The Ants go Marching 3×3 in Week 3’s Sunday Triple Header!

Hello again CO-ED 3! Did you miss me?! Well I missed you! Most teams have played 2 games already, but the season is just starting to heat up. I have been nailing my predictions for this season so far (and probably just jinxed it), and this week we have even less games to predict, so I’m hoping to hit a perfect score! It is getting incredibly cold out there so bundle up everyone because FPF stops for nothing!

So let’s not waste time with any lengthy introductions, and jump right into Week 3 of FPF while we look at how Week 2 played out.

FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH:

BANDIT(E)s got their first win right out the gate! I had only predicted them to be 2-8. Did I severely underestimate them? They defeated DREAMKILLERS, who now find themselves with the 3 other teams to yet get wins. It was Xavier Parent and not Vincent Richard, who took the QB position and was able to put up 4 TDs and 40 rushing yards. Bringing in 4 INTs against DREAM KILLERS was enough to shut them down! Another performance like that as a group and BANDIT(E)s will be able to split up the PERFECT STRANGERS. *PSA: Despite losing the game, Noémy Fortin Hurtubise put up an incredible 172 Passing Yards this game!*

I’m surprised… I thought on paper, that ECLIPSE would beat P’TITS VITES! Even when I look at the game stats I can see that ECLIPSE got more Tackles and PDs, and an equal amount of INTs, yet, lost because they could not put up the 4 TDs needed to win most CO-ED 3 games! ECLIPSE was able to score 30pts in their first games, so was this a case of small mistakes piling up, or did they hit a team that can actually hit back? Zachary Vincent definitely clapped back during that game during his role as #1 receiver. Scoring 3 TDs, Zach seems to be a 1 man wrecking crew! How will they fare against one of CO-ED 3’s undefeated teams – BLOCK PARTY?

While most games were blow outs in Week 1, this week seemed to have a few closer matches! SHOW ME YOUR TDs was able to sneak the win over FLAMINGOS (as predicted), but by less than a TD, 37-32. The closest game however, goes to CO-ED 3’s first OVERTIME game: THUNDER VILLAINS vs AT LEAST WE TRIED! If the play-by-play and Iggy’s breakdown on calling the Audible is to be believed, Terry Babalis and Isabelle Poirier were able to score on the last play of the game and also get the 2pt conversion to tie the game up! Unfortunately, they were unable to hold onto the tie, since, thanks to our new O.T. rule, FPF demands a winner! To make a long story long: AT LEAST WE TRIED came away with the win after being forced to go for 2 (THUNDER VILLAINS succeeded on their 1pt convert) and get to slink back into hibernation until February!

BLOCK PARTY remains, not only at 2-0, but also as the #1 seed! No receiver has hit 100 Yards left for this team yet, but Fabrice Robillard has had moderate success at spreading the ball and avoiding negative plays. They have been able to put up 60 points in 2 games! Charles David will have to keep his turnovers down if P’TITS VITES will want to finally be able to put a stop to this PARTY!

My team (MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS) got to face off against close competition, but also, long time friends: HALF N’ HALF! Having played with Gabriel Wiseman, Tahnyus Steer, Jahmaal Roach, and Malakai Roach before, it is always a pleasure to see them on the field and play against them! Gabe seems to have taken up the position of Coach and can be found at most games on the sidelines with HALF N’ HALF, giving advice and coaching some positions! Despite his affinity for being a Rusher’s nightmare, MST’s Kenny Boutilier only ran a few times, choosing instead to focus on spreading the ball and practicing his plays.But it was still enough for Camille Ste-Marie to come away from their encounter with 3 sacks! Returning the favor, our very own Nadia Plummer was able to sack Malakai twice in her debut as a rusher!

This was the Week of the RUSHER!! Only 1 QB got to run for over 50 yards this week, and that was: Alexandre Meunier! Surprisingly enough, half of the rushers – 6 of 12 – came away from last week with 2 or more sacks! QBs better adjust quickly to the tenacity and speed of these rushers because there seems to be many talented ones in this division.

