Revenge, Upsets, Power Rankings, and a taste of Heartbreak

No matter how stacked your team looks like on paper, or what your record is, you still must go out and play the game. Upsets happen, statement games and moments are delivered, and teams sometimes wait to the very last second to pull out victory from the jaws of defeat, or in some cases, defeat from the jaws of victory.

Revenge

Out of all the games on the Division 1 docket this week, none were bigger than the Bulldogz taking on KGP+. These two teams are doing battle for the second time in a week, after the KGP + escaped last Sunday’s encounter with (37-32) victory with a go-ahead touchdown by Dylan Garber with two plays remaining in the contest.

Besides Garber’s TD, his team’s defense played a huge role in the win, as Phil Cutler, Jonathan Garfinkle, and Sebastien Simon each recorded an interception off Quarterback Myles Gibbon. KGP+ would turn two of those turnovers into touchdowns.

The loss for Bulldogz ruined a great outing by Edwouard Valmé, who led his team with two catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns, to go along with a game-high six tackles.

The Bulldogz, who fell to (1-5) with the loss have a chance for revenge tonight in Lachine. The rematch is important for both teams, as KGP+ currently hold a one-game lead for the seventh and final playoff spot in Div. 1. A second straight defeat would be disastrous, as they close out the season with games against the Kangaroos, Braves, and Party Crashers. Not exactly a small hill to climb. Let’s see what happens.

Flag Moi L’Sac, is another team looking for revenge, as they take on an Allstars squad who beat them (49-38) in Week 2 showdown that would come down to the final two minutes.

After Flag Moi L’Sac, got a 3-yard touchdown by Samuel Nadeau-Piuze to shrink their opponent’s lead to five, the team needed to make a stop defensively and get the ball back to their offense. It looked like FMS was going to pull it off, as they had their opponents facing a third and long, but the Allstars who had Patrick Jérome at Quarterback threw a 20-yard TD to Rory Semerjian with five plays remaining for the game-winning score.

Since Week 2, both teams have won three of their last four games. A win for the Allstars tonight would give them a little bit of breathing room at the top of the standings, as they sit one point up on the Braves for first place. A victory for Flag Moi L’Sac would see them climb past the Kangaroos who are idle this week for third in the standings and create a little distance from Double Straddle and the Party Crashers, who both sit one point behind FMS.

Upsets

Division 2 saw three underdogs pull-off upset victories last week, and nearly another as the Moretti Crime Family almost pulled off the biggest shocker of them all as they came within a play of beating Vengeance.

Got Skills knocked off the Braves 2.0 (32-27) as they were able to take advantage of the absence of Quarterback Jonathan Maheu, Wednesday at Stade Hebert.

Nicola Centomo of Got Skills had a terrific game, as he threw five touchdown passes to four different Receivers including two to Charles Cossette and added an interception as a Defensive Back. 

The loss by the Braves 2.0, ruined a three-touchdown performance by Receiver Sébastien Crisi-Lauzon. Credit to the team for nearly pulling off the victory without their starting QB who was replaced by Leandre Ethier, who played for Braves U in the 2018 Spring Season, and currently plays with Snapper Mike Pierrecin on That’s What She Said in Division 3.

The win for Got Skills, saw them make the jump from the last playoff spot to being tied for seventh with the Braves 2.0, and only one game behind the trio of Terror Squad, Moretti Crime Family, and Urgence Medic.

For the Braves 2.0, perhaps they should’ve called on the services of their second emergency Quarterback. (More on that in the power rankings)

Over the last few weeks, I have repeatedly mentioned the speed and athleticism of Touch Foot 350. This past Wednesday at Stade Hebert, it was on full display, as they used that with a side order of execution to knock off Terror Squad (38-30).

FPF Hall-of-Famer Patrick Jérome had a big game as expected with a team-high seven catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns for Terror Squad. He was outdone however by rookie Ryth-Jean Giraud of Touch Foot 350, as the Calgary Stampeders Running Back, shredded the TS defense to the tune of five receptions for 123 yards and three TDs.

Party Crashers Blue knocked off Urgence Medic (34-26) on the shoulders of six touchdown passes from Frédéric Dupuis. The two-time All-Star was phenomenal in the redzone, as he threw four of his TDs in that area.

The biggest beneficiaries of the QB’s performance were the receiving combo of Vincent Cléroux and Emile Taillefer, as the duo combined to score five TDs.

The team would also get a touchdown from Snapper Francois Hogue, but the veteran’s biggest impact would come on defense, as he finished the game with three sacks, and constantly harassed opposing QB Jesse Dupuis.

