R.I.Ps, Injuries, and Big Games Dominate Week 5

Welcome to Week 5 of the FlagPlus Football Division E season. First things first, I would like to say R.I.P to the warrior, poet, prophet, leader, entertainer, humanitarian, champion, and king, the great Muhammad Ali. The man proved time and time again, that he was so much more than just a boxer. He stood up for what was right in a time when athletes, especially black ones were just supposed to play sports and that’s it. He stared down the social injustices that were going on around him at the time and that for the most part still exist today, and refused to be silent. He opened people’s eyes to war, and gave a voice to the voiceless.

He defeated legends in the ring, the United States government outside of it, and fought a brave war against Parkinson’s disease as well. He also fought the idea that athletes, predominantly black ones, were all uneducated, bland, boring, and that they should just do their jobs and be quiet. He won that battle as well.

He united a culture, a country, and even the world. There are many athletes today, who have a platform at their disposal that they can use to create social and even economical change, yet so few use it. What makes that even more criminal, is the fact that in today’s society where security is everywhere, and a lot of athletes are able to stay in their cocoon, Muhammad Ali spoke his mind and challenged not only the system, but the status quo, racism, and most importantly mankind, at a time when people of similar beliefs like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Medgar Evers, JFK, Robert Kennedy, and his friend Malcolm X were being assassinated.

Ali will forever be a hero not only in my book, but in the books of many others. Rest easy champ, you deserve it.

I want to also give a R.I.P out to Kimbo Slice aka Kevin Ferguson. Despite the violent back-yard brawls and ferocity we saw when he was on camera, by all accounts was a good guy, who gave back to the community and people who needed it. He used his skills to propel himself out the hood, and into the mainstream, and a better life. He also brought a lot of attention to the sport of MMA despite the fact that no one would ever call him a martial artist.

As I was wrapping up this article, I heard about the death of, Gordie Howe. Looked at by some as the greatest hockey player to ever play the game (even by Wayne Gretzky), Mr. Hockey, as he was often referred to, played an amazing six decades professionally. With vast amount of skill, countless records, and with 4 Stanley Cups, he helped put the game of hockey on the map, and transform it into what we see today. Off the ice, he was just a graceful as he was on it. A true champion indeed.

Believe it or not, but the halfway point of the season is upon us. (Damn, the first half went fast) This is the point of the season where teams start to show who they really are, as the pretenders separate themselves from the contenders.

If you that last sentence was fitting due to all the upsets that happened last week in Div E, then you’ll love this week, as several more underdogs played the role of spoiler by knocking off some favourites, and in the process, either put themselves in, or solidified their spot in the playoff race.

After weeks of having their defense be on the field way too much because of their offense’s inability to move the chains and put points on the board consistently, Les Huards put together their best performance since Week 1, as they were powered by Quarterback Gabriel Béland-Lapointe and two-way player Raphael Aprile who had a solid night on both sides of the ball. The 25-13 upset win was huge for a Les Huards squad that came into the losers of 2 in a row. It also showed themselves and the rest of the league, that their offense hadn’t retired for the season, as they had scored only 14 points combined in their last two games. That should give them a boost of confidence heading into their game Tuesday night versus the Rolling Thunder.

The loss for Trinity was their first loss of the season, and the second time in three weeks that they have failed to put a check in the win column, after they tied Beastmode 32-32 in Week 2. The team’s game this Tuesday night in Brossard against a tough RoadRunners team will whether or not they are a contender or pretender at the halfway point in the season.

Speaking of the win column, the KRUSADERS were able to score their first W of the season as they knocked off Jean Guy 19-12 Monday night at Stade de Montreal. The first year team was able to get solid performances out of two-way players Tyson Holmes and Jason Hervieux who combined for 7 catches for 70 yards and 3 touchdowns on the evening. On defense, Hervieux had the best game of any player on the field, as he recorded three interceptions.

