The Division C Final: The Infantry tries to right the ship while The Stoics want to be consecutive Spring Final Champions

Both The Infantry and The Stoics are back in FPF’s 2022 Spring Roadshow Finals. The Infantry made it to the finals last year in Division C, but ultimately came up short against Stephen Harripersaud and the Outlaws. With their dejected body language, they left the field thinking only about wanting to be back here and have a chance at redemption. Fast forward one year later (sort of) and The Infantry have accomplished the first part of their mission. The only thing standing in their way of sweet vindication is the feisty Stoics squad.

The Stoics too made it to the finals last year, but not in Division C. They went to the Division D-2 Finals last year and would go on to beat Tuts and Parlays to crown themselves as champions.

Before continuing with the 2 finalists, let’s take a few lines to bow out both the Vultures and Hot Sauce Sports. First of all, I picked both of you to make it to the Finals, so shame on you for making me look bad. Now that we got the important point out of the way, in all seriousness, both teams had a great season, filled with mostly highs and some lows. The Vultures put up record offensive numbers, but ultimately, it was (surprise, surprise) their defense that let them down. 61 points allowed? Not even Kevin Wyeth would like the proposition of scoring 62 points in order to win an FPF game. As for Hot Sauce Sports, they surprised most, ending the season with a solid 7-3 record and finishing 4th overall in a daunting division. To then make it to the final 4, as much as the loss is killing Peeze Della Reeze, he will have the time to think about the season as a whole and he will realize how far him and his teammates have come in their FPF careers. Gotta find the guy a silver lining, and it is not a pity comment.

Back to the teams in the final. When I talk The Infantry waiting for their chance to be back here and for The Stoics to be last Spring’s champions in Div D-2, I am making it seem like we don’t play FPF in between Spring seasons. The fact is that The Stoics have lost a playoff game since then. Their loss to Mongoose in the Winter ’22 playoffs probably still stings Chris Rivest and the team, and are also likely seeking vengeance from that loss. While that will motivate them in this Finals game, they can bank on the experience of their Spring 21′ Championship game against Tuts and Parlays, in which they came out victorious 24-12. While the core of the team is still in tact, down the middle of the field, the team looks a little different this time around. They don’t have “The Glitch” rushing for them, who forced a punt and a 4-and-out in last years final. They also have a new snapper in Omar Chavez, who, while he has been a serviceable replacement to Alexandre Provencher-Rivest, you can tell that he doesn’t have the same chemistry that the Rivest brothers have built over several years. Also, Omar, dude… take off your earrings for the finals please. No one wants to see a game come down to jewelry impacting a playoff game (let alone a Semi-Final game) with a 10-yard penalty on 4th down. While Rivest may not have liked the way in which it was called, the fact is the rules were correctly applied, and the onus is all on the players to take off their jewelry prior to the start of the game. If he was upset at anyone, it should have been with his snapper. BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THE JEWLERY. Otherwise, the QB is same. The one who brings you the Game of the Week series will look to put together another championship performance, but this time on the other side of the camera. Peeze Della Reeze said it best about Chris Rivest on Calling The Audible:

“He’s a gamer. In the playoffs, he’s better, he’s just better. And it’s nothing spectacular, it’s not the way Corey Walwaski is, but it’s just that when he needs to make a throw to keep a drive alive, he does it.”
– Peeze Della Reeze

Alright, let’s breakdown this championship game going through the different matchups, starting with:

The Infantry Offense vs. The Stoics Defense

The Infantry QB vs. The Stoics DBs

After seeing Corey Walwaski this past Tuesday absolutely torch the Vultures defense apart, I have a hard time seeing him slow down the train he’s on. Not only does his physical stature give him an advantage, The Stoics don’t have a tall enough rusher to give Corey any visibility issues, especially in the middle of the field. While The Stoics defense is a cut above the Vulture’s, I can absolutely still see Corey slice and dice this defense (and any Division C defense) apart.

Point for: The Infantry QB

The Infantry QB vs. The Stoics rusher

As alluded to before, whoever The Stoics send at rusher is almost a non-factor. Corey, much like Peeze, is a pocket passer that does not move from his spot, and is a QB that releases the ball the quickly. He wastes no time holding onto the ball, so even the quickest rusher often doesn’t get there. Add to that the height non-factor, and I can’t see The Stoics getting the 4 sacks they got last Spring season.

