Categories: Co-EdDivisionSpring

Power Rankings and More From Coed

Almost every team in the Coed division is halfway through their season. The only team straggling behind is Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce who have only played four games so far. Since we are at the halfway point in the season, I will be including a Power Ranking segment in this article and I will keep some of the other segments a bit shorter than usual.

Before I launch into the article, I just wanted to mention that the women of Coed have had another great week. Ever since the podcast critiqued teams for not involving their female players enough, the division has really stepped up. In every single game this week, there was a woman amongst the leading receivers. Seeing teams maximize the potential of all their players is a great sign for the division and it certainly makes every team better.

Week 5 Recaps

Funtastic 9 (33) vs Yin & Yang (33)

Even though the result of this game was a tie, I would definitely chalk this one up as a win for Funtastic 9. Funtastic won their first match against Y&Y and with this tie, it means that it is impossible for Y&Y to have the head-to-head tie breaker. Y&Y are hoping to climb up through the standing in the final weeks, but it is likely that the standings will be extremely close at the end of the year. Not having that head-to-head tiebreaker with Funtastic could prove costly for Y&Y.

Y&Y were clearly better in this game than the last time these two teams met and that all started with the improved play of Justin Weir. While he only passed for 120 yards, he did score five touchdowns. He was also able to move the ball with his legs, rushing five times for 60 yards. Even though he was sacked twice, Felix D’Aoust was not able to neutralize Weir like he did when these two teams played last time. The sure handed Ryan Dobbs-Garnett was Weir’s favorite target. He finished the game with six catches for nearly fifty yards and three scores. While Dobbs-Garnett might not wow you with his speed or athleticism, he has been one of the best receivers in Coed 2 for a few seasons now simply because he knows how to get open and never drops the ball. Having a center who can find the open hole in a zone defence is an extremely valuable asset to have.

What impressed me the most about Funtastic’s offence was that they were able to score 33 points without a single rushing touchdown. While they did run the ball seven times for a total of over 50 yards, all of their touchdowns came through the passing game. Funtastic was able to have success running the ball in this game, but I think a more experienced defence would be able to shut down their running game. Once opposing defences start cluing into their handoffs and two QB plays, they will not be as efficient.

One area where both of these teams struggled was defensively. I have been talking about Y&Y’s defensive woes for quite some time now and they show no sign of improving. Simply put, they lack a playmaker on defence. While Justin Weir might be a great safety, they do not have any defenders that can make a play in the flats. No one on this team is jumping routes and forcing turnovers. At this point in the season, it is too late for them to add a playmaker, but I think Y&Y should consider changing the way they call their defence. Generally, they play a very safe two-deep zone and force the opposing team to drive the field on them. Clearly, that is not working. If they could incorporate some aggressive concepts into their defence like shoots, they might be able to turn their season around.

As for Funtastic, their defence lives and dies with the play of their rusher. Felix D’Aoust. This team likes to play a lot of man-to-man coverage so as long as D’Aoust can hurry the opposing quarterback, their man defence holds up remarkably well. When the opposing passer can buy an extra second or two, their defence starts collapsing. The obvious fix to this is to mix in more zone coverage schemes.

Week 5 Team of the Week

Every week, I will name 12 players to the team of the week. If you make the offensive team of the week, you cannot be on the defensive one and vice versa. Since this is coed, there will always be a minimum of two women on the offensive and defensive team of the week. When choosing the players for the team of the week, I do not consider the tier that the players are in. I only consider their achievements.

Offence

Quarterback: Tam Vilaydeth (Power Rangers) 18 completions,164 passing yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Constance Millaire (Power Rangers) 3 receptions, 47 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Alex Davis (3rd Down For What) 9 receptions, 58 receiving yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Edouard Arsenault (Funtastic 9) 4 receptions, 82 receiving yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Ryan Dobbs-Garnett (Yin & Yang) 6 receptions, 47 receiving yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Jasmine Farmer (Power Rangers) 4 receptions, 33 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Defence

Rusher: Marika Dallaire (3rd Down For What) 2 sacks

Defensive Back: Genevieve Gaudet (Power Rangers) 1 INT, 1 PD

Defensive Back: Jeremy Murphy (3rd Down For What) 1 tackle, 2 INTs, 1 PD, 1 defensive TD

Defensive Back: Alexis Gaumont (3rd Down For What) 1 tackle, 2 INTs, 1 defensive TD

Defensive Back: Rachel Beaudoin (3rd Down For What) 3 tackles, 2 INTs

Defensive Back: Loic Robidoux (La Secte) 2 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PDs

Mid-Season Power Rankings

Coed 1

  1. 3rd Down For What (5-0)

3rd Down For What have started the season with a perfect 5-0 so there is really no other place this team can be in my power rankings other than first place. My favorite thing about this team is their depth. There is no player on this roster that you can pick on defensively and their receiver depth is fantastic. That being said, this 3rd Down For What team still has not beaten their greatest foe: Power Rangers. Until they beat Power Rangers, 3DW still have something to prove.