Also coming up big for the KRUSADERS was Quarterback Ainsley Dejoie. After throwing for a combined 9 INTs in his first two starts, the first year pivot had his most efficient game of the year, as he attempted shorter passes and took what the defense gave him. He would end up going 10 of 18 for 80 yards, with 3 TDs and only 1 INT.

Another team notching their first win of the season was Victorious Secret with a 7-6 slugfest victory over Gyr.

The individual stats weren’t really pretty for any of the players involved, but as a team, Victorious Secret put together a solid effort defensively to pick up their first win, as they intercepted opposing QB P.J Belec 3 times. For a hard-working sophomore squad like V.S, who didn’t register their first victory until Week 6 of the Winter Season, this has to feel good. Let’s see if they can keep the good times going this Monday night at Stade de Montreal, when they take on Jean Guy.

After getting blown out by Jean Guy and the SPARTANS in back-to-back weeks, the Tigers Good pulled off the biggest upset of Week 4 as they knocked off the heavily-favoured Jagys & Chill 33-22.

Tigers’ Quarterback Rahul Mohan had arguably his best game in recent memory as he made simple plays and kept the all out his opponents’ hands for the most part. While his total yardage might not be all that impressive, his 4 TD passes, and only 6 incompletions, and his role in his team’s morale-boosting win certainly do.

The Tigers’ defense led by Jameel Greenidge, also played a huge part in the win, as they picked off Jagys & Chill’s QB Jean-Felix Daloze twice, and shutdown an offense that coming into the contest had scored 46 second half points, to just 8. That’s a huge win. Good job guys!

Injuries are a part of any sport, with football being arguably the number 1 candidate in terms of potential to get injured, and players know that’s a risk they take when they sign up to play, but nevertheless, it still sucks to see guys get hurt especially when it appears to be serious. That has been the case recently with the SPARTANS. Last week in their 39-19 win over the Tigers, they lost Defensive Back Daniel Hernandez to a nasty looking right ankle injury. After sitting out the rest of that game, he returned Tuesday night to play in his team’s game against the Road Runners. Before the game was barely 10 minutes old, Hernandez hurt his ankle again, and was lost for the game. If he is out for an indefinite period, that will be a huge blow to the team.

Much to the SPARTANS’ dismay, that wasn’t even the worst injury the team suffered all night. Early in the second half while attempting to run back an INT off on an extra point attempt, Defensive Back Eric Thananayagam fell to the turf just inside of his 20 yard line when he tried to make a cut. He immediately grabbed his right knee and had to be helped off the field by some teammates. The scene looked ugly, and it’s one that has been seen many times on a football field. Here’s to hoping that both injuries aren’t as bad as they look, and both guys can make it back to the field this season.

Let’s see who balled this week…

The KRUSADERS and Victorious Secret: As I previously mentioned, both teams got their first taste of victory this past week. The KRUSADERS’ defense in particular really stood out, as they picked off Jean Guy QBs Simon Laporte and Emile Lamy a combined 5 times. Congrats on the wins boys. Let’s keep it up.

Alex Grey (Suh-Tang Clan): After being manhandled in Week 1 by Trinity, and barely escaping with a win Week 2 versus the winless Permian Panthers, the team and their QB appear to be starting to hit their stride. In the last 2 weeks, the pivot has thrown for 10 TDs and just 2 INTs. More importantly, the Clan has won their last 3 games in a row. Let’s see what they do against the KRUSADERS.

Alexis Bessette (SPARTANS): The INT he threw against the RoadRunners was ugly, but that was pretty much the only thing he did wrong all evening, as the FPF second-year man threw for a Touchdown, recorded an interception, and caught a game-high 5 catches for 133 yards and a TD. His beautiful diving TD catch in the back of the endzone was the nail in the coffin for R.R in what a very tight and chippy affair. Pretty impressive.