For Urgence Medic, the loss wasn’t a total waste, as perennial two-way threat Emile Beaudoin, who has been nearly invisible so far this year, burst out offensively with a game-high six catches for 99 yards to go along with two touchdowns. Hopefully this performance will the park that he needs. Beaudoin was joined by another terror on both sides of the ball in shutdown Corner Back Samuel Lapierre, who registered three TDs on four grabs as a Receiver.

In what had to be the game of the week, Vengeance took on the Moretti Crime Family Monday night in St. Laurent.

This was a statement game that went down to the wire, as the Moretti Crime Family were looking to hand Vengeance their first loss of the season, and in the process send a message to the rest of Division 2 that they are the top dogs.

The Moretti Crime Family got off to a solid start, as their defense would force a turnover on downs, by stopping an eight-play Vengeance drive just past midfield. The MCF would capitalize on the effort, as two plays later, Quarterback Joey Taylor, would hit Receiver Rocco Christiano on a post-route for a 28-yard touchdown.

Vengeance QB Kevin Wyeth would respond as he found Receiver James Drysdale for a 15-yard TD that saw the pass-catcher put a slick sidestep and dip move past two defenders down the left sideline and into the endzone.

Taylor would re-establish his team’s lead as he went back to the post again, but this time to Ryan Aridi for a 31-yard score. Going into the break, Vengeance clung to a (22-20) lead.

This game was decided with about five minutes to go. After James Drysdale scored a TD to bring his team to within 10 points, Vengeance went for an onside pass. The Moretti Crime Family defense would come up with a big stop, giving their offense the ball at their opponents 5-yard line with a fresh set of downs.

With a chance to ice the game on first down, Taylor picked up four yards on a pass to Christiano, who was stopped just short of the goal line curtesy of a tackle made by Quaid Johnson. A second down pass to Benevento was stopped for no gain on a stop made by Antonio Lanni.

On third down, Taylor, would scramble to his left, and throw a pass just out of the reach of D’Amour on the left sideline, while missing a wide-open Benevento in the middle of the field planted two yards in the endzone. On Fourth, the QB rolled out to the opposite side and threw a pass that bounced off the outstretched hands of Ryan Aridi, and into the curtain on the sideline. The turnover on downs was deflating as it gave the ball back to the Vengeance offense with five plays remaining. 

It would turn out that five plays were too many, as Wyeth only needed four to get his team into the endzone. After connecting with Rory Semerjian for 21 and eight yards on the first two plays, he would hit Johnson for six, and then throw a beautiful over the left shoulder touchdown for the game-winning score with one play remaining.

After the failed 2-point convo, Vengeance led by two. On the last play of the game, the MCF would have Christiano and fellow Receiver Matthew Rupcic drop back to pass as well. Taylor rolled to his right and threw back to his left to Rupcic, who launched a pass to the endzone for Marco Bertoldi, but the WR was unable to come down with the pass was it was batted down from behind.

Power Rankings

Division 1

2. Braves – They are coming off a big 1-point win over the Party Crashers last Sunday at Stade Hebert. They are off tonight, which gives them one more week to prepare for a showdown with the Kangaroos, who beat them by default in Week 2. The rematch will be a must-watch.

3. Kangaroos – A (38-30) win over Double Straddle snapped a two-game losing streak for the Kangaroos. A matchup with the team above them next Sunday in Lachine looms large.

4. Flag Moi L’Sac – Their current three game winning streak gives them a lot of momentum as they take on the Allstars tonight. A win for Flag Moi L’Sac, would see them leapfrog the Kangaroos for third in the division, and put them in a tie for second with the Braves.

5. Double Straddle – This team is hard to get a read on. They play up to their competition as evidenced by their loss last week to the Kangaroos, and if you look at their loss to a two-win KGP+ team, down to it as well. Which team will show up tonight against the Party Crashers? Stay tuned.

6. Party Crashers – Over the last three weeks, this team has a shocking upset win over the Kangaroos, and back-to-back heart-breaking losses to both the Bulldogz and Braves. Tonight, they take on Double Straddle, can the Party Crashers get back to their winning ways?

7. KGP+ – They hold the last playoff spot in Div. 1, two points up on the last place Bulldogz. Luckily for KGP+ they take on that very same team tonight in Lachine. A win would all but secure a ticket to the dance, as KGP+ has the easier remaining schedule. A victory would also give them the head-to-head tiebreaker, as KGP+ won their first meeting (37-32) last Sunday.

