Categories: Co-EdCo-Ed 2DivisionWomen's

Reviews and Previews from Coed and the Women’s Division

We have reached a little bit of a lull in the season. With no games scheduled for the St-Jean and Canada day long weekends, there are very few games being played in either week 4 or 5. There are just 4 games scheduled to be played in week 4 and five in week 5. While that means everyone might be getting a well-deserved break in the middle of a very packed schedule, it also means I have especially little to write about for the next few weeks. My plan for next week is to publish power rankings for each division. If there is anything else you would like to see me include, feel free to send me an email at [email protected] With that being said, let’s jump into the week that was in Coed and the Women’s division.

Week 3 Games of the Week

3HUNNAS (13) vs Blue Wave (12) – Coed 2

While this might not have been the most exciting game of the season in terms of offensive production, it saw a little bit of everything defensively. After a grand total of 0 points scored in the first half, both offenses sort of came to life in the second. 3HUNNAS just outscored Blue Wave 13-12 to escape with the win in this one. Fittingly, the game ended with a defensive hold by 3HUNNAS.

As 3HUNNAS struggled to move the ball in this one, the central question around this team remains who will be their quarterback moving forwards. Anthony Sotomayor and Marc Antoine Martin both took snaps under center in this one but neither looked extremely convincing. Marc Antoine Martin took a majority of the snaps, 25, and struggled the most. He threw for just 42 yards and was picked off once. In other words, he was averaging less than 2 yards of offence per attempted pass. Simple mathematics will tell you that averaging 2 yards per play when you have 4 plays to gain 10 yards is a recipe for disaster. Thankfully, Anthony Sotomayor was able to turn things around in the second half. He threw for nearly 100 yards and scored all of 3HUNNAS points without turning the ball over once. 3HUNNAS need to decide who their quarterback is going to be in a hurry. While they were able to squeak out a victory in this one despite average quarterback play and only scoring 13 points, that is not a formula for long term success.

What makes finding a quarterback even more important for this team is the fact that they are loaded with talented receivers. Etienne-Jean Bertin has spent a few seasons with this team and is finally emerging as one of the top receivers in Coed 2. He proved that in this match versus Blue Wave by catching all five passes thrown his way for a total of 63 yards and a score. Despite playing QB most of the game, Marc Antoine Martin made the most of his 10 snaps at the receiver position. He caught two passes for 34 yards and finished this game as his team’s second leading receiver. While you might think the list of talented 3H receivers ends there, it keeps going. Reka Sivasubramaniyam is one of the top snappers in the division. She made the all-star team this year and I am waiting for her to have a breakout game this season. One of the most surprising parts of this game was that Nykolas Pierre-Masse was held to one catch for no yards. Pierre-Masse is an elite level athlete who has dominated at all levels of FPF and tackle football. 

As for Blue Wave, they also have issues at the quarterback position. While Jonathan Cantin might be this team’s quarterback, he has been struggling this season. He is clearly a great athlete. He is third in the division in terms of rushing yards and is also tied for the division lead as a defender with four interceptions. While he might be excelling with his legs and defensively, his arm has been letting him down this season. He is averaging less than 100 passing yards per game and has only thrown 11 touchdowns. In this game, Cantin threw for 75 yards, two scores, and an interception. Despite playing the most games in the division so far (5) they have the second least points scored.

While Blue Wave should be worried about their quarterback play, they have one of the strongest contingent of female players in this division. Carie-Ann Auger and Maryse Paquette are this team’s leading receivers and have accounted for over half of their offensive production. I do not remember the last time I saw a Coed team with two females as their leading receivers. Defensively, this team is getting production across the board. Cantin leads the team with four interceptions but they have also produced five interceptions from their female players which is phenomenal. This team is one of the most exciting in Coed 2. They have a fantastic group of female receivers and a ball hawking secondary. With slightly improved quarterback play this is a team that could make waves in Coed 2 for years to come.

Kiss My Outlaws (34) vs Les Petits Phoques (27) – Coed 1

After losing their first game of the season to EZFun in week 2, Kiss My Outlaws were looking to get back on a winning track in week 3 with a win over Les Petits Phoques and that is exactly what they did with a 34-27 victory.

While they might have escaped with the win in this one, it was not a perfect game for KMO. They turned the ball over for the first time this season and struggled on converts, converting only twice.

