Power Rankings and Game Recaps from Week 8

So it is a light week in the FPF world, as between Women’s, Co-Ed 1 and Co-Ed 2, there were a total of 3 games played in Week 8. While the schedule did not cast as wide a net, the games were competitive, and in some cases, upsets occurred. Let’s take a look at those games in depth, but also take a second to step back and have a Power Ranking of all the teams in each division.

Women’s Division Game Recap

Red Nation 24 – 13 Wolfpack

Red Nation look to start another playoff run with strong play in their final 2 games of the season. They started strong indeed, as Keiya Allen-Beckles intercepted Camille Dumas on the 3rd play from scrimmage. With the ball in the Wolfpack territory and carrying the early momentum, Allyson Sobol punched it in on 4th down with a 1-yard TD pass to GG Cabillo-Abante, her first of 3 touchdowns in the game.

The Red Nation defense was making a statement early, making a 4th and 1 stop on their opponents 2nd drive of the game, preventing Wolfpack from crossing midfield. With the game script going Red Nation’s way, Sobol made sure for that to continue, as her and Allen-Beckles drove the field for a key first down and 25 yards, and would once again connect with Cabillo-Abante, this time from 20-yards out to give Red Nation a 12-0 lead, and the luxury of knowing they would start with the ball in the 2nd half.

Wolfpack were finally able to gain a 1st down on their 3rd offensive drive of the game, notably through the hands of Carrie-Ann Auger, totaling 21 yards on 3 receptions. 3 incompletions later however, forced Dumas to check it in the intermediary to Auger and let her attempt the dipsy-doodle around the Red Nation. While she gained 16 yards on 4th down, she fell 8 yards short of the endzone for another turnover on downs.

Determined to make a play for her team, Maryse Paquette, after Red Nation converted on 4th down to cross mid-field, would intercept Sobol to stop Red Nation from going 3/3 on their first 3 drives of the game. On the ensuing drive, Paquette continued her hot hand, this time offensively, catching all 3 targets thrown her way, ending with a 6-yard TD on the 1st of the final 5 plays of the half to put 6 points on the board for Wolfpack.

Wolfpack were then able to stop Red Nation from scoring on the final 4 plays, keeping it a 12-6 game with the last 2 possessions going their way with the score and the stop.

Knowing this, Red Nation knew the importance of scoring on their opening drive and did so with a 9-play drive, ending with another GG Touchdown, this time from 19 yards out.

The teams would swap stops and scores, but it was really the 2nd half opening TD drive that solidified the victory for Red Nation. For Red Nation, Allyson Sobol was super efficient and accurate, completing 60.6% of her passes. This was the 4th time she’s had a QB rating of 105 or higher and the 4th time she finished a game with 200+ passing yards. This was the best version of Sobol and the one Red Nation needs for the knockout round.

While Cabillo-Abante finished the night with the hat-trick of TD’s, Keiya Allen-Beckles was a dazzling compliment piece to GG as the team’s WR2, as she had 10 receptions on 12 targets for 86 yards and a score. Her biggest contribution may have been the opening drive INT though, as it set the tone for her team to jump to a lead they would never let go of. Defensively, Marilyne Cesaire was fantastic out there, racking up 5 tackles and intercepting the Wolfpack QB. Cesaire, alongside Victoria Berube were all over the field, minimizing the yards gained by the Wolfpack receivers, with Berube tallying 8 tackles to her name, along with 2 passes defended, knocking the ball away from her opponent and end drives for Wolfpack.

For Wolfpack, I’ve sang the praises of Camille Dumas before, but even her and her dynamic duo of Maryse Paquette and Carrie-Ann Auger could not swing the game in their favor, when it seemed like momentum was going their way ending the 1st half. A defensive stop to open the 2nd could have planted a seed of doubt into Red Nation, but alas, Sobol would punch it in for 6 and take control of the game.

Impact of the result: Red Nation now sit 3rd in the standings and with the win, have now clinched themselves as one of the teams in the double-elimination bracket. For Wolfpack, they are no longer in control of their destiny. Wolfpack currently sit 4th overall and have the final double-elimination spot. With a Wildcats victory over Red Nation, it would drop Wolfpack into the single elimination side of the knockout round. If Red Nation were to beat Wildcats though, Wolfpack would retain their double-elimination status and could afford at least one loss in the knockout round.

Iggy’s Power Rankings

Brutes
Vortex
Red Nation
Wildcats
Wolfpack
X&X
Red Bulls

Iggy’s CE2 Game Recap

Who’s Gonna Carry the Boats 35 – 24 Free Agents No More

First thing to note from this game, is that Free Agents No More were actually shorthanded, playing 4 male and 1 female player. That said, they made it a competitive game. I’ve given Dallas Odem a bit of grief for not being able to bring the offense to a competitive level, but you gotta give credit where credit is due. Putting up 24 points with 1 player less is way better than what I would have expected.