8. Bulldogz – As mentioned above, it is GO time tonight in Lachine. A win by more than five points would give the Bulldogz the head-to-head tiebreaker. A loss would pretty much seal their fate as only a spoiler team the rest of the way.

Division 2

1.Vengeance – They came within two plays of suffering their first loss of the season, but Kevin Wyeth, Quaid Johnson, and a huge defensive stand prevented that from happening. Last’s night matchup against the second to last place KGP looked like it could’ve been trickier than it appeared as the team’s bottom three ranked offense averaged 31 points over the last two games, but Vengeance was up to the task.

2. Blessed – Their victory over the winless Killa Bees wasn’t pretty, but they still only have one defeat in the loss column, and that was to the top team on the list all the way back in Week 1. After wins over Urgence Medic and the Moretti Crime Family recently, another tough test awaits as Blessed takes on Run It Once Wednesday night.

3. Moretti Crime Family – They had Vengeance on the ropes, but couldn’t deliver the knockout punch It came back to cost them the victory as they lost the game with two plays remaining. MCF will have to wait another week to tear off the band-aid as their next game is next Saturday versus KGP.

4. Run It Once – It been almost two weeks since their last game, a (41-32) loss to the Moretti Crime Family. The week before that they narrowly beat the two-win Party Crashers Blue. In short, this team has not played their best ball as of late. A chance for redemption comes this Wednesday as they take on Blessed in a battle for a share of second place.

5. Urgence Medic – Up until last night’s (39-18) win over the Killa Bees, Urgence Medic had lost two in a row and three out of four overall, which is why they are fifth in the rankings. Jesse Dupuis looked like his usual self as he beat his opponents with both his arms and his legs, throwing for five touchdowns, including a pair to both Marc-André Lapointe and Anthony Lapointe while also running for another as well. Next up for UM, is a real test next Saturday as they take on Run It Once in Brossard.

6.  Got Skills – They sit in eighth in the standings, but if you take a closer look, they have won three out of their past four games (Terror Squad, KGP, and Braves 2.0). Their only loss was an 8-point defeat at the hands of Vengeance in Week 5. This team is starting to build some momentum, and they will look to build on it as they take on Blessed next Saturday in Lachine.

7. Terror Squad – In the words of Jay-Z “It was all good just a week ago”. That applies to Terror Squad, as wins over Braves 2.0 and KGP within a four-day span, added on to a victory over Urgence Medic the week before that, had this team climbing up both the standings and power rankings. That all came to a screeching halt with a (38-30) upset loss to Touch Foot 350. Two games remain on the schedule for Terror Squad to get on track before the playoffs begin. The first one won’t be easy as they take on Blessed next Saturday in Lachine.

8. Braves 2.0 – No Jo Maheu, no problem! Relying on lower division Quarterback Ignacio Valdes Manzanedo (Iggy), the team was able to snap a two-game losing streak with a (49-38) victory over KGP.  The victory stopped the team’s slide and gives them a bit of momentum as they get ready for a tough contest next Monday against Party Crashers Blue.

9. Touch Foot 350 – Coming off a huge and potentially season-changing victory over Terror Squad, the win will have to tide them over for the next two weeks, as their next game is on March 20^th in a crucial showdown with KGP.

10. Party Crashers Blue – Another team come coming off an upset win, as they beat Urgence Medic by seven points this past Monday night. Can they make it two in a row when they take on the Braves 2.0 next week?

11. KGP – This team has been playing better ball as of late, but they are is still lacking in the victory department with only one, and are running out of time to add some more. A brutal contest with Vengeance awaits them tonight in Lachine, followed by games with the Moretti Crime Family and Touch Foot 350. I don’t like KGP’s chances adding to their win total.

12. Killa Bees – Still winless but fighting hard to change it. The team’s offensive struggles sunk their ship last night against Urgence Medic. Can they get things turned around next week versus Run It Once?

Picks

Killa Bees vs Urgence Medic – Urgence Medic

Braves 2.0 vs KGP – Braves 2.0

Vengeance vs KGP – Vengeance

Blessed vs Run It Once – Blessed (My pick for Game of the Week Division 2)

KGP+ vs Bulldogz – KGP+ (My pick for Game of the Week Division 1)

Double Straddle vs Party Crashers – Party Crashers (Upset Special)

Flag Moi L’Sac vs Allstars – Allstars

Last Week: (5-2)

Season: (18-13)

That is it for this week. Good luck to everyone in their games tonight and this week.

The interview that I promised last week has been completed. I will be typing it up tomorrow. Look for it to be released Tuesday night.

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt that I left something out, please feel free to reach me at [email protected]