Oh boy! If i’m not mistaken, all teams that have only played 1 game so far… are off this week! AIGRE-DOUX, BANDIT(E), PERFECT STRANGERS, and FLAMINGOS all come back next week to get their 2nd game played. Meaning that while some teams are getting to their 4th game (almost 50%) of their season, these teams will be looking to play only game #2. This imbalance in Games Played should allow some of the lower teams to get some streaks going before the stronger teams have a chance to get their footing!

A QUICK GLANCE AT THE COMPETITION:

MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS

Well, it’s been 10 years since we’ve been promised College Tuition by a man named Michael Scott and now we are here to collect! I consider MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS to be a staple of the lower CO-ED Divisions having been assembled in 2018, and taking a quick Covid break, but resurfacing last winter. Previously the roster was made up of friends that had not done much extracurricular sports together, but with Evan Ely Nolet at the helm, we regularly made it to the Semi-Finals, but could never surpass that everest. Now years later the team has transformed! Kenny Boutilier, our defensive juggernaut and now QB extraordinaire, has become the core of the team taking care of both Offense and Defense! He has been practicing at the QB position and after an All-Star performance in the Tier 4 in fall, is looking to see if lightning can strike twice. Thankfully, we have been able to bring some great new recruits into CO-ED 3 that have shown to be better than we could have hoped for! Jean-Christophe Pelchat is currently the #1 target and receiver, but that has not stopped Cristina Ionescu and Chloe Brazeau-Gelinas from stepping up and making a big splash on the offense! Each of them currently have a TD and can need to be covered to prevent easy 1st downs.

Defensively, Gabrielle Perucic returns in a big way! Having missed Week 1, she makes her presence known with an awesome and much needed INT! We have returning member Sebastien Lamy and also his brother Philippe Lamy who have both shown, it doesn’t matter where you put them on the field, they can make magic happen. Joining MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS in 2023, Seb has been nice enough to follow us into multiple divisions and bring the intensity each time (A la New Knee Pads)! And now with Nadia Plummer pulling in some sacks and finding her rhythm on defense, MICHAEL SCOTT’s TOTS is ready to graduate High School ball and go to the promised land: College!

Predictions: 6-4

BLOCK PARTY

WOO WEE! BLOCK PARTY surprised me in Week 1 when they beat DREAMKILLERS, and now they are 2-0 with the most points scored in the Division! Fabrice Robillard finds himself atop the QB charts, fighting Darryl Dorcely for 1st place. With 7 TDs in 2 games, Fabrice is slowly building himself up as a solid QB for this team! It helps that he has all the usual suspects along for the ride, and they are showing up to PARTY! #1 target is Reka Sivasubramaniyam which is not surprising in the least – Reka plays multiple teams per season and can be found all throughout CO-ED. She has solid hands and can put up 150+ Yards if given the chance! So you think, “Fine, I’ll just make sure to cover her and pressure the QB -” NOPE! Incoming: Max-Edouard Dadaille. 3 catches – 3 TDs – 1 game. Look to him to be a threat everywhere since he can put up 200+ yards and 5 TDs a season.

I was going to mention Mohammed Nechchad since he is also killing it on offense with almost 100 yards and 2 TDs, but I figured I’d wait for defense….. Oh look! Defense! Shout out to Mohammed Nechchad and Marc Antoine Martin for starting this defense off with some PICK-6s! Rounding out this team is Samora Fanta Sacko, who had a great showing in Spring of 2023 and Urline Constant, who Tackled an astounding 29 unfortunate souls. This unit has clicked so far this season and if Gerry Vincent can repeat his Winter season of 2023 and get another 6 INTs, BLOCKED PARTY may just dance all over CO-ED 3!