Michael Solimene (The Warriors): Another first-year pivot, Solimene who is stating his case as the best passer in Div. E, as he had yet another good outing. This past Tuesday against the Rolling Thunder, he completed 16 of 28 passes for 185 yards, with 5 TDs and 1 INT. After having a lighter schedule to start the campaign, he and his team have their first real test of the season Tuesday night in Brossard when they take on the aforementioned Alexis Bessette and his SPARTANS. The game will not only have bragging rights on the line, but also first place most likely the tie-breaker Conference B’s West Division. This will be a big one gentlemen.

Raphael Aprile (Les Huards): Like I mentioned earlier, he had a huge game Sunday night in his team’s 25-13 huge upset win over Trinity. His touchdown on offense, and pick-6 on the other side really gave a boost to his team.

Jason Hervieux (KRUSADERS): The rookie had an impressive FPF debut, as he contributed on offense with 3 catches for 10 yards and a TD. His biggest impact however was felt on defense, where he had a game-high 3 interceptions against Jean Guy, and really made it impossible for them to come back.

Last but not least, Muhammad Ali, because he’s simply the greatest.

Who took the fall…

P.J Belec and Gyr: One week after looking like world-beaters ion their 33-12 win over the Aliens, both the Quarterback and his team stunk it up Sunday night against Victorious Secret. Belec went 8 of 21 for 68 (no that’s not a typo) yards 1 TD and 3 INTs. Let’s if both sides can get back on track Monday night versus Gronky Kong.

Jeremy Dee (Rolling Thunder): Here’s another dreadful QB display, as Dee also went 8 of 21 for 71 (hey there’s progress!) against a tough Warriors squad. An interesting game awaits them this Tuesday in Brossard when they take on Les Huards, in a genuine pretender vs contender matchup.

Teams complaining about a little physical play. For those of you that have seen me, or know what I look like, yeah, I’m a big dude. I’ve been playing football both tackle and flag for over 20 years. Yes, I am also a little older than some of you guys, so you have no excuse lol. What annoys me sometimes, is the crying (I like to keep this kid friendly) and moaning anytime somebody gets bumped or roughed up a little, especially inadvertently. While I realize this is a non-contact league and game, it still at the end of the day is football. I also know, that there are some meatheads out there who want to either relive their tackle football days, or in most cases try to be tackle players in flag, because they didn’t or don’t have the skills to be one on the real field. Fortunately, those types of players are few and far in between. The refs, while not perfect, usually do a good job of eliminating unnecessary contact. Once again, it’s football, expect a little rough play here and there. At the end of the day its simple, man up, or go play soccer.

Beastmode: I don’t want to kick a team when they’re down, but Beastmode has to be the most unlucky team in Div. E. After laying a beating on the Permian Panthers in Week 1, they battled to a hard-fought tie 32-32 tie with Trinity in Week 2. The next game they took on a Suh-Tang Clan team who after opening the first 2 weeks of the season looking below average, finally started playing to their potential. End result, 36-18 win for the Clan’. After dominating the first half of their contest this past Sunday against the Smokin’ Axolotls where they were up 13-2, they took their foot off the gas and allowed their opponents to come back. The game went down to the wire, and S.A was able to escape with 27-26 victory (the extra points monster strikes again.)

Things don’t get any easier for Beastmode as they take a very good TDs and Beer team this Sunday at Stade de Montreal. Good luck boys.

Brent Bodkin (Me): Tuesday night, I was on the sidelines on Field #1 in Brossard watching a very entertaining game between the SPARTANS and the RoadRunners. As soon as the game was done I took off. Like a moron, I left my black Nike school bag on the sideline next to the soccer net. Yes, I am forgetful occasionally.

There was nothing really all that valuable in the bag except for some medication and a bill. I’ve been talking to a lot of players from both teams, and a lot of them saw the bag, but nobody actually picked it up. On all the different fields that were use over the Winter and Spring Season, I have seen tons of items left behind. I always do the right thing and either turn it over to the security people at the field, or I take it and wait for a posting on the FPF Facebook page to see if someone is asking for it. Common Curtesy is what I am asking for. The contents of the bag are important to me, so if you or someone you know has the bag, feel free to either hit me up through email, the FPF Facebook page, or simply leave it next to the same spot beside the soccer on Field #1 in Brossard this coming Tuesday night. No harm, no foul. It would be greatly appreciated!

