Reviews and Previews for Co-ed and Women’s Division

The co-ed and women’s divisions are into their final week of the season and there is still a lot at stake. Even though Midtown are currently in first in co-ed 1, they could fall all the way to third if they lose this week. They absolutely need to beat Power Rangers if they want to hold onto the top seed. ATH Squad also need to win if they hope to hold onto first place in co-ed 2. A loss this week could see them slip back into second. However, their opponents Yin & Yang have even more to lose. If they beat ATH Squad, they will take over first place but if they lose, they will fall all the way back to fourth. Finally, it would take a massive upset for Team Texas to be knocked out of their first spot in the women’s division. They would need to lose to Ahuntsic Girls and District would need to beat The Rookies.

Staying in the wqomen’s division, Spartiates defied my predictions and beat the Ahuntsic Girls 18-13. While this was an impressive victory for the Spartiates, the Ahuntsic Girls did not have their starting quarterback. Even though Spartiates did have their regular QB, Clarence Michaud, it was Amélie Durocher who started the game under center. Her coach explained that this was in preparation for their outdoor season when Durocher might throw a few passes on trick plays. She had a strong showing at the quarterback position, passing for sixty yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, she avoided turning over the ball. After a few drives, Clarence Michaud took over the reigns of the offence and threw two more touchdowns to lead her Spartiates to victory. Michaud’s favorite target was Amélie Durocher. Durocher caught half of Michaud’s eight completed passes. While those two connected to march the ball down the field, once in the red zone, Spartiate’s favorite target was Beatrice Bouchard. Both of her catches were for touchdowns. Defensively, the Spartiates did just enough to slow their opponents down. Leading that defensive charge was Alexandra Falcon-Korb with her four tackles and four defended passes. I was impressed that the Ahuntsic Girls kept this game close without their starting quarterback. If they play like this with Emmanuelle Bonsard under center, they will be a threat in the playoffs.

Another team that defied my predictions was Midtown. I thought that 3rd Down for What would be able to match Midtown’s athleticism and use their experience to win out. That was not the case. Midtown won this one 32-18. 3DW’s offence was never able to kick things into gear. They did manage to score three touchdowns, but they were not creating any of the big plays they are known for. When facing a team as explosive as Midtown, you need a few big plays to win. As for Midtown, they were firing on all cylinders. They stopped 3DW on their opening drive and gained possession of the ball just 15 yards away from their opponents end zone. They scored on that drive thanks to a 4 yard touchdown pass to Lucas Veluire. When Midtown got the ball back, Jean-Christophe Morin-Phaneuf stunned everyone with a 40 yard touchdown run. That run set the tone for the rest of the game. Midtown’s defence thwarted Sara Parker and company from there on out and Midtown’s offence scored at will.

 

Week 9 Game of the Week:

Co-ed 1

Party Mix (52) vs Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (40): Forget the score-line on this one. It doesn’t reflect how close the game actually was. This match was a festival of offence. Each team was scoring at will. Francois Deslauriers had a game for the ages, he passed for 275 yards, 7 TDs and no interceptions. On the other side of the field, Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce quarterback JF Marquis had nearly as impressive a game. He passed for 200 yards and 5 touchdowns. He added to that with two rushes for 20 yards and a score.

As I am sure you guessed from the score, both of these teams put up points on every single drive. I kept on expecting Party Mix to pull ahead in this one but every time Party Mix scored, SHCS would just march right back down the field for a score of their own. It all came down to the final minutes of the game. With time running out  Party Mix scored to pull ahead 46-40. SHCS had just a few plays left to score. Based on how the game had gone until that point, I fully expected Marquis to get the ball into the end zone. However, on the second play of that decisive drive, disaster (AKA Laurence Lamy) struck. Lamy intercepted Marquis. The SHCS quarterback did not even make an effort to tackle her. Marquis sunk to his knees in despair as Lamy returned the interception for six to seal the game.

While both of these offences were firing on all cylinders, this was not a game to remember for either defence. Party Mix was averaging a touchdown every five offensive plays while SHCS was scoring a TD every four plays. I think both of these teams were scoring so much because they actually used the women on their team. Party Mix’s Emma Racine led all receivers with 107 receiving yards and two TDs. Their second leading receiver was Catherine Picher who finished the game with a team high 8 receptions for 57 yards and two scores. Marie-Anna Landry-Duval led SHCS in terms of receptions with five. There are so many teams in co-ed that limit their offence because they don’t fully involve the women. Both these teams have understood the importance of completing passes to everyone and they are reaping the rewards.

