Categories: DivisionDivision 4ADivision 4BMen'sWinter

Quarter Finals’ preview and a brief look back at last Saturday’s action

From 32 to 16.

I’ve been saying it the entire season; upsets make FPF awesome. I was THRILLED with this week’s results; suspense from the very first game to our very last.

I’d like to give a quick shoutout to the 16 teams that won’t make the trip to Round 2; 5-Star, Les Maloudes, D’s Nuts, Jagerbomb, Backyard Bullies, Broccasion, Frosty Bronsons, J’s, Show Me Your TDs, Mean Machine, Golden Flashes, Hooligans, Balls Deep, Red Sharks, Friends with Benedicts. You guys make this season great.

If you guys want to know how other games are doing, but can’t make it, make sure to either follow my Twitter as I’ll post more actively (since 2 of my 3 teams are eliminated) and the FPF’s twitter handle (#FPF) as most media members keep track of games and post live.

Let’s get started.

 

Week 13 – Quarter Finals

The week started HIGH on upsets as Maloudes fell to 69ers in a high-octane offensive shoutout and finished with a pure playoff Cinderella story as my team, Friends with Benedicts, fell on the last play to Suicide Squad. I must say, most results surprised me, all in a good way.

 

Thoughts of the Week

  • Shoutout to Dean Demetriou and Shea Harbour for stepping up BIG time for their boys. Heck of a performance.
  • Gotta give some love to D’s Nuts’ defense who held DHPD to ONLY 14 points. There is pride in that.
  • Eskimo Brothers pulled the upset after a very recent loss. Corey Oliver was simply too much for Jagerbomb to handle. I mean, look at those stats…! Well done, EBros.
  • Statsheet won’t reflect it, but Neil Etinson was FIRE Saturday night against Backyard Bullies as his BearSkins knocked out the heavily favored.
  • Angelo Garofalo had A NIGHT. Probably the most impressive statline of the season right there from Garofalo. Forced OT and lost 3-2. There’s pride in that.
  • The one-man wrecking crew Lebofsky wasn’t enough to handle R4D alone; he was still the best player on the field and left it all on said field. Walk away with your head high Kyle.
  • So, basically, The U showed up on offense when their defense, was, well, absent. Way to go Dustin White.
  • Tim Kraemer was smart enough to use his legs when the game was on the line rather than force throws that weren’t there. Impressively clutch.
  • I’m not sure what’s more impressive; Mongeon-Duby’s night or his supporting cast’s performance. Either way, Mud Dogs are scary.
  • In back-to-back games, Moodie decided to activate Rob Allen and, well, he took care of Hooligans by himself. Warned you guys he was something special.
  • Shoutout to Kevin Lubin who showed up and played with an injured hamstring. Had a season-best performance when his team needed him the most. I’m not even mad; simply impressed.
  • Also, the only reason 69ers aren’t featured is because I did predict them to be THIS good in my preseason article, but simply took ALOT of time to get going. People underestimate them constantly.
  • 3 forfeits (one game in D4B and 2 in D3). Here I thought one was too much…
  • Nothing beats an underdog’s face when the final whistle is blown and they walk off victor in the playoffs.
  • I know, I intentionally skipped recaps from now on. Most of you were at the fields and saw the games (as we all play the same nights at the same venue) so I decided to go with a “shoutout” format rather than formal recaps. Playoff articles are all about previews anyways; stop dwelling on the past!
  • Plus, most games are on Twitter under the handle #FPF, so check it out there to see what happened!
  • Spring registrations are right around the corner (THIS Friday). Start planning!

 

Previews

Division 4A

  • Eskimo Brothers (5th) vs Recipe 4 Disaster (6th)

Previous matchup: Week 4: 25-12 Recipe 4 Disaster

Breakdown: Their last matchup was quite a long time ago and Eskimo Brothers’ learnt a thing or two ever since, but one that remains a serious factor: Ryan Aridi was too much for Stachowski back then and might just be, once again, the X-Factor this time around. With their famous 1-2 punch, Eskimo Brothers are confident they can score on, well, any given coverage. I’d love to see Jad Aridi man up on Shawn Steen as their size and speed would make for a great matchup and force Corey Oliver to rip through zones, somehow. I don’t expect neither of these QB to throw for more than 35 points, so defense will be the biggest factor; who will get the 2nd pick to seal the deal as both QBs will share an interception on Saturday night.

Key matchup: Jad Aridi vs Shawn Steen

Prediction: 33 – 28 Eskimo Brothers

 

  • Bruthers (2nd) vs BearSkins (8th)

Previous matchup: N/A

Breakdown: Last week, Neil Etinson shocked the #1 Seed with his best performance of the season to push BearSkins into the 2nd round, but Mikelberg’s wasn’t to be forgotten as they knocked their opponents in Overtime. Talk about clutch performances. With the quarterfinals on the line and two similar QB styles, it’ll come down to the receivers to create separation and catch those deep throws more than simply the QB to step up. With guys like O’brien, Mikelberg, Tajfel, Rapps, Bruthers have the secondary to give Etinson headaches for the entire hour and more; will Ryan Etinson and Chris Smith have another impressive night when their team needs them the most as Peterson will be blanketed the entire time?

Key matchup: Connor O’Brien vs Jacob Peterson

Prediction: 32 – 26 Bruthers

 

  • David Hurley, Pet Detective (1st) vs 69ers (7th)

Previous matchup: Week 6: 40 – 12 David Hurley, Pet Detective

Breakdown: DHPD bolsters the best defense in the division, there’s very little doubt there. On the flip side, their offense struggled mightily last week against D’s Nuts and that worries me against 69ers. With enough playmakers to pick up floaters, 69ers might create just enough turnovers when the throws aren’t quite “spot-on”. Harbour has been fire in the past 3 weeks and he’s been on a roll recently; might just have the kind of the night his team really needs him to have. If he can keep feeding his studs and let them make plays for him rather than force throws, DHPD will stack tackles rather than interceptions and the famous game of catch-up might occur. DHPD play much better with the lead; if 69ers can force them to play runner, we might actually seed another upset on our hands.

