Rehan’s Report (D1) – Championship Recap

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE! For those of you who viewed the D1 final between the Montreal’s Finest and Hurricanes, you understand that no words can describe the events that transpired in this game. Looking back at the Winter 2009 Division 1 season, there were a lot of firsts however the most important one saw the Montreal’s Finest winning their first championship– it appears the third time was a charm. Not only did they win but they did it in the most exciting way possible, a shootout that went all the way into double overtime and was won in a dramatic fashion. It was a “sellout” crowd which included both FPF players and fans. The atmosphere was electric. This is our version of WrestleMania or as I call it, FPF Division 1 Super Bowl. Congratulations to Montreal’s Finest for overcoming their demons, no pun intended, and winning the division 1 trophy, well deserved!

 

The story of the Montreal’s Finest season is a great one. When they lost in the Winter 2008 finals to the Hurricanes, it was a long off season for all players involved. Many players couldn’t sleep at night just thinking about the butt-whooping they had just received. Their mission was to strengthen the roster for the Winter 2009 season. Captain and General Manager Moe Khan signed four key players: Andre Knights, Kevin Challenger (who played in ’08 but did not qualify for the playoffs), Nathan Taylor and Kevin Wyeth (The Four Finest) but more about them a bit later. There were questions regarding the chemistry but the team worked hard and gelled quite well. They finished 8-1-1 in the regular season and received a first round bye. They smoked the Rainmakers in the first round (semi finals) and finally defeated the Hurricanes in the finals. This team has been through a lot yet believed all season long that this was their time. Every player was determined and had their eye on the main prize. Now just give everyone a quick look at the impact The Four Finest had in the finals, look at a few statistics from the championship game:

 

Kevin Wyeth: 18-20 for 255 yards and 6 TDs with no INTs.

Andre Knights: 5 catches for 86 yards and 3 TDs; on defense he had 4 tackles.

Nathan Taylor: No defensive stats but contained the deep threat extremely well and was a solid shut down corner.

Kevin Challenger: 1 catch for 7 yards and 1 tackle on defense. Not impressive enough? Well throw in the fact that he made his best catch of the season, in double overtime, to seal the deal for the championship. Moe Khan referred to Mr. Challenger’s catch as the one Santonio Holmes made for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl this past January which also resulted in a championship.

 

As great as these guys were, the original cast of the Montreal’s Finest was just as good. Kishon Thompson, Karim Binette and Akked Moore had a TD each. Zan Symonds played great defensively by providing excellent coverage. Last but definitely not least, Moe Khan played the game of his life as he made it very tough for Rick Nincheri to get comfortable. The second biggest play of the game (first being Kevin Challenger’s catch) came from Moe Khan. With the game tied at 40 and 5 plays left, Moe Khan sacked Rick Nincheri putting the Hurricanes in a 4th down situation in their own zone and forced them to punt the ball (another first of the season for them!!). Thus, the Montreal’s Finest received the ball with three plays left in the game at their own 10 yard line. On the first play, Kevin Wyeth was almost sacked for a safety however avoided disaster because it occurred just outside the goal line. The Finest couldn’t score in the last two plays, the game went to overtime and the rest is history. The game will be available on the website sometime soon and we can all relive the experience.

 

Let’s not take anything away from the Hurricanes who might have had a disappointing regular season but played their hearts out in finals and gave the Finest everything they could handle. Rick Nincheri played another great game throwing for 215 yards and 6 TDs but just came a little short in overtime. That being said, the entire Hurricanes squad showed great class despite the loss. Tony Khoury even donated a bottle of champagne to the Finest which speaks volumes of the shared respect these two teams have for one another. There is no doubt in my mind that the Hurricanes will be back and stronger than ever next year but 2009 belongs to the Montreal’s Finest who will not look to start building a dynasty of their own.

 

 

STAR-AWARDS© II

 

The STAR-AWARDS© are supplementary awards that are designed to cover different aspects of FlagPlus Football.

 

 

Best Scorekeeper – This award is handed out to the scorekeeper who best does his job. He is not influenced by players yelling in their ear or asking for extra added yards to their nightly total. He is calm, composed and accurate. Winner: Victor Coppola

 

Best Zebra (best referee) – This award is handed out to the referee who best does his job. He is not influenced by players like Rostyn Castleton yelling in ear. He also makes sure no bias is exercised and the right call is made on every down. He is firm, authoritative and fair. He also brings a coin which is used before the game for the coin-toss. Winner: Leo Gervais

 

Best Entertainer – This award is handed out to the player who will make you jump out of your seats or cleats. He puts on a show on the field and very much so off the field. He is the “Sean Avery” of Division 1. He keeps us entertained with his antics, something every league requires. Winner: Tony Khoury (Hurricanes)

 

Fastest Man – This This award is handed out to a player who is just simply a rocket. He will use his jets whether he is in running with or without the ball. They say, “Speed Kills” and this player can do exactly that to his opponents. Winner: Nathan Taylor (Montreal’s Finest)

 

