Categories: Division EMen'sSpring

The First of the Final Articles, Mamma Mia! and Iggy Who?

What’s up with your Division page lol it takes so much longer to load than all the other divisions. Must be because Division E has the most teams. A whopping 38 teams in a single division! Damn! It’s been a while since I’ve covered the lower divisions, but let’s start with who the hell I am.

Iggy Magnets here, writing for Division E this Spring season. I started playing flag in Fall 2017, in FPF’s first Fall season that had spreads in games. Yes, FPF once upon a time had teams playing in an FPF Fall Cup tournament where lower division teams could play again middle and higher division teams where if the underdog could limit the loss to a spread like under 18.5 points, they would get a point in standings. Yes, it was a wild introduction to flag football, but 415 games, 282 victories, 6 All-Stars, 8 Championships, 6 Individual awards and 1 FPF Bowl Cup later, I’m proud to call FPF home and flag one of the best sports out there. Combining athleticism, smarts, emotions and relationships, I’ve had the luxury to (recently) excel at the sport where an oddly, oblong-shaped ball is thrown and caught.

Some of you may know me as a QB, but I actually started my first 4 seasons as receiver. I played in Div 6/6D, Div D, Div 5B, Div 4B Co-Ed 2 as a receiver until I tried my shot at QB in the Winter of 2020, yeah, the year COVID cut the season short in March, ANYWAYS… Winter 2020 throwing in Division 6. I put up modest numbers, 1300 yards, 30 TDs, 11 INTs in 9 games. Nothing outstanding, but not terrible either. After that though, nothing really brought me back to the QB position other than teams looking for last-minute sub, and I struggled, no doubt about that. I gave it one more shot in the Fall Cup 2021 in Tier 4 and struggled even more, throwing for 863 yards, 20 TDs and 10 INTs (note: A 2:1 TD-to-INT ratio is NOT good) in 6 games. I seemed to have regressed during COVID. That’s when I kept telling myself “I’m not a natural QB, I’m not good. I accept that and will just move on”. So I played another Winter season at receiver and while scorekeeping together with a young scorekeeper by the name of Alex Blais who still plays in the league today, asked me if I wanted to QB his Div E team with his friends. I told him I suck, but he insisted that his team had good receivers and were just missing a QB.

One thing you need to know about me… I’m a flag football junkie. I live and breathe it, so it’s not uncommon for me to be on 3-4 teams each year. Okay back to the story. So Spring 2022 rolls around, and our Kiss My End Zone Co-Ed 2 QB, Alex Noel, a great flag player, went down with an injury. I also happen to have a minor ankle sprain running routes and couldn’t run as a receiver with my other team in Div D, Kiss My Vulture (see a pattern coming along here?). So I took over at QB in both Co-Ed 2 and since I couldn’t run, Dave De Andrade, another FPF flag veteran and great dude, let me QB while I couldn’t run. With limited mobility, I was forced to stay in the pocket, read defenses, and throw to where the defense was not. It turns out that reps are kind of important. I ended the season in Co-Ed 2 with 1727 yards, 51 Touchdowns, 0 INTs in 9 games as QB. To this day, that may be the best feat in my QB career, and still believe it is the greatest team stat, to throw 0 INTs in a season. No bobbles off a receiver’s hand into the other team, no forcing balls into tight coverage. Division E with Alex Blais and the boys? 1951 yards, 48 TDs and 11 INTs in 10 games , and 8 games in Div D, 1590 yards, 40 TDs and 7 INTs. And 2 years later, Spring 2024, I’m now throwing in Division A and subbed for the Braves (IYKYK) in the leagues newest 5v5 Competitive division this past week, beating out a great Royaume Luminaire team. If you don’t know — the Braves go to NFL flag tournaments, World Championships and the like, playing against top dogs from around the world.