 

Week 9 Team of the Week:

Generally, I limit my team of the week to only players from co-ed. This week, since there were no games in co-ed 2 I needed a larger pool of players to choose from so I included women’s division players in this week’s Team of the Week.

Offence:

Quarterback: Francois Deslauriers (Party Mix) 23 completions, 275 passing yards, 7 TDs, 0 INTs, 137.4 QB Rating

Receiver:Emilie Tardif (Fleur de Lys) 7 receptions, 78 receiving yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Darryl Dorcely (Speed Academy) 3 receptions, 72 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Emma Racine (Party Mix) 4 receptions, 107 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Emilie Pfeiffer-Badoux (Fleur de Lys) 7 receptions, 89 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Constance Millaire (District) 8 receptions, 82 receiving yards, 1 TD

Defence:

Rusher: Tam Vilaydeth (Power Rangers) 2 tackles, 2 sacks

Defensive Back: Lucas Veluire (Midtown) 8 tackles, 1 PD

Defensive Back: Amelia Desrochers (Team Texas) 3 tackles, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Valerie Verdi (Power Rangers) 1 tackle, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Alexandra Flacon-Korb (Spartiates) 4 tackles, 3 PDs

Defensive Back: Laurence Lamy (Party Mix) 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 defensive TD

 

Week 10 Predictions:

Co-ed 1:

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (1-6) vs 3 Hunnas (0-7): This is 3 Hunnas best chance at securing their first win of the season. Unfortunately for them, Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce just played their best game of the season. 3 Hunnas will not be able to keep up with SHCS if they play like they did last week.

Prediction: Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

Michael Scott’s Tots (2-5) vs 3rd Down for What (4-3): Michael Scott’s Tots have been adding pieces throughout the season. They have found a few players to fill out their roster. They have transitioned from a co-ed 2 team to a co-ed 1 team. However, they do not have the force to rival  a heavyweight like 3rd Down for What.

Prediction: 3rd Down for What

Party Mix (5-1-1) vs Speed Academy (4-2-1): When these two teams played back in week 2, the game finished in a 32-32 draw. Since then, Party Mix have evolved into one of the best teams in the division. Emma Racine has been unstoppable and their defence has created turnovers. Simply put, Party Mix got better while Speed Academy stayed the same.

Prediction: Party Mix

Power Rangers (5-2) vs Midtown (6-1): Last week, I bet against Midtown and they proved me wrong. Well, I haven’t learnt from my mistakes because I am picking against Midtown once again. I think Power Rangers are a more athletic and experienced team.

Prediction: Power Rangers

Co-ed 2:

ATH Squad (7-0) vs Yin & Yang (6-1): ATH Squad is 7-0, but I think that undefeated run will come to a bitter end this week. No team has got close to Yin & Yang in recent weeks. This will be a close game, but Y&Y will win and claim the top seed.

Prediction: Yin & Yang

Tigers (0-7) vs Dream Crushers (6-1): Tigers had their chances to win their first game ever, except that ship has now sailed. Dream Crushers are one of the heavyweights and they should be able to close out their season with a win in this one.

Prediction: Dream Crushers

Rhinos (2-5) vs A-Town (1-6): Despite their 2-5 record, the Rhinos have not had an awful season. They were within a point of beating ATH Squad and nearly beat Kiss My End Zone earlier in the season.

Prediction: Rhinos

Kiss My End Zone (5-2) vs It’s a Match (3-4): Kiss My End Zone finally found their stride last week with a convincing win over Tigers. They should be able to continue their winning ways in this one.

Prediction: Kiss My End Zone

Js (3-4) vs La Secte (2-5): Js have been improving. No one has found a solution to covering Adrien Dusautois and I do not think La Secte will be able to stop him either.

Prediction: Js

Women’s division:

District (5-2) vs Rookies (0-7): District are one of the best teams in the division. As much as I would love to see The Rookies win their first game, this is not the match for it.

Prediction: District

Spartiates (3-4) vs Fleur de Lys (5-2): Even though Spartiates surprised me last week, I do not think they will be able to do so again this week. Fleur de Lys have some exceptional athletes that I do not think Spartiates will be able to cover.

Prediction: Fleur de Lys

Ahuntsic Girls (2-5) vs Team Texas (6-1): Team Texas need to win this game to clinch the top seed in the division. The Ahuntsic Girls will not be able to get in Team Texas’ way on their quest to finish atop the division.

Prediction: Team Texas

 

I hope you all enjoyed this co-ed article, and good luck to everyone in this last week of action. This is your last chance to make a push in the standings so make sure to bring your A-game to the field!

As always, if you have anything to say about the article, feel free to reach out to me by email at [email protected]