Stephen Harripersaud has gotten off to a dream start to his Coed career. After three games, he leads the division in QB rating with a 133.3 He has also yet to throw an interception and has only been sacked once. If you compare him to the gold standard of Coed 1 passers, Sara Parker, he is averaging more yards per game (209 vs 208) and more touchdowns per game (5.3 vs 5) than Parker. While his offensive output is extremely similar to Parker’s, he has done all that while throwing 6 less interceptions and being sacked 5 fewer times.  Harripersaud is off to a great start, but I think he can reach an even higher gear. Joey Notaro is currently KMO’s leading receiver. While Notaro is a great player with fantastic speed, this team also has the likes of Isiah Allard and Kevin Donnet. Allard is amongst the best receivers in FPF and Donnet has posted killer numbers with the Vultures franchise. The two have combined for just over 115 yards with Isiah Allard doing most of the damage. Allard does lead this team in touchdowns with four despite recording less than 100 receiving yards. While it is great to see Harripersaud and Notaro developing chemistry, there are other weapons on this team that can help KMO elevate their game to a whole other level.

Despite all the praise I am heaping on Harripersaud, this game did not go exactly according to script for the KMO quarterback. After LPP scored on their first two possessions to take a 14-6 lead, KMO had the chance to march down the field and even the score. Instead of moving the chains as they have all season, KMO threw four consecutive incomplete passes and turned the ball over on downs for the first time all season. It was not until late in the second half that KMO finally got back on a level playing field. Alexi Dubois (yes, me) intercepted Alexandre Poulin-Rioux in the endzone to hand the ball back over to Harripersaud and the KMO offence. They swiftly marched back down the field to take the lead. From there, the game turned into a score for score affair with each team exchanging the lead. With around 90 seconds until the final five plays of the match, Harripersaud connected with Kevin Donnet for the go ahead score and followed that up with a 2-point convert to take a 7-point lead. What that meant was LPP had around 1 minute of playing time and five plays to march the field and score. They did not get that far. After gaining 7 yards on first down, their offence stalled, and they failed to complete on either 2nd or 3rd down which set the scene for a crucial 4th down with 5 plays left in the game. Alexandre Poulin-Rioux took the snap and rolled to his left. He had two crossing routes in front of him and tried to loft the ball over to KMO’s Raphaelle Pelland’s  head to connect with the deeper crosser for a first down. The 5’2 Pelland came up huge, leaping in the air to knock down the pass and seal the win for KMO.

As for Les Petits Phoques, they need to be proud of their performance. They kept up with KMO and even led this game for most of it, all without their franchise quarterback, Dom Lefort. With Lefort in the lineup, his speed and agility add a whole extra dimension to their offensive playbook. Instead of only having to be worried about their talented receivers like Alexis Ferrand and Laurianne Bonin, you also have to dedicate resources to stopping the run game. Poulin-Rioux did an admirable job of filling in for Lefort in his absence, but this LPP team is far better with Lefort under center. If there is one area where this team can improve it is their defence. In this game they managed only one stop and did not record a single interception or sack. Simply put, they are lacking playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. They only have four interceptions in their first five games played. While this team is fantastic at limiting yards after the catch and forcing teams to third and fourth down, they are lacking the kind of defensive playmaker that can make a game winning interception.

Week 3 Team of the Week

Every week, I will name 12 players to the team of the week. If you make the offensive team of the week, you cannot be on the defensive one and vice versa. The team of the week will be compromised of players from Coed 1, Coed 2 and the Women’s division. Only stats will be considered when choosing players for the team of the week. That means 100 receiving yards in Coed 1 is equivalent to 100 receiving yards in Coed 2. In the spirit of the Coed division, every team of the week will have a minimum of two female players on the offensive and defensive team.

