The Final Fours.

From 16 to 8

With so many games happening in the same week, it’s really tough to keep track with these weekly articles. In fact, I feel like I haven’t released anything in so long and I missed a beat.

Do not worry fellow FPFers, it’s not my style. I’ve been at the games, I’ve been on Twitter, I’ve seen the content; it’s time to break out the coverage!

I haven’t discussed this publicly yet, but next article will be a special one as I’ve been putting together content from the whole season (regular season+playoffs). It’s actually something new I’m trying, so, yes, D4 is my guinea pig.

The idea came to me when I was contemplating the last few articles I had to write thinking how it’ll all go down. Most of you who have been around for a few seasons know that the last article we publish is about the Finals and it’s basically a quick recap of 2 games (semis) and a preview of the finals. If you get 3 pages, you’re rambling. I’ve decided to shake things up.

FPF is glorious to say the least. I’ve decided to feature the best games, best performances of the season in my final article as a tribute to the players who made this season great. Expect one last shout out for monster performances that will not be forgotten so easily.

Let’s get started.

 

Week 13 – Semi Finals

All the top seeds in Div4A are dead and gone. We’re left with 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8th. It’s the beauty of FPF and the “Grand Prix” tournament style where, well, basically anyone can shock anyone. Division B is a bit more “traditional” in the sense where we’ve got 1st vs 3rd seed all across the board. The best prevailed. We’re set for 4 amazing games.

 

Thoughts of the Week

• Awkwardly enough, if someone told me this would be our Final Fours coming into the season, I would’ve believed them. The 4A teams were all featured in my top 10 preseason. 4B’s a bit of a shocker, but it felt clearer few weeks in.
• My predictions for last week’s games were quite impressive; I’m much better at this than I expected.
• Feels weird to write Final Four with a “s”, but eh, D4 right.
• You know what sucks more than losing a playoff game? Losing 2 the same night!
• A-Squad’s defense is much better than I thought.
• Keyport Lock got away with one on Wednesday night. Hopefully they won’t let that happen ever again.
• I’m not sure if The U’s defense is simply Pinsonneault’s kryptonite or if he had an absolute meltdown… Wish I could’ve been there.
• Can anyone stop Mud Dogs?
• As mentioned below, Recipe 4 Disaster got a little luck sent their way in Shawn Steen’s absence. Regardless, R4D played great.
• Bruthers’ offense melted, somehow. Their 40-bomb ability was impressive to watch and it wasn’t featured in Saturday’s duel. Food for thoughts.
• David Hurley thought I wasn’t serious when I called the 69ers upset.
• Shea Harbour had another impressive night. He’s been fire for 5 weeks now; can he make it 7?
• Demetriou finished the night with 5 PDs; couldn’t you get a 2nd hand on those?
• Coyotes put up 38 on 5 scores; their 2-point converts are simply deadly. Someone needs to assess the problem at some point!
• I tip my hat to Warhawks who battled valiantly.
• Both our Final Four will host amazing matchups; possibly better than the Finals themselves. I’m really eager to see how it all unfolds.

 

Recaps

Division 4A

• Recipe 4 Disaster took on a Shawn Steen-less Eskimo Brothers and, sadly, his absence made the difference in this game. With Corey Oliver becoming the #1 threat and miscommunication with his #2 in Chris Devito who looked more frustrated at himself than anyone else could possibly be, it’s tough to say the game would’ve ended the same way with Steen’s presence. His impact would’ve been more noticeable on defense as Applebaum picked EBros’ defense apart with ease in the 2nd With a 19-13 lead at half, Applebaum was confident, but it wasn’t the R4D offense we expected. The 2nd half had both teams firing and exchanging TDs faster than we could imagine. Farag’s and Jad Aridi’s interception came up big for their squad as they pushed their lead too far for Stachowski to catch up with. It was a 2-score game although EBros scored late to make it a 1-score affair. With one play left, down by 8, Stachowski tried, but it was too much Cinderella for one night.
• Bruthers fielded a strong roster against BearSkins and started adjusting well on defense until Connor O’Brien seemed to have tweaked something and took himself off early in the 1st; the defense simply wasn’t the same from that point on and Etinson took advantage of a weaker side of the field to post numbers. Mikelberg had a tough time punching it in although he moved the chains adequately as BearSkins’ defense was more than just gritty. Peterson was everywhere and Bertoldi seemed to have took my words to heart as he kept making plays and looking back at me. Bruthers’ defense seemed to have fell apart late in the 2nd as Peterson was left undefended on a roll-out from Etinson and the coffin was nailed shut. Rapps rushed really well in the 2nd half forcing Etinson to feel quite uncomfortable, but it was little too late. BearSkins advances 32-19.