Match-ups

The Warriors versus the SPARTANS

I am going a little different on this one. As I said earlier, this game will likely decided who finishes first in Conference’s B West Division. Also, like I mentioned to previously in the article, the SPARTANS come into this game banged up, after two of their Defensive Backs (Daniel Hernandez and Eric Thananayagam went down with serious injuries last week against the RoadRunners. For a Warriors squad who has scored under 20 points only once this season, now is the perfect time for them to be taking on their opponents.

Understandably, the SPARTANS were shook when they lost both players during their game against the RoadRunners. In fact, during consecutive offensive series, both James D’Andrea and Alexis Bessette threw interceptions. If it wasn’t for a costly INT thrown by R.R Quarterback Mathew Yanakoulias, and some late-game heroics by the aforementioned Bessette, this upcoming match might not be between two undefeated teams.

I think the injuries, coupled with the game of rotating QBs that the SPARTANS like to employ, which also, doesn’t really help important things like game flow and chemistry during the game, will doom them.

Mathew Yanakoulias (The RoadRunners) versus the Trinity Defense

Yanakoulias is really good at getting the ball out of his hands fast. That is one of the major reasons he has only been sacked 2 times so far this year. He also averages just over 10 yards a carry. The QB will need play like he is a road runner this Tuesday night in Brossard, because chasing him down will be Trinity pass rusher Benjamin Dansereau-Leclerc. The FPF rookie who is third in Div. E in sacks with 8, is part of a stellar defense that is filled with ball-hawks. The unit who has a total of 13 takeaways, including 3 brought back to the house, has 6 players with at least 1 interception. Leading the way are Vincent Marquis, Erik Scattolin, and Antoine Dansereau-Leclerc who have combined for 10 INTs. This is definitely a group not to be played with. As I mentioned above, Yanakoulias threw a costly pick against the SPARTANS, let’s see if he can redeem himself this week.

Smokin’ Axolotls versus Aliens

There are so many intriguing match-ups in this contest that I couldn’t just pick one.

Mathieu Roy-Caissy vs Jason Rossie, Cédrick Jetté-Lemay vs Jordan Rossie, Will Power vs Simon Bosquet Beaudoin, and Jason Kokolakis vs Guillaume Lecorps. There are so many possibilities, where does it end? The Aliens who have seemed to hit tiny snag with their offense the last couple of weeks, will have to keep up with a Smokin’ Axolotls team who despite disappearing in the first half this past week vs Beastmode, offense has been lethal all season.

One thing is for certain, if the Aliens want to get the win, they will need their QB the aforementioned Roy-Caissy, to complete more than 8 passes this week.

Picks

Goon Squad vs FACE Jazz – FACE Jazz (Upset Special #1)

Beastmode vs TDs and Beer – TDs and Beer

Aliens vs Smokin Axolotls – Smokin’ Axolotls (My pick for Game of the Week #1)

Super Troopers vs Tigers – Tigers

Dirty Mike n the Boys vs Les Bonhommes Jaunes – Dirty Mike n the Boys (Upset Special #2)

Gyr vs Gronky Kong – Gronky Kong (After Gyr’s performance last week, should I even call this an upset?)

Permian Panthers vs Jagys & Chill – Jagys & Chill

Suh-Tang Clan vs KRUSADERS – Suh Tang Clan

Victorious Secret vs Jean Guy – Jean Guy

Trinity vs The RoadRunners – RoadRunners

Rolling Thunder vs Les Huards – Rolling Thunder

The Warriors vs SPARTANS – The Warriors (My pick for Game of the Week #2)

Last Week: 7-5 (One game better than last week!!!!)

