, Danny D’Amour and Jacob Bernett (2). Mathieu René on the other hand had his hands full with the defense, as on two occasions he looked deep, then with nothing open and under pressure turned to throw a short hook. On both occasions defenders (Kenton Lowe and Jacob Bernett) were lying in wait and were able to undercut the desperation throw and return it for six points.

I’m not one for body language, but Mathieu René looks to be disengaged at times and his play has to have him a little down on his performance thus far. The one highlight for the Wild Boys in this game was an incredible jump ball catch for a 40-yard touchdown by Rashawn Perry. The Wildboys fall to 0-4 after losing this game to Points R’ Us 37-19.

Division 1 Power Rankings

Montreal’s Finest (4-0): They’re really good. What else do you want me to say?
D-Boys (2-2): Not the way they wanted to start the season but they are on track having gone 2-0 in the last two weeks. Winning streaks do need to start somewhere (I puked as I typed that. It made me feel like I was down to Simon Dagenais’ level).
Got-Skills (2-2): GS are far exceeding expectations. David Centomo and JC Mercille are having a huge impact on the season.
Waste Yout (2-2): Beating DK is a good sign for Waste Yout. I always thought the My Cousin Vinny pronunciation of youth was written “yute.” The more you know…(editor’s note: “yute” is indeed the more commonly accepted spelling. The more you know…)
Flag Moi L’Sac (2-2): Their two losses have come by one score or fewer. Their wins have been by one score or fewer. So, in essence, we don’t know anything.
DK (1-3): The loss to upstart Waste Yout was surprising. I don’t want to panic with regards to DK though. They’re a great team and they will be right before long.
Loonatics (2-2): We don’t know what we’re getting each week. This is true of the Loonatics’ results and their roster.
Rainmakers (1-3): I asked them to prove me wrong. They have yet to do so. Rainmakers’ season has not got off to the right kind of start.

Division 2 Power Rankings

Braves (3-0-1): Their only slight blemish is a tie to Chernobyl. Wins against CLR Forces and Gladiateurs are impressive. Their schedule, however, does not ease up.
Grip N’Rip (4-0): Grip N’ Rip scored their second lowest point total of the season. They scored 45 points this week.
Clockwork (3-1): A loss to Wolverines is surprising but should be considered a wake-up call. Kyle Lebofsky’s three interceptions and four touchdowns are worthy of a note. I think Clockwork will be bounce back.
Dan & Co (3-1): Scoring five times a game will ensure your success. D&C can expect success from henceforth.
ONS (3-1): They lost to Incredibles in a game that Kevin Wyeth threw three interceptions. That won’t happen often. Their defense is giving me cause for concern as they have allowed 142 points so far this season (4th most in Division 2).
STL (3-1): STL looks to need a lot of points to win games as they really need their offense to be rolling to be truly effective. Luckily it has been.
Incredibles (3-1): The idea of a statement win is stupid as it does not predict the future. However, Incredibles have been putting up wins amidst one of the hardest schedules in the division.
Monstars (3-1): Their only loss game to GN’R in Week 1. Monstars are good; they’ll only get better as the season goes along.
Wolverines (3-1): Points R’ Us and Clockwork are impressive wins. I’m not entirely sold just yet, but I can see them winning three of the next four games.
#NR: Four touchdowns by Jordan Moses were not enough to win in Week 4. That should be enough on most weeks.

Others Receiving Votes

Served With Ice (2-2): We all know/think they’ll turn it around. Until then, they just don’t make the Top 10.
Usual Suspects (2-2): No one has been a bigger Suspects hater than I. They are .500 and they just beat Chenobyl.

Hungover Visions of the World of Tomorrow

Simon and I have been tying for a few weeks now in Division 1 and this week would be no different as we both went 3-1. In Division 2, I went 5-5 compared to Simon’s 7-3. This has allowed him to catch up to my once seemingly insurmountable lead. I will say it’s due to my boldness and Simon’s propensity for safety. Feel free to question Simon’s intestinal fortitude @DagenaisFPF.

Division 1	Peeze	Simon

Rainmakers vs. Loonatics	Loonatics	Rainmakers
DK vs. Montreal’s Finest	Montreal’s Finest	Montreal’s Finest
Got Skills vs. D-Boys	D-Boys	D-Boys
Waste Yout vs. Flag Moi L’Sac	Waste Yout	Waste Yout

Season Total	9-7 (563.)	8-8 (.500)

Division 2	Peeze	Simon

Braves vs. #NR	Braves	Braves
Served With Ice vs. Gladiateurs	Served with Ice	Gladiateurs
CLR Forces vs. Usual Suspects	CLR Forces	Usual Suspects
Incredibles vs. STL	STL	STL
ONS vs. EMPS	ONS	ONS
Wild Boys vs. Wolverines	Wolverines	Wolverines
Dan & Co. vs. Points R’Us	Dan & Co.	Dan & Co.
Clockwork vs. Chronic Pain	Clockwork	Clockwork
Monstars vs. Braves	Braves	Monstars
Chernobyl vs. Grip N’ Rip	Grip N’ Rip	Grip N’ Rip
CLR Forces vs. Terror Squad	Terror Squad	CLR Forces
Served With Ice vs. Usual Suspects	Served with Ice	Served With Ice
#NR vs. Gladiateurs	Gladiateurs	#NR

Season Total	27-13 (.675)	25-15 (.625)

Monday’s Malicious Makeover

I am a Dolphins fan, but since my girlfriend grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, this Sunday our home was a Falcons home. We consumed too many hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, wings, nachos and even more seasonal brews prepared by yours truly. Passers by did hear us chant “Rise Up”. The game did not end in the Falcons favor and my beautiful partner has been since dismayed. As it turns out, Kyle Shanahan did not know his team could run the ball in a clear “grind it down” situation.

For further analysis, tune in to the official FPF Division 1/2 podcast, Calling the Audible, where Simon Dagenais and Terry Tam discuss the difference between being a little bit wrong and being surprisingly wrong, 13 Super Bowl snacks to avoid, why anyone should or shouldn’t be on one team’s bandwagon, or whether the accusatory pictures and memes were far more annoying. Remember that you can catch the Division1/2 podcast as well as all episodes of Calling the Audible by visiting www.youtube.com/flagplus (alternatively, you can return to this article and click the link provided). Feel free to criticize me by reaching me on Twitter @PeezeFPF (as I am on most social media) or by messaging me on FaceBook @Peeze Della Reeze.

Have a great and safe week of action. See you at the fields!