Point for: The Infantry QB

The Infantry WRs vs. The Stoics DBs

While The Stoics defensive backs have a combination of size (Micky Mensah) and speed (Kevin Boustany, Vincent Cheung) from different individuals, The Infantry receivers have BOTH attributes across 5 receivers, with the likes of Sean and Rory Semerjian, Armand Balla, Dilan Daoust and Yvan Desjardins. The receiver talent is on another level that The Stoics are going to have their hands full against. Whether it’s a deep post route, or a 5 yard hook, either can turn into a touchdown, as was on full display in their Semi-Final game. The Stoics DBs will need to create a turnover if they want a chance to win, and the only way I see it happen is a tipped ball or Corey is inaccurate with a pass, both of which are unlikely (but not impossible) with The Infantry offense.

Point for: The Infantry WRs

Overall: The Infantry Offense

The Stoics Offense vs. The Infantry Defense

The Stoics QB vs. The Infantry DBs

This is where the game will be won and lost. Can Chris Rivest make plays? Yes. Can he convert on big 3rd and 4th downs? Yes. Can he avoid turning the ball over against an aggressive defense? This is the biggest question he will need to answer. Turnovers are a fickle event. You could be playing lights out, and in one split second, a receiver could run an out route too deep, or doesn’t turn at the right moment, or the rusher comes at a different angle than they have all game which forces you to change your throwing motion at a slightly different angle. All these things can lead to a ball coming out a bit funny, and against a defense that is right behind your receiver, it could lead to the ball getting intercepted, the possession going the other way, and what was either a 1-score lead can evaporate or a 1-score deficit now becomes a 2-score deficit and the your offense is now all of a sudden in a hurry-up situation. Rivest tends to go 4-5 TDs with 1 INT. For the Stoics to win Division C, he’s going to need to throw 0 INTs like he did in the Semi-Final game. It’s possible he can do it again, and overall, I like his ability to dissect the defense and hit the open guy on his plays.

Point for: The Stoics QB

The Stoics QB vs. The Infantry rusher

This is an interesting battle that will get tougher for Rivest as the game goes along. I believe that early on in games, Rivest gets rid of the ball quicker than he does later in games. He knows the importance of not holding onto the ball too long, and its likely that defenses pick up on his playbook, and his usual reads are not there and is forced to go to his 2nd, 3rd, and maybe even 4th read as a result. The size and speed of Armand Balla barreling down on quarterbacks is a scary proposition, especially if you hold onto the ball for an extra second. He showed that even against Ben McMahon, Balla is tough to get around and can disrupt throwing lanes with his size. While I am going to give this one to Rivest, don’t be surprised if Armand makes an impactful play (sack or forces a throw that gets intercepted) late in the game.

Point for: The Stoics QB (slight edge)

The Stoics WRs vs. The Infantry DBs

This might be the weakest matchup for The Stoics in the game. Some of the Infantry DBs are experienced Div 1/2, A/B defenders in which matches are played at game-breaking speed. They’ve seen it all and will be expecting certain routes in certain moments of the game that will not catch them off guard. Guys like Cesar Garcia-Diaz, Vincent Cheung and Kevin Boustany are going to have to play their best, give the best fake moves they have in their arsenal, and kick the speed burners into extra gear. Then, they need their depth receivers, when called upon, to make plays as well. They can’t afford to drop 1 of their 1-3 targets in the game. Guys like Jeffrey Lefebvre, Seth Galina and particularly Micky Mensah, their deep threat, needs to take advantage of his opportunities. For example, Jeff Lefebvre, even though he only had 2 receptions for 8 yards, came up HUGE in the Semi-Final game against HSS, as both catches went for touchdowns.

Point for: The Infantry DBs (slight edge)

Overall: The Stoics Offense (but it’s closer than The Infantry’s offense vs. The Stoics D)

Final Prediction

Okay, here it is. The Spring season is coming to a close, and with it, we are saying goodbye to one of the toughest divisions I can recall. Mostly because the number of highly talented teams in the division. Literally 16 out of the 17 teams had legitimate chances of making the playoffs and week in and week out, there was BARELY a favorite in each game played. Division C, it was a pleasure covering you again, but we must make one last prediction.

I can see both teams getting 6 possessions, and like I hinted at in CTA, I see Corey Walwaski driving each of the 6 possessions down field for scores. He will convert 4 of his XP converts. That’s 40 points for The Infantry.

For The Stoics, I can see Rivest scoring on 5 possessions and turning the ball over (either on downs or via INT). He will score two 2-point converts and one for 1-point. That’s 35 points.

And that’s my final prediction: The Infantry 40 – 35 The Stoics.

Epilogue

Well, that does it… Another FPF season is in the books, another season covered by Iggy Magnets. Thanks for following as far as you did and reading up on the division. There’s still more of me though, as I will be calling this game with Moe Khan live from Brossard, so stay tuned to see how this game actually goes down!

Cheers!