Season: 20-15-1

That’s it for this week. Thanks for checking out the article. I will be back next time out, I will give you guys a short recap of Week 5. Why a short one you might be asking? Because, next week will be my annual Mid-Season Awards Article!!!! If you’re new to it, I will present to you my picks for Quarterback, Wide Receiver, Rusher, Two-Way, Defensive player, Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Half-Season (two new categories!!!!)

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt that I left something out, feel free to contact me at [email protected] (Feel free to do the same if you have my bag as well please.)

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JF Marquis’ Segment:

Encore une partie de fait la prochaine partie marquera le milieu de la saison !

Cette semaine fut très éprouvante et j’ai appris à la dure de ne jamais sous-estimer son adversaire. Il est important de garder le focus lors d’une partie, sinon on en perd vite le contrôle !

J’ai eu l’opportunité de voir Beastmode contre Smokin Axolotls ce dimanche qui marquait le début de la semaine 4. Une partie très serrée qui s’est terminée par une victoire d’un seul point des Smokin. Beastmode a fait jouer Nicolas Blais à la position de quart et ce dernier a complété presque 70% de ses passes dont 4 pour des touchés et une seule interception. Son homologue Jordan Rossie a complété seulement 45% de ses passes, mais a tout de même fini avec 3 passes de touchés et une seule interception, ce qui prouve que le poids de la victoire ne repose pas seulement sur les épaules du QB. En effet, Joseph Sifakis l’a prouvé lorsqu’il intercepta le ballon et le ramena à la maison pour 6 points.

Je dois avouer que j’attendais avec impatience de pouvoir prononcer le nom de Victorious Secret, malheureusement je n’ai pas eu la chance de voir votre partie, mais une victoire contre GYR annonce vos couleurs et vous remet sur le chemin des séries. Pour ceux qui ne sont pas allez voir les résultats sachez qu’ils ont accordé seulement 6 points contre cette puissante offensive. Chut !!! il ne faut pas dire qu’ils en ont marqué 7! Quoi que … ça démontre l’importance des convertis !!!

Point positif chez les Face Jazz, 12 points c’est beaucoup mieux que 0! Par contre vous affrontez une bonne défense, gardez vos manches retroussées, ça ne sera pas une facile ce dimanche contre Goon Squad.

The Warriors contre Rolling Thunder, une partie qui a exaspéré les arbitres. Les deux équipes argumentaient avec les arbitres après chaque jeu. Les gars, c’est normal qu’un joueur vous accroche en essayant d’attraper le ballon, vous ne vous attendez quand même pas à ce qu’il vous laisse attraper le ballon puis courir 5 ou 6 verges pour ensuite vous retirez vos flags !!! On joue quand même au football, je ne suis pas en train d’encourager les contacts, mais quand même, on n’est pas au soccer! Sinon pour en revenir au vif du sujet, pendant que la marque au tableau était de 13-7 pour The Warriors 2 jeux avant la fin de la première demie, Michael Solimene (QB – The Warriors) en profita pour décocher un lancer parfait à son receveur le #5 (son frère) Stefano Solimene pour 6 points. La réplique de Rolling Thunder devra attendre l’autre demie. Par la suite, Daniel Bornstein (Rolling Thunder) décida de jouer au football et de se battre pour le ballon en attrapant une passe un peu flottante de son quart, 19-13 la marque. The Warriors ne laissa plus aucune opportunité et remporta ainsi la partie 32-13.

Fidèle au rendez-vous, les Spartans lancèrent un puissant cri d’équipe et sautèrent sur le terrain comme s’ils partaient en guerre. Une guerre que les RoadRunners étaient prêts à faire. Privé des services de Daniel Hernandez, les Spartans font jouer Alexis Bessette en défense. La partie fut tout simplement incroyable, impossible de cligner des yeux, sinon une équipe comme l’autre venait de gagner un premier essai, marquer des points ou même faire un revirement. 5 interceptions au total, quelques bottés et un nombre impossible à compter de bombes. Il ne fallut qu’un seul échappé à Alexis pour que celui-ci se reprenne en attrapant une passe de 45 verges lancé parfaitement par James D’Andrea. Les RoadRunners ne se cassèrent pas la tête, puisqu’ils firent la même chose afin d’égaler la partie.