After picking up a 1st down with his legs, Odem would connect with his favorite and most comfortable target in Mathieu Béland for a 29-yard deep score. As excited as they must have been to go up 6-0 early while being down a player, their excitement must have faltered as their XP1 attempt was returned by DB Mikelis Rogers for the not-often-seen 6-1 score line.

Kayla Gauthier, the most targeted receiver for WGCTB, showed why early on, as she ripped through the FANO defense with 32 yards in 2 plays. The drive was capped off on 3rd down, where Alex Szalipszki would find Mason Miller for an 8-yard TD, his first and only one of the night.

Free Agents No More would drive the field, all the way inside the redzone, but an offensive penalty by Beland would back them up 5 while remaining inside redzone, limiting the run option of Odem. An incompletion on 3rd down would see Mason Miller come up big in consecutive drives, as he intercepted Odem to stall the FANO drive.

Once again, the WGCTB offense was gaining yards in chunks on their 2nd drive, as Cam Chaput gained 21 on the first pass, followed by another 17 yards from Lazar Atanackovic. It was Gauthier who would punch it in from 1-yard out, bringing their lead to 13-6 as they could not convert on their first two XP2 convert attempts.

One of the strengths of Dallas Odem is his ability to run and gain yards once he passes the line of scrimmage. That was full display on his 3rd drive of the game, gaining 20 yards by the run game. The other key to success on the drive which ended in a touchdown, was Anthony Moustache. He had 3 catches on the drive for 23 yards and a TD, which came from 5-yards out and left his opponent just 2 plays left in the half and cut the deficit to just 1 point (down 12-13). The redzone is notorious for being a cramped area of the field and difficult to score. Moustache is one of those big redzone targets that can either box you out with his size, or go up and get a contested ball with his hands of gold.

Szalipszki would open the 2nd half with a strike to his tallest and fastest receiver, Lazar Atanackovic with a 40-bomb TD. Up 7 points, WGCTB tried to make it a 2-possession, 9-point game by going for 2, but could never punch it in, going 0/3 at that point in the game.

Not to be outdone, Odem finally looked comfortable in the pocket, as he was able to score in just 3 plays. He went 2/2 for 35 yards (with 5 rushing yards) and racked up another TD to Anthony Moustache. One thing I noticed however, and I love the idea of going for the lead, but it was that Odem was trying to go for 2 because his opponent was. Odem is a QB that is MUCH more comfortable going for 1 and had he gone for 1 point in the 2 previous touchdown drives, he could have had a lead. Instead, they would still find themselves down 1, 18-19.

Both teams were trading quick scores, but that did not phase Alex Szalipszki, as he too used his running ability to gain 23 yards on the first play of the next drive and then hit Gauthier for her 2nd touchdown of the night from 17 yards out. The key difference on this drive though, was that WGCTB finally hit on their 2-point convert attempt and were able to go up by 9. With that providing some extra energy, Mason Miller transferred it over to the defense, as he once again intercepted Odem on 4th down, giving his team the chance to ice the game. That is exactly what Szalipszki did without hesitation. He started the drive with an 8-yard completion to snapper Cam Chaput, followed it with a run for 17 yards, and put an end to the game when he found Atanackovic for a 4-yard TD to put his team up by the key 15-point difference. For good measure, they converted for 2 as the wind was blowing the Boats’ way.

Even if FANO had converted their onside pass following Mathew Hartman‘s touchdown, the 17-point lead was insurmountable with the time (and plays) left in the game. If anything, it’s good practice for running an onside pass play when they may really need it in a future game.

Who’s Gonna Carry The Boats Player of the Game: Kayla Gauthier – 4 receptions, 5 targets, 50 yards, 2 TDs, 1 tackle.

Free Agents No More Player of the Game: Anthony Moustache – 5 receptions, 7 targets, 56 yards, 2 TDs, 1 PD

Iggy’s CE2 Power Rankings

Y&Y
At Least We Tried
Balls Deep
Kiss My Christmas Balls
Subzero
TIGRES
Who’s Gonna Carry The Boats
Predators
Free Agents
WYD Step Bro’s
Ballhard University
Free Agents No More

Co-Ed 1 Game Recap

The IG Team 24 – 32 Fitsquad

Fitsquad would begin the game with Brouard completing his first 5 passes to 4 different receivers, driving them down the field all the way down to the 1-yard line. After incompletions on 2nd and 3rd down, he finally converted for the TD to Hugo Lépine on 4th down, a game script that would continue to play on in Fitsquad’s favor. Fitsquad would go up early 7-0.

The IG team’s 1st passing play from scrimmage was a drop from Jordanson Alexis on a deep post play that would have been easy 6. Another 2 incompletions later and the IG Team offense went for it on 4th and 10 from their own 10 and Shandy Louis-Jacquet had the teams’ 2nd big drop on the drive, as he was waiting for the ball to reach him about 6 yards away from the endzone. He maybe had a little too much time trying to field the punt-like pass, and another big drop lead to a 4th down, turnover on downs.

