Opening Round Playoff Preview for Co-ed

The playoffs are finally here. It may seem like it has taken an eternity to get to this stage, but that is because it has. Some other divisions have already played their playoffs and their victors have been crowned. In Co-ed, that process gets underway Wednesday night. Before we get into the playoff preview, here are a few quick thoughts from the final week of regular season action.

 

Week 10 Thoughts of the Week:

• Party Mix stumble into the playoffs: Party Mix’s week 10 matchup was not an easy one, they were facing the talented ATH Squad. That game was the perfect chance for Party Mix to fix their recent struggles and enter the playoffs on a winning note. They did not capitalize on that opportunity. The good news for Party Mix is that they face the beatable SAVAGE in their first game. Sadly, for those teams, the winner of that qualification match will face the daunting task of facing off with 3rd Down for What in the next round.

 

• Tigers score 7!: At this point of the season, it is the small victories that matter for Tigers. No, they didn’t manage a win and they did finish the season with a disappointing 0-10 record, but on the bright side they managed to score 7 points against the best team in the division!

 

• MST Impress without Crisi-Lauzon: In week 9, Michael Scott’s Tots called up a ringer: Sebastien Crisi-Lauzon. This week, MST didn’t have their superstar, but they managed just as well against Black Mamba. Luckily for MST, they had Rico Tulino and Zackary Alberts-Gill back in the lineup. Those two were the leading receivers for MST. If only they can get Kenny Boutilier healthy in time for the playoffs, they could be serious contenders

 

• Black Mamba doing what Black Mamba does: Things were really looking up for this team in the middle of the season. They started passing the ball more and staying in games. Unfortunately, they returned to their ways of old in week 10. They ran the ball as much as they threw it and only scored one touchdown in the process

 

• Hot-Dawgz score 24 against 3DW: When I first looked at the score, all I saw was that Hot-Dawgz lost, as expected. What was not expected was that they scored 24 points against the best team in division 1. Yes, they did concede 61 points, but still scoring 24 is an accomplishment. If they bring that same offence into their game versus A-Town, it could be Hot-Dawgz putting up 60 points this week.

 

Playoff Preview:

SAVAGE (2-6) vs Party Mix (2-6)

These two teams faced off just a few weeks ago in week 8. The result was a great game. SAVAGE narrowly escaped with the victory and Party Mix were left thirsty for revenge.

The good news for SAVAGE is that they have found their star quarterback. It was a rough start to the season for them, they had a quarterback carrousel going on and no one seemed to be able to produce. As soon as Jean-Felix Marquis took the reigns of the offence, they improved considerably. No matter who was throwing, the favorite target was Christophe Normand who finished the regular season with nearly 400 receiving yards. If Party Mix are to find a way to win, the first thing they need to do is cover Norman and take him out of the game. The job of shutting down Normand will most probably fall to Benjamin Leger. If Party Mix and Leger find a way to slow down Normand, they might have a chance.

Ultimately, this game will probably come right down to the wire. However, these two teams are tracking in opposite directions. SAVAGE are in the middle of the best sequence of their season while Party Mix have been slumping for a while. I see SAVAGE continuing their recent form and winning this one.

Hot-Dawgz (3-5) vs A-Town (2-6)

These two middle of the pack teams have already faced off once this season. Back in week 2, Hot-Dawgz won by a single score over A-Town. However, a lot has changed since that first week. A-Town have gelled together as a unit and adapted to the FPF game and Hot-Dawgz have continued to gain experience.

The key to this game for Hot-Dawgz is to keep on exploiting Maximilien Sadori. With 450 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on the season, Sadori is Hot-Dawgz’s main man. The key to slowing down their offence depends on finding a way to stop him. On the other hand, A-Town’s offence is a more collective effort. They have four receivers, all with over 100 receiving yards. Stopping their offence won’t require one stand-out performance from Hot-Dawgz, but rather a solid team effort on defence.

Both of these teams lost in the last week of the regular season, but those losses were of very different nature. On the one hand, Hot-Dawgz impressed all of co-ed by scoring 24 points on the best team from division 1 and on the other hand, A-Town suffered a more difficult loss to Y&Y in the final week of the season.

Ultimately, just about everything comes down to the quarterbacks in FPF. If I had to hitch my wagon to either Hot-Dawgz’ Vincent Boutin or A-Town’s Emmanuelle Bonsard, I would have to pick the experience of Boutin to prevail in this playoff match.

Yin&Yang (5-3) vs Black Mamba (2-6)

Well this should be quite the interesting game. The last match between these two teams was a testy affair. Judging from the lovely feedback I received from Black Mamba during their game with Power Rangers, they are not overly fond of me. Hopefully emotions won’t overshadow what otherwise should be a very good game.

At this point in the season, we all know Black Mamba’s DNA. They are essentially the Baltimore Ravens of co-ed. They live and die through their running game and they have a young quarterback that is still learning the ropes. If Y&Y can find a way to cut the legs out from their running game, then Black Mamba will be without their biggest weapon. Mamba have realised that they can confuse their opponents by positioning different players under center. However, after 8 games, opponents should realise this is all smoke and mirrors. The only player to throw the ball this season for them is Edouard Leroux. If anyone else is receiving the snap, all it means is they will run or hand the ball off to Leroux to throw it. The struggle all season long for Mamba has been converting in the red zone. Through some combination of passing, rushing and confusion they have managed to drive the field. However, in those final 7 yards when the windows are tighter and the running game unavailable, they have struggled. If they can find a way to convert in the red zone, then the sky is the limit for this group.

Yin&Yang have not been a predictable group either this year. They have used a bunch of different quarterbacks and even at this stage of the season, it is not clear who will be starting this playoff game. Luckily for Y&Y, they have a few talented options and no matter who is under center, Matthew Peacock has thrived. With 430 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, he is truly worthy of his all-star nomination. Y&Y have equally talented players on defence, but the key to victory will be living up to expectations. If they manage to avoid turnovers and make their tackles on defence, this is a winnable game.

While Black Mamba does have some talented weapons, they do not have the experience to compete with Y&Y.

Michael Scott’s Tots (6-2) vs Tigers (0-8)

MST are fresh of the heels of a convincing win over Black Mamba. Tigers also had an impressive enough performance. No, they didn’t manage a win, but they were able to score a touchdown against the best beam in the division. They even managed to convert the extra point. Despite Tigers decent showing last week, they still aren’t quite in the same league as MST. MST are an exciting group of FPF veterans. Even if Kenny Boutilier is still injured, they have a talented quarterback in Evan Ely Nolet and dangerous receivers with the likes of Karina Niboj and Zackary Alberts-Gill to count on.

I am not sure what else there is to say. Tigers have made considerable progress this season and they have gained invaluable experience, but this is looking like the end of the line for their winter 2018 season. Tigers have been one of the nicest teams all throughout the season and it was always a joy to play them. I hope they can find a way to move the ball and stop their opponents, but I just don’t see that happening.

 

The first round of playoff action kicks off on Wednesday night. For the four teams that are lucky enough to win and move onto the semi-finals, they will be playing again over the weekend. Good luck to everyone in this first round of playoff action and see you at the field!