Rehan’s Report (D1) – Semi-Finals

AND THEN THERE WERE TWO! Gentlemen, we are now in the final stages of the division 1 season and all that remains is to crown the champions. I would like to offer my congratulations to the Hurricanes and Montreal’s Finest for reaching the second highest possible level in division 1 for a THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR. Both finalists have definitely earned their spot in the big dance. Montreal’s Finest had one of their best seasons and will look to make it even better while the Hurricanes had a strange season but have come through big when it counted most. The final will take place in one and a half week’s time but before anything else, I will break down last week’s semi-finals match ups.

Playoffs Recap (Semi-Finals)

Montreal’s Finest took on the Rainmakers last weekend in one half of the semi finals of division 1 and defeated them quite easily by a score of 56-19. Kevin Wyeth was his usual gun-slinging self and went 16 of 21 for 233 yards and 7 TDs. Once again, he managed to distribute the ball and 5 receivers had one at least one touchdown. Akked Moore had 4 catches for 64 yards and 3 TDs. As great as the offense of the Montreal’s Finest was, their defense came to play. Moe Khan was a man on a mission and was in Ryan Kastner’s face all night, sacking him 4 times and batting a ball down once. In relief of Moe Khan, Andre Knights also sacked Mr. Kastner twice. And then to put the icing on the cake, Kishon Thompson had a pick six special. The night belonged to the Finest as they return to the finals for a third straight Winter season. An interesting historical fact is that two years ago in the 2007 Winter division 1 semi finals, the Montreal’s Finest led by QB Zan Symonds embarrassed a Guns squad that was QB’ed by Kevin Wyeth. And now Mr. Wyeth Earp has joined this very squad and looks to continue his success on the finals stage. Also I would like to show respect to the Rainmakers squad, as we all should, for having the courage to march back on the field and even winning a playoff game. It was definitely not an easy task to do what they did and we all would love to see them keep playing in FlagPlus Football in the future.

So the only question that remained was: who will the Finest face in the finals? The other semi final took place on Sunday night between the Demons and the Hurricanes. This was round 3 between these two teams, this being the rubber match but more important it was a playoff game in which the winner would advance to the finals. Ever heard the saying, to be the champs you have to beat the champs? Well the Demons couldn’t accomplish that as they lost to the Hurricanes in a high scoring contest, 55-45. Rick Nincheri was 27 of 41, 305 yards with 8 TDs and no interceptions. Louis Larouche, also known as the Demon killer, had 6 catches for 103 yards and 4 TDs, Darren Costello had 5 receptions for 69 yards and 2 TDs. On the Demons side, Carmine Pollice threw for 7 TDs but was also intercepted once by Kevin Wilson of the Hurricanes which proved to be the difference. Once again the Demons worked hard on their defence but were beat easily on some TDs. It is amazing that the Hurricanes, after having a so-so season (better than average but not as dominating as last year), have still managed to return to the big dance. The Hurricanes have a lot of heart and determination and not to mention have proven to be the very definition of clutch.

So now the stage is set, the FPF Division 1 Bowl sponsored by Starwar Industries will take place on April 19th, 2009 at 22h00 at Catalogna Soccerplexe however it will not be inside the dome. For the first time ever, the Winter finals are being held inside the main comple. The final match up in terms of breakdown, analysis and in depth coverage will be presented in next week’s article since the game won’t take place this weekend. This extra time off will be used for media and preparation. So now you’re wondering, what else is there to write about in this article? Well I am bringing back an old, but popular, segment.

Rehan’s Role Player

A Rehan’s Role Player is someone who does his job on the field week in and week out yet doesn’t get the proper recognition because he doesn’t care about the statistics (even if he posts good numbers) but rather about winning. He plays with heart and gives his 120% every game. To pick such a player is never easy because there are many players who possess these traits however I have decided to go with the player I feel is the most deserving. Without further ado, the 2009 Division 1 Winter season Rehan’s Role Player is:

Adriano Tassone (1985-2009)– Looking at his stats through 9 games, he had 15 tackles and 8 PDs which definitely aren’t All-Star number however the impact he had on the field spoke a lot louder. His leadership and experience brought Rainmakers to playoffs in every season and the team also reached semi-finals on three occasions, winning one of those games to reach the finals. Even in the Winter 2009 division 1 season, he led the defense to two great victories against the Hurricanes in which the Rainmakers allowed an average of only 21.5 points against a powerful Hurricanes offense, something no other team could accomplish this season. Off the field he was a great teammate and a leader that kept a calm, “cool as a cucumber”, type of attitude while also giving his all in every game. Even though sadly he is no longer amongst us, he will always remain in our hearts. Adrian Tassone was a Rehan’s Role Player.

I would like to offer my congratulations to all the players who were selected to the All-Star game. Next week, I will be breaking down the final match up in detail. Also the press conference for the division 1 finals will be held on Monday and aired sometime next week. Also there are only two articles left so next week, I’ll announce the categories for the STAR-AWARDS© and would like your opinion on who should win them although the ultimate decision will be mine. In addition I urge all the non-finalists to send me any questions they want answered from the Hurricanes or Montreal’s Finest; also please send me your predictions for the finals. That does it for this week’s article, if you also have any suggestions, feel free to write to me and suggest them on Facebook or [email protected]. That is all time I have for this week but tune in to Rehan’s Report next week same STARWAR time, same STARWAR article.