Predictions: 7-3

DEATH BATTLE BREAKDOWN:

HALF N’ HALF vs ECLIPSE

A roster of 12, ECLIPSE have ensured that everyone gets a bit of play time. Dos Vas can clearly buy time with his legs to get his receivers open which he will need to do when you have Camille Ste-Marie running after you! The question is, what happens if Dos Vas can beat Camille Ste-Marie, OR if Camille Ste-Marie takes the QB position again? Will we see Gabriel Wiseman come out of semi-rushing-retirement to put the pressure on Dos Vas if it means getting his team the win? The good news is, even if Gabe comes to rush, ECLIPSE seems to have a great depth of players on defense! 2/3rds of their defense has a few PDs and a bunch of tackles! They haven’t allowed teams to score more than 3 TDs and that could be problematic for HALF N’ HALF who have only scored 1 TD in each of their games.

HALF N’ HALF may be still working out the kinks on offense, but keeping THUNDER VILLAINS to 19 points is impressive, as well as each QB having at least 60% accuracy rate! The 1 thing hurting HALF N’ HALF are the turnovers. This team has the potential to be a contender and knock people out of the playoffs, but if they don’t solidify their offense soon, they may find themselves fighting an uphill battle to stay out of the Elimination Zone. ECLIPSE will just need to continue their game plan to win, while HALF N’ HALF will need to find a new formula… and change is hard. I predict ECLIPSE takes this until HNH can find their footing.

Prediction: HALF N’ HALF 12 – 20 ECLIPSE

ZACK’S TOP WEEKLY PICKS:

QB (1): Fabrice Robillard (BLOCK PARTY) – 22 Attempts / 13 Completions (59.1%), 203 Yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, 2 Sacks

QB (2): Athena Ryan (FLAMINGOS) – 33 Attempts / 13 Completions (39.4%), 189 Yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs, 0 Sacks

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WR (1): Will Champagne (FLAMINGOS) – 5 Targets / 4 Receptions (80%), 86 Yards, 4 TDs

WR (2): Max-Edouard Dadaille (BLOCK PARTY) – 5 Targets / 3 Receptions (60%), 83 Yards, 3 TDs

WR (3): Jérémi Thompson OReilly (THUNDER VILLAINS) – 16 Targets / 13 Receptions (81.25%), 114 Yards, 2 TDs

WR (4): Zachary Vincent (P’TITS VITES) – 10 Targets / 6 Receptions (60%), 25 Yards, 3 TDs

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DB (1): Clara Gravel (SHOW ME YOUR TDS) – 1 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD

DB (2): Gabrielle Perucic (MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS) – 4 Tackles, 1 INT

DB (3): Alexis Dupuis (SHOW ME YOUR TDS) – 2 Tackle, 1 INT, 1 PD

DB (4): Tony Lalla (ECLIPSE) – 3 Tackles, 3 PDs

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RUSHER (1): Mathias St-Jean (DREAMKILLERS) – 3 Tackles, 3 Sacks

RUSHER (2): Nicolas Mallette (P’TITS VITES) – 0 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 1 INT

GAMES OF THE WEEK:

HALF N’ HALF vs ECLIPSE

MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS vs THUNDER VILLAINS (CAN’T VOTE ON MY TEAM’S GAMES)

SHOW ME YOUR TDS vs DREAMKILLERS

BLOCK PARTY vs P’TITS VITES

Prediction Record: 7-2

That’s it for Week 3! The season is well underway and we are gonna start seeing Teams pull away from the pack! Get your early wins in while you can! If there is an idea or upcoming milestone you might want me to write about/cover in my articles, don’t be a stranger, let me know! If you want to see more accurate info about your teams, your players, your rivalries – send them to me! Comments, Criticisms, and Concerns are welcome… unless it’s about my Capitalization of random words. I stand by them! Also, check out the new episode of Calling the Audible – the official FPF podcast – available on Youtube and …. Probably somewhere else too!