Recaps and Previews for FPF Junior

FPF Junior is back after taking a break for the Victoria Day long weekend. I hope you all enjoyed that three-day break. A weekend without games suited me perfectly because it let me concentrate on studying for my final exams. Now CEGEP is over, I can give my undivided attention to FPF Junior.

Before I jump into my previews of the fourth week of FPF Junior action, there are a few individual performances that I must mention. Luca Swaminadham cemented himself as the best quarterback in Atom by passing for more than twice as many yards as any quarterback in the division. However, I have already written at length about him so I would like to focus on three players from the Jaguars who impressed me this week. While Luca Swaminadham may be the best passer in the division, the Jaguars Vinh Bastien is definitely the best runner. He led his team to their first victory of the season with an outstanding performance against the Lions. He ran only four times, but he amassed 84 yards and two touchdowns in the process. That win over the Lions would not have been possible without the heroic defensive performances of Elif Balci and Aaron George. Elif Balci applied near constant pressure on the opposing quarterback and was rewarded for those efforts with two sacks. Aaron George made his presence felt in the secondary. He picked off the Lions twice to secure the victory for his Jaguars.

From Mosquito, it was two players from the Panthers who grabbed my attention. Kevyn De Serres-Payne is best known as a quarterback, however, he made a bigger impact this week on the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers defence held the Reapers to only six points and that was largely due to the dominant play of Kevyn De Serres-Payme. He was an absolute terror in the secondary. He shutdown the opposing offence with three tackles, two defended passes and two interceptions, one of which he ran back for a touchdown. While Kevyn De Serres-Payme got the job done defensively, Diego Leone was the catalyst for the Panther’s offence. Be it as a receiver or as a rusher, he excelled. In his game against the Reapers, Diego Leone got the job done with his legs. He ran for a total of 48 yards and a touchdown. On the same day, in his game against the Cavaliers, Diego Leone caught only two passes, but he made the most of them. He finished the game with nearly 60 receiving yards and a score.

In Pee-Wee, Logan Trepanier had a phenomenal game. He looked very much like his older brother. Logan Trepanier passed for over 200 yards and scored five times in the Hurricanes game versus the Packers. It is rare for a quarterback in the adult division to exceed 200 passing yards. For a player in Pee-Wee to pass for 200 yards, it is simply phenomenal. While it was the Hurricanes quarterback that stood out this week, the best receiver was from the Packers. Aymerick Jean accounted for nearly all of his teams receiving yards. Even when the opposing defence knew the ball was going to him, there was nothing they could do to stop him. He led all receivers in the division with 103 yards and three scores. Finally, it was a well-rounded performance from Zacharie Gadbois that also caught my eye. Offensively, he controlled the game with 93 rushing yards. On defence, he was also a force to be reckoned with. He recorded two tackles and most importantly, two interceptions.

In Bantam, the Dusters’ Matthew Eiley had quite a game. In their game against Faze, it seemed as if all of the Dusters’ passes were being caught by Eiley. He finished the game with a phenomenal 112 receiving yards. The other notable performances from Bantam all came from North Shore players. Quarterback Marco Gentile had a strong outing with 170 passing yards and four scores. It would have been a perfect game except for the one interception he threw. While no North Shore receiver had significantly more yards than another, Matthis Continelli had three times more touchdown receptions than any other player on the team. From North Shore’s defence, it was Dylan Koszycki and Otis Szembratovics who had great performances. Dylan Koszycki set the tone with his two tackles, one defended pass and two key interceptions. Otis Szembratovics impressed with two defended passes and an interception of his own.

It was an interesting week in Midget. It seemed as if quite a few players were missing so the teams called up subs from Bantam by the truck load. While most would expect those call-ups to struggle in the older division, they actually played quite well. I am not sure if Trey Bentley is the Tigers full time quarterback or if he is just a spare, but he had a fantastic performance this weekend. He led all Midget quarterbacks with 135 passing yards. He also led with three touchdown passes. Dylan Koszycki played two games in Midget with Mountain Goats this weekend and impressed in both. In his first game, he recorded two tackles, a defended pass and an interception. His second was nearly as impressive. He tallied two tackles and two interceptions

Week 4 Previews:

Since we are two weeks removed from the last round of games and I did not see the most competitive games in Kirkland, I will look ahead and preview a few of week four’s games.

Grizzlies vs Jaguars (Atom)

This is the perfect opportunity for the Jaguars to beat the Grizzlies. On the one hand, the Jaguars are flying high. They are fresh off their first win of the season and brimming with confidence. On the other, the Grizzlies just suffered a considerable loss to the Gladiators and their morale is at an all-time low. I think this game will eventually come to whether Aaron George can cover Harley Minzberg. If Aaron George can find a way to limit the extremely talented Harley Minzberg to just a few catches, the Jaguars have a fighting chance. If they are not able to contain Harley Minzberg, this game could be over by the half.

Prediction: Grizzlies

AP Hurricanes 2 vs McCaig Gladiators 1 (Mosquito)

From what I have seen, the Gladiators are the best team in the division. They have an excellent quarterback, star receivers and a cohesive defence. That combination makes for a fearsome team. However, if there is any team in the division that has a chance of beating them, it is the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have their own talented quarterback with a rocket of an arm. His name is Markus D’Alessandro. I think this game will be a very high scoring affair. Both of these quarterbacks expect to score on every single drive. If either of these teams defences can manage one or two stops, that should be enough to secure the win. Ultimately, I think that the Gladiators have the better defence and they will prevail.

Prediction: McCaig Gladiators 1

Rams vs Packers (Pee-Wee)

I am surprised the Rams (2-2) have not gotten off to a better start this season. They have all the pieces in place to be a successful team. They have a star quarterback in Nicholas Dermer and fantastic receivers like Max Arnovitz and Lawrence Brassard. Maybe their week four game against Packers will be when it all falls into place for the Rams. Last time these two teams met, the Rams won by a single point. The Packers will be thirsty for revenge and I think they will get it. They impressed last week with a statement victory over the Bulldogs and I think they will ride that momentum to a week 4 win over the Rams.

Prediction: Packers

Dusters vs North Shore (Bantam)

This is going to be a great game. The two best teams and the two best quarterbacks in the division are going head to head. Despite both these teams having already played four games, this is the first time they will be playing each other. While both these teams may have a perfect 4-0 record, they play the game very differently. The Dusters rely largely on improvisation and their athleticism. On the other hand, North Shore are a well-organized football machine. While they are all exceptional athletes, their main attribute is their football smarts. Both of these teams may be equally talented but, North Shore are the better coached team and I believe that coaching will be the difference in this game.

Prediction: North Shore       

TuneSquad vs Mustangs (Midget)

While the Mustangs may have a perfect record, they have only played two games. The defending Spring champions still have a lot to prove. TuneSquad are an interesting team. Their quarterback Garner Ross looks slightly awkward in his throwing motion. Unlike most other teams in midget, they have limited tackle football experience. Despite all that, they still find a way to make it work and win games. As for Mustangs, they are their own worst enemy. They can play a fantastic game just as easily as they can make a ton of mistakes. It is very hard to predict the outcome of a game when so much depends on the mentality that one of the teams show up with. However, Mustangs tend to play up or down to the level of their opponents. Since TuneSquad are a talented group, I believe Mustangs will play up to their level and secure the win.

Prediction: Mustangs

After a long two-week break, the next round of games is just a few days away. I will not be able to see any of these games since I am away on a fishing trip this weekend. My colleague Christopher Dagher will take my place on the sidelines in Kirkland.

See you all in two weeks!