Categories: Co-EdCo-Ed 2ComplementaryWomen's

Reviews and Previews From Coed and Women’s Divisions

Generally, as the season moves along my predictions improve. This season, things are going in the other direction. Ever since my power rankings came out, lower ranked teams have been causing upset after upset defeating teams that are higher in the rankings and this week is no exception. Coed 1 was full of surprises with both of the top teams losing, more on that in the games of the week. Before getting into the usual segments, let’s do a division-by-division recap to catch up on the madness that has been the past few weeks.

Coed 1 Recap

It was quite the week in Coed 1! I am genuinely not sure which was the bigger upset: EZFun beating Party Mix or Bishop Sycamore beating Power Rangers (PP). While the results of those games left many reeling, they did not change very much in the standings. Party Mix are still in first place with Power Rangers a game back. Where things start to get interesting is in third place. EZFun are in third place but have the same record as Party Mix and have the advantage in the tiebreaker since they have the head-to-head win. If they win both of their week 7 games, they could leapfrog into first place. Could Coed 1 turn into a Party Mix vs EZFun showdown instead of the PM vs PP one we all expected. Well by some weird fate of the scheduling gods, PM and EZFun are playing each other two more times before the end of the season. If EZFun can win just one of those games, they could be the #1 seed heading into the playoffs.

Coed 2

While things might be looking pretty good for Kiss My End Zone now in Coed 2, the toughest part of their schedule is still ahead. They do not have any easy games left and will face off against their bitter rivals Y&Y twice before the end of the season. They also have a second date with Fitsquad, the only team to have beaten KMEZ so far this season. Long story short, while KMEZ’s 5-1 record and +100 points differential might look impressive, they still have quite a bit to prove. Right behind KMEZ, there are a few teams just waiting for them to slip up. The most intriguing team in this division is definitely 3HUNNAS. Ever since George Jean Louis has taken over at quarterback, this team has been on fire. He has barely set a foot wrong all season, throwing for 17 scores and 0 picks. Fitsquad must be staring in the rear-view mirror at this point because 3HUNNAS are riding their rear end closer then that pickup truck following you in the left lane of the 401. Last week also featured one of the most unique score lines I have ever seen. 3HUNNAS beat Team Commando 33-1. Yes, to one. I presume Commando’s only point of the game came when they returned a 3HUNNAS 1-point convert.

Women’s 1

Last week was not a very good one for my Women’s 1 prediction. I said that Bleu Poud would claim the first seed with a win over Les Bleus and that Concordia would upset Les Brutes to get their season back on track. I was wrong on both counts. The Women’s season is only 8 games long so the picture we have now with most teams having played 6 games is nearly final.At this point I would be shocked if any team other than Les Bleus finished in the top spot. Even if they are upset by Les Brutes, I have a feeling that the tiebreakers will keep them in the number 1 seed. With Bleu Poud having just one game left to play against a 3-3 Flamants Roses team I think it is a pretty fair assumption to make that Bleu Poud are locked in as the second seed. With six of seven teams qualifying for the playoffs, the real race is for the 6th seed which Concordia are holding onto. For The Rock to climb out of last place and into the playoffs, they would need Concordia to lose their last game while also winning their last two. If Griffons lose their final four games of the season The Rock would also qualify for the playoffs. While things are not looking great for The Rock, they still have a path to the postseason.

Women’s 2

We have a critical game coming up this week in the Women’s 2 division. The top seeded Volts are facing off against the only team that can mathematically catch them in the standings, Red Nation. If Red Nation can pull off the upset that means they would have the same record as Volts. However, the win would not be enough to claim top spot. A Red Nation win would mean that these teams would have the same number of wins (tiebreaker #1), a split head-to-head record (tiebreaker #2) and an identical divisional record (tiebreaker #3) which means that the team with the least points against would take the top seed. Volts currently have 32 less points allowed then Red Nation. What that means for Red Nation is not only do they need to beat the Volts, but they also need to beat them big. At the other end of this division VC Cubs and Strangers are also duking it out for the third spot. Realistically, if either one of these teams win another game, that should be enough to lockup the three seed.