 

Division 4B

• Suicide Squad, fresh off a great performance, took the field against Keyport Lock not knowing what to expect out of KL and got off to a rocky start as their opponents nudged in PATs while Lubin’s offense struggled, once again, to get the extra points. In a game that saw both QB throw a pick, it really could’ve gone either way. Thierry Gerville had a field day against Suicide Squad’s defense that couldn’t seem to adjust to his dominance. Luckily for Lubin, down by 3 with very little time, sitting on the sideline praying for a miracle, Rosenblatt threw an ugly pick to Cardichon who jumped on an errant throw to bail his QB out. With 6 plays left, Lubin was, once again, in a driver seat ready to knock another favorite. With 2 plays left, hitting square his receiver in the end zone just to stare at a drop, Lubin’s hopes were crushed as he huddled for one last time this season. Last play goes incomplete, Suicide Squad fell to Keyport Lock and someone wearing black will not be sleeping for a few nights.
• Mud Dogs took the field against Sandlot Saints and took control of the game early as they held a 20-7 lead into halftime. The 2nd half was more of the same only to leave the Saints to a disappointing end of the season. Props to them for battling all this way and giving their all. Also want to give credit to Vincent Bourgon who, somehow, stepped up HUGE for his team and had 112 receiver yards on the night (he had 47 yards all season) and hope to give Kraemer options to spread the football. Saints’ offense fell short to keep up with Mongeon-Duby’s production, but both teams should be proud of their season as most didn’t even expect Sandlot Saints nor Mud Dogs to make it this far let alone the Final Four.

 

Previews

Division 4A

• Recipe 4 Disaster (6th) vs 69ers (7th)

Previous matchup: Semi Finals Winter 2015 D4: 39 – 16 Recipe 4 Disaster

Breakdown: Last year, almost the exact same day (Sunday 12th, Tuesday 5th, same difference), 69ers had an embarrassing loss against Recipe 4 Disaster as Demetriou was forced to take over from Harbour who couldn’t move the ball at all and came up short as the deficit was too much to recover. Ironically, this year, Harbour caught fire late in the season (once again), 69ers and R4D have very similar seedings and will face in the Semis once again. I swear, I couldn’t write this script even if I wanted to. With Ryan Aridi not sidelined with injury this time, expect a better R4D. 69ers caught fire late in the season and figured out what works and what doesn’t for them to make a push into the playoffs. Harbour has been on top of his games and he’s learnt to check down rather than just chuck it and his offense has been prolific. If the defense can make a few plays and make Applebaum uncomfortable in the pocket, we might have another great barnburner on our hands.

Key matchup: Dean Demetriou (Safety) vs Daniel Farag (Safety)

Prediction: 38 – 33 69ers

 

• Coyotes (3rd) vs BearSkins (8th)

Previous matchup: Week 3: 24 – 19 Coyotes

Breakdown:  Granting that Coyotes has their full roster for this Tuesday night’s game, I don’t believe Coyotes will be able to put up monstruous points on the BearSkins’ defense even with Smuda making plays week-in and week-out. Bertoldi finally woke up in the quarterfinals and had quite a night on offense and defense as Etinson fed him and he made his presence felt to other QBs; a relief for most of his teammates. With size and speed, BearSkins are a total matchup nightmare, but Feder is smarter and better than people give him credit for. With so many 2-point converts, Coyotes tend to pull away and force their opponents to play catch-up regardless of the amount of possessions they get; which is exactly Etinson’s weakness. In one of the best semis I could have imagined, I expect both QBs to reveal certain flaws about their games and their receivers to bail them out on more than one occasion. Ironically, it’ll be a battle of the best defense rather than an offensive shootout.

Key matchup: Kevin Smuda vs Marco Bertoldi

Prediction: 36 – 31 Coyotes

 

Division 4B

• Mud Dogs (1st) vs A-Squad (3rd)

Previous matchup: Week 3: 20 – 18 A-Squad

Breakdown: People can say whatever they want, but A-Squad made the Final Four and that’s worth something in my opinion. Sure, it will not be remembered, but they deserve praises. Facing, probably, the best team in the division at this point of the season, A-Squad has the toughest game of their season on Tuesday night. Mud Dogs are built to win and the team has the defense to allow Mongeon-Duby to make mistakes and allows him a cushion when things get rough; Telemaque didn’t seem to have that earlier this season, but his defense has been absolute fire recently and we could see guys like Mondesir and Mergenord steal the show from their QB or Luke. With stud corners and physical players, we’re in for a heck of a battle between these two teams. I’d give the edge to Mud Dogs’ offense over A-Squad’s, but the way A-Squad’s defense has been playing, their defense shows more promises to have an impact on the game and I’m truly hoping we’ll see an upset here (Plus, Moe Khan gets to wear a sweaty jersey)

Key matchup: Laurent Dubreuil vs Richie Mondesir

Prediction: 33 – 27 Mud Dogs

 

• Keyport Lock (1st) vs The U (3rd)

Previous matchup: N/A

Breakdown: Keyport faced steep competition last week, but defense prevailed when Rosenblatt faltered and KL showed real depth when the game was on the line. The U shocked us once again with another low-scoring affair to beat Crimson Tide and here we are, Final Four. Keyport Lock won’t be shutdown like Crimson Tide as their offense is much more diverse, but The U also has the manpower to put up monstrous amounts on their fellow opponents. Dustin White will need to have a NIGHT with his offense is they want to keep with Rosenblatt’s numbers as he hasn’t been shutdown in almost 3 months. Expect war out there as both teams will play physical and give it everything they’ve got to play one last time at Brossard on Saturday. Can someone not named Lattimore or White step up and be a difference maker for the U and carve them another shot at the title in back to back winters?

Key matchup: Josh White vs Thierry Gerville

Prediction: 32 – 27 The U

 

 

That sums it for this week’s article. It’s always a pleasure to write and hear back from you guys. After all, the content is meant 99% for you. I keep a percent for me; ranting here and there is fun after all. You can always reach me via twitter @DagenaisFPF or via email ([email protected]). I’ll be at Lachine every Saturday night scorekeeping so you can stop by and chat. Don’t hesitate. Until next time…!