Offence

Quarterback: Ignacio Valdes Manzanedo (Kiss My End Zone) 24 completions, 228 passing yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Dimitri Melsbach (Les Princesses) 8 receptions, 100 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Marilou Côté Noël (Sneaky Snakes) 7 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Marie-Pier Dalpé (Les P’tites Miettes) 4 receptions, 60 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Riley Pincombe (Iced Out) 3 receptions, 74 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Emmanuel Brûlé (Iced Out) 2 receptions, 72 yards, 2 TDs

Defence

Rusher: Julien Proulx (Les Petits Phoques) 3 sacks

Defensive Back: Quaysie Gordon-Maule (Fast Not Furious) 2 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Rachelle Vallieres (Red Nation) 3 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PD, 2 TDs

Defensive Back: Cassie Levy (Strangers) 1 tackle, 2 INTs   

Defensive Back: James Drysdale (Kiss My End Zone) 2 INTs, 1 PD

Defensive Back: Mélisande Guertin (Les P’tites Miettes) 1 tackle, 2 INTs, 1 PD, 1 INT

Week 4 Predictions:

The Justice League (2-2) vs EZFun (3-1) – Coed 1

The only matchup in Coed 1 this week is a great one! The top seeded team, EZFun, is taking on who I consider to be the most talented team in the division, The Justice League. What makes this game even more interesting is that they faced off in week 3 and TJL escaped with a 25-18 victory. While they might have won that game, EZFun were without their starting quarterback Jeremy White who is expected to be back for this pivotal encounter.

What has me worried for TJL was the performance of Sara Parker in their last match. She threw for less than 150 yards and only scored once. In part, she struggled because she was missing most of her preferred targets. Serge Pilon was in Kingston for the weekend for a Canadian wide touch football tournament which left this offence without their most important weapon.

The prospect of a fully loaded Justice League going head-to-head with EZFun with Jeremy White at quarterback is one that has me on the edge of my seat. That being said, I think EZFun will be able to exploit a weakness. TJL has only recorded two sacks all season, both courtesy of Kerdley Micourt. Two sacks in four games is definitely not an impressive stat line and without an effective rusher, containing Jeremy White is next to impossible. This will be a high scoring affair, but TJL’s lack of rusher will be their demise.

Prediction: EZFun

3HUNNAS (4-1) vs Kiss My End Zone (3-0) – Coed 2

This is 3HUNNAS chance at revenge after Kiss My End Zone knocked them out of the playoffs last year in the semifinals in a game that got chippier than it needed to be. 3HUNNAS are now coming into this game with an impressive 4-1 record and as the top seed in the division. On the other hand, KMEZ are a perfect 3-0 and a win in this one could project them into the top spot in the standings.

The glaring question in this game is who will start at quarterback for 3HUNNAS. If Marc Antoine Martin is under center, KMEZ will be licking their chops. There is nothing that this defensive unit loves more than a QB who cannot stretch the field. They will clog up the middle of the field, force messy interceptions and limit yards after the catch. If Anthony Sotomayor has the reins of the offence, everything changes.

As for KMEZ, this will be a great test for their quarterback Ignacio Valdes Manzanedo. He carved up Gorillas and Iced Out last week on his way to amassing QB of the week honors but neither one of those defences are as good as 3HUNNAS’, who love playing man-to-man. For Valdes Manzanedo to excel in this one, his ball placement will need to be perfect. While Valdes Manzanedo’s strength lies in reading a zone defence, I have more faith in his abilities than whoever will start for 3H.

Prediction: Kiss My End Zone

Red Nation (1-1) vs Villa (1-1)

Red Nation are riding high after a come from behind win to beat the surging Strangers in week 3 and they are looking to carry that momentum into this fourth week of action against a Villa team that looked overwhelmingly mediocre versus Les P’tites Miettes last week.

The strength of this Villa team resides in their defence. In just two games, they have recorded an outstanding eight interceptions. An average of four picks a game is phenomenal and speaks to the talent level on this defence and how well they are coached.

On the other hand, Allyson Sobol who is the quarterback for Red Nation has struggled with turnovers all season. She has already thrown seven picks so facing off against a team like Villa is not going to make her life any easier. As a matter of fact when these two teams faced off in week 1 she was intercepted five times.

I do see this game going differently than the first matchup. Sobol is improving as a passer and the Red Nation defense is notoriously difficult to score against so even if she does turnover the ball, she can trust her defence to bail her out. While I definitely do not expect Red Nation to throw five picks, this Villa defence will still be too much for them to overcome.

Prediction: Villa

There you have your week 3 article for Coed and the Women’s division. As always, I can be reached at [email protected] with any questions or input!

Good luck to everyone this week.