Pendant que j’observais attentivement la partie, Tommy Colombo (a.k.a. Alexis Bessette junior) faisait de même en observant les moindres faits et gestes de son coéquipier. Il m’a même lancé sur un ton rieur, que si Alexis avait eu la chance de faire une grande course et feinter ses adversaires avant que lui (Tommy) fasse la sienne, il aurait pu apprendre et le copier pour lui aussi atteindre la zone des buts ! 24-12 pour les Spartans à la demie.

En début de deuxième quart, Eric Thananayagam réussi enfin à faire une interception et garder les pieds à l’intérieur du terrain, malheureusement pour lui, en tentant de faire une feinte il se blessa au genou. James parti en courant chercher de la glace et laissa Alexis au poste du quart (comme s’il ne jouait pas déjà assez). La séquence offensive ne fut pas très longue puisque qu’il compléta une passe dans les mains de Justin Lerner dès le premier essai. Les RoadRunners profitèrent au maximum du désordre chez les Spartans pour remporter la deuxième demie 18 à 13, manque de chance, ils leur manquaient 7 points pour partir avec la victoire.

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Souvent on se demande qui fait partie du top 10 de la division E. Et bien en date d’aujourd’hui le classement est comme suit :

1- Spartans (4-0-0)
2- Les Bonhommes Jaunes (4-0-0)
3- The Warriors (4-0-0)
4- TDs and Beer (4-0-0)
5- GYR (3-1-0)
6- Smokin Axolotls (3-1-0)
7- Aliens (3-1-0)
8- Suh Tang Clan (3-1-0)
9- Trinity (2-1-1)
10- Goon Squad (2-2-0)

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Concernant les parties à venir, je crois que nous aurons droit à la ”game of the week” mais aussi à la ”game of the season” lors de l’affrontement entre les Spartans et The Warriors. Ces deux équipes sont 4 victoires et 0 défaite. Une partie que je ne manquerai pas de regarder (un peu normal puisque je joue juste avant eux sur le même terrain!)

Sinon, il y a les RoadRunners qui affrontent Trinity, est-ce que les RoadRunners réussiront enfin à marquer le touché gagnant ?! Ou la défensive de Trinity reviendra en force suite à la défaite contre les Huards et ne laissera pas l’occasion aux RoadRunners de partir avec le ”W” (Victoire/Win)?

Une autre partie à ne pas manquer se déroulera au stade de Montréal à 20h00 lors de l’affrontement entre les Aliens et Smokin Axolotls. Une partie de division entre deux équipes qui se battent pour la deuxième place, ils sont égaux avec 6 points au classement (3-1-0).

L’article de la semaine prochaine sera un peu différent, puisque les équipes qui jouent mardi à Brossard sont la mienne (Trinity) ainsi que The Warriors et Spartans. Je tenterai de vous décrire du mieux possible cet affrontement !

Picks of the week!

Goon Squad vs Face Jazz – Goon Squad Beastmode vs TDs and Beer – Beastmode Aliens vs Smokin Axolotls – Smokin Axolotls Super Troopers vs Tigers – Super Troopers Dirty Mike n’ the Boys vs Les Bonhommes Jaune – Les Bonhommes Jaune GYR vs Gronky Kong – GYR Permian Panthers vs Jagys and Chill – Jagys and Chill Suh Tang Clan vs Krusaders – Suh Tang Clan Victorious Secret vs Jean Guy – Jean Guy Trinity vs The RoadRunners – Trinity Rolling Thunder vs Les Huards – Rolling Thunder The Warriors vs Spartans – Spartans (GAME OF THE WEEK)

Voilà pour cette semaine!