Week 6 Game of the Week:

Power Mix (25) vs EZFun (26) – Coed 1

EZFun have been flying under the radar and that may be partially my fault. Having played EZFun in the Fall (and losing to them twice) I did not find that they had the aura of other Coed 1 heavy hitters. Boy was I ever wrong. This team has risen to the occasion week after week. What impressed me the most about their win is that they found a way to get it done without Charles-Olivier Lavgine.

This win all started with Jeremy White. He did just enough to get his team the victory in this one. Despite completing just 50% of his passes, he managed to pass for 175 yards, 4 TDs and most crucially, not a single interception. The success of this offense comes from their ability to spread the ball. Boucher-Cyr led the charge with four receptions for 60 yards and two scores. Jean-Christophe Ferland and Nicolas Blais also both caught four passes. However, the biggest improvement that this team has made is the involvement of their female players in the offence. The duo of Annabelle Boutin and Rosalie Ouimet were targeted seven times and caught four passes for nearly 50 yards and a score. While there is still room for improvement, this is a net improvement over previous games. Ouimet had a total of 9 receiving yards over her first four games while Boutin had more receiving yards in this game then she did all season. While it might have taken a season and a half, the women on this team are finally taking the next step and White is trusting them more and more. As this connection strengthens, EZFun will only get better and that is a truly terrifying thought for other teams in the division.

Defensively, the story is very similar to the one of offence. EZFun did just enough to secure the win. While White led the charge on offence Nicolas Blais was the defensive leader. His interception was the most important play in this game and ultimately led EZFun to victory. Other than the interception, EZFun’s tackling was superb. Party Mix is a team that relies on yards after the catch to move the ball so when you see Blais with 6 tackles and White with three you know they are limiting those all-important yards after the catch. It looks like EZFun might have found a formula to success. Their defence is good enough to cause opposing quarterbacks headaches by limiting big plays. This forces the opposing team to march the field and increases the chances that they make a mistake and EZFun have the ball hawks in their defence to pounce on the slightest error and turn it into an interception. As long as White can stay turnover free like he did in this one, EZFun will be a daunting team to stop for anyone.

I have already talked extensively about Party Mix so there is not much more to say. However, I think there are two main issues preventing this team from ruling over the division with an iron fist. The first is the injury to Marilou Côté Noël. She is one of the best rushers in the division and she was very obviously missed in this one. White was able to scramble at will and buy loads of time for his receivers. With Côté Noël rushing him, he would not have had half as much time. With Côté Noël out, Party Mix used a slew of different rushers in this game. Not one was able to sack White. With so many mobile quarterbacks in the division, Party Mix need Côté Noël back in the worst way possible. Party Mix’s other issue is the spotty presence of superstar receiver and defensive back Alexis Gaumont. While he might have been listed as present for this one I did not see him in the game or on the sidelines. Disregarding this game, he has only been there for two games all season. For anyone who watched the game of the week between Power Ranger and Party Mix, it is clear how much of an impact he can have. He brings much needed size and speed to this older and shorter roster. All Gaumont needs to do is show up. With him and Côté Noël in the lineup, I like this team’s odds against anyone.

Week 6 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. I will name one team of the week for both Coed divisions combined and a separate team of the week for the Women’s division. You can make the team of the week in both divisions. For the Coed team of the week, there will always be a minimum of two women on the offensive and defensive team.

Coed

Offence

Quarterback: George Jean Louis (3HUNNAS) 9 completions, 163 passing yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Vincent Marquis (Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) 4 receptions, 70 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Alexandra Falcon-Korb (Fitsquad) 2 receptions, 62 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Clovis Desrochers (Team Commandos) 5 receptions, 91 yards

Receiver: Maxime Boucher-Cyr (EZFun) 4 receptions, 69 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Emilie Pfeiffer-Badoux (Party Mix) 4 receptions, 50 yards

Defence

Rusher: Gerry Vincent (3HUNNAS) 3 sacks

Defensive Back: Hugo Quintin (Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) 3 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD

Defensive Back: David de Andrade (Kiss My End Zone) 1 tackle, 3 INTs

Defensive Back: Valerie Frappier (La Secte) 1 tackle, 1 INT   

Defensive Back: Constance Millaire (Power Rangers) 1 tackle, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Nicolas Blais (EZFun) 6 tackles, 1 INT