Key matchup: Eddy Martinez vs Dean Demetriou

Prediction: 34 – 20 69ers

 

  • Coyotes (3rd) vs Warhawks (4th)

Previous matchup: N/A

Breakdown: Last week, Warhawks showed us that their offense can carry them to victory against any given defense. Not that I didn’t know that prior to this game, but I guess my fellow panelists needed that proof. Anyhow, this week, Warhawks will take on the best offense in the division and will need to play mistake-free offensively if they want to keep up with Feder’s ridiculous numbers. Warhawks will not win if they can’t breach the 40-mark and force Feder into a shoutout. First QB to make a mistake wins? Most likely. Laurent Ladouceur and Kory Dugas Beaulieu’s size might just the advantage Mallette needs to exploit for 44 minutes. If Warhawks can take away Smuda in the redzone, they might just force Sammy Feder into 2nd and 3rd reads and allow their rusher to make plays for them. This will be a much better game than most anticipate.

Key matchup: Raphael Ducas-Lapalme vs Kevin Smuda

Prediction: 44 – 38 Coyotes

 

Division 4B

  • Longhorns (2nd) vs A-Squad (3rd)

Previous matchup: Week 2: 25 – 20 Longhorns

Breakdown: A-Squad shocked the FPF Nation when they took down Golden Flashes in a quite impressive matter on Saturday night. Facing off against a better offense and a lot more size, Telemaque will have another tough challenge ahead of him. Can he find the open receiver and beat the given coverage repeatedly? Longhorns doesn’t bolster the best defense, although it makes stops for Moodie every now and then, but they rely heavily on their offensive prowess to perform. With Junior Luke in the matchup, we could see Rob Allen’s numbers plummet and force someone else to step up. Provencher-Rivest will be the perfect headache for Moodie as a rusher and might just be crowned MVP if he can force early throws in the 2nd half to keep his team alive. Can someone not named Telemaque or Luke step up?

Key matchup: Junior Luke vs Rob Allen

Prediction: 37 – 25 Longhorns

 

  • Keyport Lock (1st) vs Suicide Squad (5th)

Previous matchup: N/A

Breakdown: Suicide Squad really stepped up their game on Saturday to knock FWB out of the race. Lubin was almost perfect as he punted ONCE and scored 7 times (on the last play of both halves) to push themselves into the Quarter finals. I’ve been high on Suicide Squad all season as they’ve been downplaying, but if this team can catch fire, they are one of the most dangerous opponents to face. With a smart offense and an adjusting defense, Rosenblatt might have met his match. Jeremy Cola will break free on most routes underneath, but Rosenblatt will be forced to grind out their opponents as the deep ball will be, systematically, taken away. If Lubin can keep up with Rosenblatt’s numbers in the 1st half, expect SSquad’s defense to adjust and give their QB a chance to propel his team over and win this one, again. With just enough size and speed, Suicide Squad are the worst matchup for Keyport Lock at this point.

Key matchup: Franck Ngandui vs Thierry Gerville

Prediction: 36 – 32 Suicide Squad

 

  • Mud Dogs (1st) vs Sandlot Saints (5th)

Previous matchup: Week 6: 19 – 18 Mud Dogs

Breakdown: Last time around, Sandlot Saints’ defense gave Mongeon-Duby headaches as he barely edged out the Saints. Give or take 2 months later, Mud Dogs’ offense isn’t what it used to be and Saints need to be ready to face a very different beast. Kraemer will try to run when the game is on the line as he’s done last Saturday to tilt the tides in his favor, so the game will come down to whoever rushes for Mud Dogs and how much pressure he can put on Kraemer to get the ball off quickly. If Kraemer is stuck in the pocket, his reads will plummet and Mongeon-Duby will simply have to maintain his lead and cruise to the Conference Finals. On the flip side, if Kraemer is allowed to rush to move the chains when needed, we could have another barnburner on our hands. Saints’ slow-paced offense will reduce the amount of possession for Mud Dogs’ to play with and neither teams will breach the 40-mark under these circumstances.

Key matchup: Sebastien Proulx-Garcia vs Tim Kraemer

Prediction: 34 – 19 Mud Dogs

 

  • Crimson Tide (2nd) vs The U (3rd)

Previous matchup: Week 3: 32 – 24 The U

Breakdown: Last time around, The U stole Crimson Tide’s perfect season early in the season and stole their #1 title for, well, the rest of the season. Although Tide finished strong, this upset remains in the back of their head and will be playing for keeps on Wednesday. With two potentially top-flight offenses going at each other, the battle will fall on the DBs to make plays rather than receivers to step up. We both know these guys can score at will, and, well, will, but can they actually make a stop when their team needs them the most? I expect both QBs to have subpar performances and receivers to bail them out more than once. Pinsonneault will not throw for 7 TDs. 40 points is a win, but neither team will make it there and it’ll be a gritty battle ‘till the very end. Expect Tide’s defense to step up big to punch in their ticket to the Conference Finals.

Key matchup: Sami Beg vs Josh White

Prediction: 38 – 33 Crimson Tide

 

That sums it for this week’s article. It’s always a pleasure to write and hear back from you guys. After all, the content is meant 99% for you. I keep a percent for me; ranting here and there is fun after all. You can always reach me via twitter @DagenaisFPF or via email ([email protected]). I’ll be at Lachine every Saturday night scorekeeping so you can stop by and chat. Don’t hesitate. Until next time…!