After advancing 39 yards on the first 3 plays of the ensuing drive, William Brouard once again had ice in his veins on 4th down, this time hitting the newest member of Fitsquad, Valentin Chartier for another 1-yard TD on 4th down.

Between an 18-yard run by Jeanslee Alexis and a 19-yard pass to Louis-Jacquet, the quick strike offense of IG Team flexed their muscles as Jordanson Alexis wouldn’t drop consecutive targets, punching it in from 3 yards out to cut the Fitsquad lead to 13-6.

Fitsquad came out with another clutch drive as Brouard spread the ball to 4 different receivers, getting Pontbriand, Michaud, Chartier and Frédéric Chevarie involved in the offense, concluding with a 6-yard TD reception to Chevarie to go up 19-6.

The IG would quickly respond with that lightning-quick offense with a 40-bomb pass from Jeanslee to Jordanson, but could not convert on their 1-point convert attempt to make it a 6-point game. Not to be outdone though, Brouard said “anything you can do, I can do better” as he would respond with his own 40-bomb TD to Hugo Lépine, his 2nd of the night.

Following the Lépine TD, The IG Team had the crucial final drive with 5 plays to end the 1st half. It was Shandy Louis-Jacquet that had the big play on the drive, a 32-yard catch to setup his team in the redzone and 3 cracks at the endzone. After 2 incompletions to Jafya Jones and Louis-Jacquet, Jeanslee went back to Jones for her 1st of 2 TD’s on the night on the final play of the half, bringing the halftime score to 25-18 for Fitsquad.

That score before the half ended was big, as The IG Team would start with the ball in the 2nd half, and Jeanslee Alexis would be perfect on the drive, going 5/5 for 40 yards, ending with back-to-back Touchdowns to Jayfa Jones, as she made a nice catch on the sideline on her out route, beating her defender for 6. With the score 25-24, The IG Team could not tie the game at 25, missing their 4th convert on the night.

Fitsquad once again started their drive in convincing fashion, by converting on another 4th down situation, hitting Chevarie on the sideline for a first down. The IG Team defense though, would finally clamp down, with 2 passes knocked down by Alexis and Gabrielle Poissant on 1st and 2nd down, setting up a 4th down and 10 situation for Fitsquad. Brouard waited for his favorite deep comeback by Pontbriand, but Constance Millaire, patiently back pedaling, went full steam ahead as soon as Laurence planted her foot, for the great instinct interception, as she gained another 12 yards downfield and set the IG Team offense in great field position.

With the momentum going The IG Team’s way, it was strange to see the ensuing drive falter, as Jeanslee could only gain 2 yards on a 3rd down run, and while he bought time with his legs on 4th down, a pass on the run to an open Jerry Beaubeouf was off the mark and Beaubeouf couldn’t make the tough adjustment back to the inside as he was open on the sideline.

Following the turnover on downs, Fitsquad would drive the field, to only end up where they were 2 other times that night: in a 4th-down-and-goal situation where they had converted twice before. It would be Fitsquad’s night, as Brouard connected with Pontbriand for a 6-yard touchdown to build the Fitsquad lead, going up 32-24 for their third 4th down conversion on 4 tries.

Knowing that time was a factor, Jeanslee Alexis would complete a massive 38-yard pass to Jordanson, putting them at the 2-yard line. After an incomplete pass, Alexis would once again roll around in the backfield, trying to buy time, but threw a pass over the middle of the endzone that would be intercepted by a roaming Salim Tayae for a touchback, all but wrapping up the upset victory for Fitsquad. After a 21-yard run by Brouard on 3rd down gained them a first down and drove them into the IG Team side of the field, what better way to wrap up the game with yet another (their fourth!) 4th down conversion of the game, this time for a 1st down to whistle the game over.

Fitsquad Player of the Game: William Brouard – 23/38, 60.5 completion %, 179 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT, Five 4th down conversions, 3 Rushing Attempts, 37 Rushing Yards.

The IG Team Player of the Game: Jordanson Alexis – 4 receptions, 7 targets, 86 yards, 2 TDs, 5 tackles, 3 PDs

Iggy’s CE1 Power Rankings

Plenty of Fish
Kiss My End Zone
EZFun
Vultures
The IG Team
Fitsquad
Deep Ballz

Iggy’s Weekly Predictions, Week 9 – Winners in Bold

Women’s

Wildcats vs. Red Nation

Co-Ed 2

Predators vs. Ballhard University

WYD Step Bro’s? vs. Free Agents

Co-Ed 1

EZFun vs. Deep Ballz

Thanks for tuning in to another article. Week 9 is another light one, but that will set up a wild and packed Week 10 as some final double-elimination spots will be won and some will be lost.

Oh and don’t forget that the 2 Green FPF Tuques will be available for sale on Mondays in St Laurent and the Laval Dome on Wednesdays. Tuques are $20, please bring cash so go see your scorekeeper on your field to get yours!

Until next time, cheers!

Iggy Magnets