Women’s

Offence

Quarterback: Vanessa Birri (Flamants Roses): 19 completions, 198 passing yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Orielie D’Anjou-Drouin (Brutes) 10 receptions, 130 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Emilie Pfeiffer-Badoux (Les Bleus) 9 receptions, 104 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Sana Ali (Concordia) 9 receptions, 82 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Lauriane Beauchamp (Flamants Roses) 6 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Catherine Gaumont (Bleu Poud) 8 receptions, 78 yards, 1 TD

Defence

Rusher: Noemie Olmand (Les Bleus) 1 tackle, 2 sacks

Defensive Back: Lamees Aljoundi (Red Nation) 1 tackle, 2 INTs

Defensive Back: Lauriane Beauchamp (Flamants Roses) 4 tackles, 2 INTs

Defensive Back: Jasmine Farmer (Bleu Poud) 4 tackles, 2 INTs 1 TD

Defensive Back: Marilou Peterson (Flamants Roses) 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 PD

Defensive Back: Virginie Rouselle (Brutes) 1 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD

Week 7 Predictions:

Volts (4-2) vs Red Nation (3-3) – Women’s 2

I described earlier the tie-breaking scenarios if Red Nation win this game. However, I do not think it will come to that. Volts will spare us all the headache by winning this one. Marie-Lune Foczeny the best passer in the Women’s 2 division. She has only thrown 3 interceptions all season despite facing the likes of les Flamants Roses and Bleu Poud. To give you an idea of how impressive she has been, Foczeny has thrown half as many interceptions as Sara Parker, the greatest female quarterback in FPF history, has this season.

When you couple a smart quarterback like Foczeny with a lethal defence, you have a winning combination and that is exactly what Volts have. The names Béatrice Tremblay and Ophélie Richard are enough to strike fear into the hearts of any opposing quarterback. They each have four interceptions and I see them adding to their totals in this one.

Prediction: Volts

Griffons (2-2) vs Brutes (4-1) – Women’s 1

Griffons are a very hard team to analyze. They have only played four games this season and their last outing dates back to March 6th. With a roster of players that are all new to FPF and such a small sample size, it is very difficult to evaluate this team. What I do know is that this team has a few absolute star players. Catherine Imbeault has been unstoppable so far averaging over 50 receiving yards and nearly two touchdowns a game. Gabriella Dulac is on pace for a 500 yard season in just 8 games which is phenomenal. Where this team needs players to start stepping up is on defence. Océanne Samson has been playing lights out football and has four interceptions already. However, the rest of this roster has combined for only 1 pick.

Despite all the praise I have for Griffons, I need to go with the commodity I know and that is Brutes. This team is filled with ball hawks and I expect their secondary to pose serious issues for the Griffons. While an upset might be in the cards here, I have to go with Brutes.

Prediction: Brutes

Kiss My End Zone (5-1) vs Y & Y (3-3) – Coed 2

This game was just too tempting to pass up writing about. This is the first time these two teams are facing off since Y&Y knocked Kiss My End Zone out of the FPF Cup in humiliating fashion with a lopsided win in the first round of the playoffs.

Going into this one, things are looking very different. Most notably, Gino Di Fazio is not throwing for Y&Y since his QB rating is too high. Instead, Robert White has taken over the reins of this offence. While I am a big Robert White fan, he has had a rocky start to the season and he is going to face his toughest task yet in the form of a Kiss My End Zone defence that has conceded a division low 66 points. If White does not learn from the mistakes he made in Y&Y’s loss to La Secte and apply them here, this could be a rough night for the veteran quarterback.

As for KMEZ, the biggest take away has been the improved play of quarterback David de Andrade. After throwing five interceptions in the first three games of the season, he has only thrown two in the next three. With a defence that is allowing just 13 points a game as long as Andrade can limit himself to a turnover or two a game, Kiss My End Zone should like their odds of winning.

As for the prediction, I am going to leave it blank. Last time I analyzed my own team’s game I predicted that we would beat Fitsquad and that wound up being our only loss so far. In the spirit of not jinxing anything, I am leaving this prediction up to you. Let me know in the comments who you think is going to win.

Prediction: you tell me

That’s all for this week folks! Sorry again about getting last week’s article up late. Hopefully I have compensated by getting this one out ahead of schedule.

As always, feel free to email me at [email protected] with any questions, comments or concerns about the article.