2. Power Rangers (4-1)

Power Rangers shocked me when they fell to the Fightin’ Tigers in week 2. Since then, they have redeemed themselves with dominant wins over Party Mix and Yin & Yang. It was their 32-7-win last week over Party Mix which impressed me the most. Without that win, they would not be this high in my Power Rankings. If Power Rangers have one weakness this season, it’s the absence of Alex Pilon. The combination of the two Pilons makes for an unstoppable offence and terrifying defence. Without Alex, they are not quite as good.

3. Party Mix (2-3)

Party Mix have had an uncharacteristically up and down start to the season. They looked great in their win over the Fightin’ Tigers and they impressed me by keeping things close in their game against 3rd Down For What. However, for every impressive game they have had, they had one that was just as disappointing. Their week three loss to Les Semi-Croquants was shocking. That being said, the reason Party Mix are still in the top three is because I trust their experience. I know that this team gets better and better as the playoffs approach and I expect a strong finish to the season from them.

4. Fightin’ Tigers (2-3)

My biggest issue with the Fightin’ Tigers is the instability in their roster. One week they have Jamie Ojeaha and the next they have Theo Ojeaha. While both are tremendous players, chemistry is key in FPF and developing chemistry between your quarterback and your top receiver is a must. With the two brothers alternating, I do not think they will have time to develop chemistry with either. My other question mark with this team is their quarterback, Seth Galina. While he is a very experienced passer, he does not have the necessary athleticism to rival other Coed 1 quarterbacks.

5. Siracha Hot Chili Sauce (2-2)

Siracha Hot Chili Sauce are 0-2 versus Coed 1 opponents. Their only wins so far have come against Yin & Yang and La Secte, two Coed 2 teams. I have talked at length about the importance of women in Coed. Year after year, we see the teams with the best women finish on top. Unfortunately for Siracha Hot Chili Sauce, I do not think the women on their team are a strength. All in all, Siracha Hot Chili Sauce feels like a Coed 2 team that is playing Coed 1 because their quarterback is too highly rated to throw in Coed 2.

Coed 2

  1. Les Semi-Croquants (3-2)

To be completely honest, I did not expect Les Semi-Croquants to be anywhere near the top of the standings in Coed 2. They were a very average team last season, and they entered this season with a near identical roster. While their roster might not have changed, Les Semi-Croquants’ quarterback, Mariève Girard, elevated her game to a whole new level. She has been the best Coed 2 quarterback in the first half of the season, and she shows no signs of slowing down. If she continues like this, she could very well be the next Sara Parker. Les Semi-Croquants are also the only Coed 2 team to have defeated a Coed 1 team and they did not beat just any Coed 1 team. They dominated Party Mix 37-25.

2. Funtastic 9 (2-2-1)

Funtastic 9 have clearly established themselves as the second-best team in Coed 2. There is a lot to like about this team. They are probably the quickest team in the division and can beat you deep or with yards after the catch. They also have the division’s best rusher in Felix D’Aoust. For all the strengths this team might have, they do have a weakness. The women on their team are not very experienced and tend to not be a huge factor in their games. The play of the women on this team is all that is separating them from first place in the Power Rankings.

3. Yin & Yang (1-3-1)

I expected Yin & Yang to run away with this Coed 2 division. Instead, they have only won one game so far and they have not looked dangerous. Justin Weir is a shell of his former self and has struggled to consistently advance the chains. However, this team’s biggest weakness is on defence. They have been unable to stop opposing offences. They have conceded the second most number of points in Coed 2. If there is a silver lining for Y&Y, it is that their season will be far easier from here on. They have played all their crossover games and they will close out the season against Coed 2 opponents. A perfect 5-0 run to finish the season should be enough for first place.

4. La Secte (0-5)

The progress I have witnessed in La Secte since they entered the league has been tremendous. They started off as a group of athletes who had never played football before, and they are slowly transforming into football players. Unfortunately for La Secte, they are going up against some extremely talented and experienced teams. It will be an uphill battle for La Secte to win a game this season, but I respect their perseverance for showing up each week and giving it their all.

Week 6 Predictions

Funtastic 9 (2-2-1) vs Les Semi-Croquants (3-2)

I think Les Semi-Croquants will win the quarterback battle and go on to win the game.

Prediction: Les Semi-Croquants

Fightin’ Tigers (2-3) vs 3rd Down For What (5-0)

While the Fightin’ Tigers might have one superstar, 3rd Down For What have a whole roster of them. 3rd Down For What will win this one easily.

Prediction: 3rd Down For What

Party Mix (3-2) vs Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (2-2)

Party Mix were without their quarterback last week. As long as they have him for this week, it should be an easy win.

Prediction: Party Mix

Power Rangers (4-1) vs Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (2-2)

Power Rangers are gunning for 3rd Down For What and the top seed. They will not let Sriracha Hot Chili sauce trip them up.

Prediction: Power Rangers

La Secte (0-5) vs Yin & Yang (1-3-1)

As bad as Yin & Yang have been so far this season, this should be an easy win to get their confidence back and set them on the right track.

Prediction: Yin & Yang

I hope everyone enjoyed the Power Rankings! This article ran a bit longer than expected so I will wrap things up quickly by saying good luck to everyone in week 6!