Adriano Tassone award (Class Act) – This award is handed out to the player who best represents this league with regards to class. He respects everyone and makes sure that his demeanor is an example for the league to follow. He also brings a superior talent level to the game. Winner: Rick Nincheri (Hurricanes)

 

Best Hands – This award is handed out to a player who has hands like glue. In other words, whether the ball thrown at him might be a great one or a “duck”, he will catch it and make a play. Winner: Akked Moore (Montreal’s Finest)

 

Best Route Runner – This award is handed out to a player who runs his route to perfection. Whether it is 5 yard hook or a post-corner, he knows how to run his pattern and find an opening. Other times, his router running will get others open as well.  Winner: Rochdi Benabdelkader (Demons)

 

Best General Manager – This award is handed out to a player who has put together the best team. He uses his persuasive skills to find the best players and motivates his team to make them play at their best. He makes sure everything runs smoothly on and off the field. Winner: Moe Khan (Montreal’s Finest)

 

Best Dresser (football gear) – This award is handed out to a player who puts on a show, with regards to his apparel. He will wear the best to show that he likes to look good while playing. Winner: Asif Choudhry (Hurricanes)

 

Best Trash Talker – This award is handed out to a player who can use his words to get inside of his opponent’s head which in effect puts his team at an advantage. Winner: Kishon Thompson (Montreal’s Finest)

 

The Hulk award – This award is handed out to a player who is “jacked”. He simply is a beast and has accomplished it without an illegal substance. Winner: Kishon Thompson (Montreal’s Finest)

 

STARWAR of the year – This award is handed out to a player who received the most STARWAR nominations on a weekly basis. There is a two way tie with both players receiving 4 nominations however there can only be ONE winner. Therefore it was decided from the head-to-head match up. Winner: Kevin Wyeth (Montreal’s Finest)

 

Sarwar’s Spread award – This award is handed out to the team who have the highest points total resulting from my weekly spread. If the favorites covered the spread they received a point; if the underdog won they received two points (upset). Winner: CLR Forces (had five 2 point weeks, thus had the most upsets)

 

League MVP – This award is handed out to an all around best player who not only pushes himself to play better but also his teammates, possesses leadership and plays at a level that is extremely exciting to watch. Winner: Kevin Wyeth (Montreal’s Finest)

 

A few extra awards…

 

Best WEPL personality – This award is handed out to the host who best does his job. He is calm, cool and collected. He will be serious when needed and make wise cracks to lighten the mood. He is organized and is the glue that holds the show together. Winner: Daron Basmadjian (2nd straight)

 

The Moe Khan award – This award is handed out to Moe Khan. Winner: Moe Khan (2nd straight)

 

Best Team Jerseys – This award is handed out to a team who has the best looking jerseys, hands down. Winner: CLR Forces

 

Best Writer – This award is handed out to that person who writes well for FlagPlus Football. His articles are entertaining, informative and keep you on the edge. Winner: Rehan Sarwar (who else?)

 

That is it for the STAR-AWARDS©  II, thanks to everyone who voted and congratulations to all the winners

 

 

Team MVPs

 

Montreal’s Finest – Kevin Wyeth

Demons – Carmine Pollice

Hurricanes – Rick Nincheri

CLR Forces – Guillaume Ward

Rainmakers – Michael Chitayat

Express – Andrija Zecevic

Wolverines – Tony Tabet

 

 

TOP FIVE HEADLINES OF WINTER 2009 DIVISION 1 SEASON

 

5. Moe Khan, after having been compared to Simba from Lion King due to his hair, decides to use his FPF earnings to get a hair cut.

 

4. The Rainmakers and Express clinch playoff berths in their first season in Division 1 football while Wolverines were on the outside looking in for the first time ever.

 

3. Hurricanes defeat the Demons in a rubber match (semi finals) to return to the finals for a third straight season while Montreal’s Finest followed suit by defeating the Rainmakers.

 

2. Montreal’s Finest proved that third time is a charm by finally defeating the Hurricanes and proving that they are indeed “Montreal’s Finest”.

 

1. Adriano Tassone, captain of the Rainmakers, passed away in a car accident at the young age of 23 and left the entire FlagPlus Football community in shock and disbelief. The Rainmakers found courage deep down inside and returned to the field despite such a devastating loss and immediately gained the admiration of the enitre FPF community in the process.

 

 

That’s it for the Winter 2009 Division 1 season which had its bitter and sweet moments. It was truly an immense pleasure to cover such an elite level. I would like to express my gratitude for everyone’s contribution via emails and other means. This past season will go down in FPF record books as the best season yet (especially with the dramatic) and it was made possible with all of you so for once, let’s all be like Moe Khan and give ourselves a pat on the back. Many of you will enjoy the off season and a few of you will play in the Spring season. If you still haven’t signed up for Spring season, registrations for teams and individuals are underway on the website. For those who are now off until next year, I wish you all the best and hope you had as much fun reading my articles as I did writing them. I always welcome feedback so never hesitate to give your two cents. Congratulations again to the Montreal’s Finest for winning the championship and with that said, for the last time in Winter 2009, this is Rehan Sarwar bidding you farewell. Fret not because I’ll catch you in Spring, same STARWAR time, same STARWAR article!