Ok, what’s the point Iggy… Iggy who? Magnets? For the QB’s struggling out there in Div E, and even those that are doing alright, but have a good game and then a bad game that stings the confidence.. playing QB ain’t easy. The struggle is real, the lows are low, it can even affect you personally. I may be overexaggerating that a bit, but its no joke that its a mental game with yourself a lot of the times. The QBs will know what I’m talking about. A few other morals? Playing Receiver and QB are two totally different games. And Receivers… give your QB a break, or take a drive under centre and see what it is. It’s like seeing people crossing an insanely crowded street in Japan and you have 2.5 seconds to make a decision. It’s tough, so, and I’ll say this more than once throughout the articles this season, that if ever you need any help, feel free to reach out. I love talking flag and helping out starting QBs.

Okay, that’s the flag story. I also write and scorekeep games at FPF and I’m very often at the fields, so I’m sure you’ll see me around. If you do, come up and say hi and what division/team you play for, always happy to strike a flag convo.

I’m not usually that big on the intro’s, except for the opening article of the season. Even then, they are never usually that long. Probably because it’s my last “first article” I’ll be writing for a while. But enough about me, it’s time for some Division E coverage. I usually start my articles with bullet point items about what’s happening in and around the division, who’s catching my eye (for both good and bad reasons), who’s trending up, who’s slipping and who’s on pace for individual awards. So let’s get to it.

Division E Newsletter

  • Mamma Mia! These boys are on fire andddd probably too good for Divison E. Have your fun boys, you will quickly soon be rising the FPF ranks under the tutelage of the recently crowned champion Michael Caparelli. They are off to a hot 3-0 start, dismantling 2 of their first 3 opponents.
  • There are 12 other teams currently undefeated; let’s watch that number dip as the season goes along. How many teams will go undefeated all season though?
  • Best? Worst? Zgust? Idk, I search Zgust and found this lonely YouTuber:
  • But really, I saw the best and the worst of Zgust in an 18-18 hard-fought battle against Practice Squad in Week 2. Practice Squad would score the tying touchdown with 4 plays remaining, sending this game to overtime where both teams were unable to break the deadlock.

  • For the record, there IS overtime after a game ends in a tie after 44 mins and 10 plays. This is new since the Winter 2024 season. Both teams get 1 attempt at an Extra Point attempt for 1 or 2. The Home team decides if they want to go for their extra point attempt first or second (or what side/direction they want to play in, but don’t use your decision for that…). The team that goes first gets to decide if they want to go for 1 or 2. If they are successful in whatever they decide to go for (1 or 2), the other team MUST go for 2 points (either for the win if the first team went for 1 and was successful, or for the tie if they first team went for 2 and was successful). If the first team is unsuccessful in their attempt, the second team can go for 1 or 2 for the win. As we saw, if neither team scores, the game can still end in a tie.
  • Chomedy Chodes are back from the winter season. Love seeing teams come back to play after their first season. This team showed their offensive power from early on last season, with Jonathan Bottazzi winning receiver of the year in Div 6 and he’s off to a hot start once again with 191 yards and 8 TDs in the first 2 games of the season. Will the team be able to ride this WR1 deep into the playoffs? Or will they need to find some secondary scoring to be considered one of the best teams in Div E?
  • Some other notable returning teams from Div 6? Texas Whales, Practice Squad, Freshmen XL, Cavaliers du Rohan, QUEENS, The Diddlers, and Flag Dealers. If I missed your team because you changed your team name, just let me know!
  • After a difficult season in Div 5, STEPBROTHERS are coming down to Div E and starting strong at 2-0.
  • Bum City need to pick a Quarterback and roll with them. As the saying goes… If you have 2 Quarterbacks (in their case 3), you have no Quarterbacks.
  • TuneSquad is also back in Div E, but this time, my boy Chaz Presser is taking the reigns. Can he, Quarterbacking 2 teams get the reps he needs to see a steady improvement in his play? I remember one of my breakout games was when I was able to hit 7 TDs. There’s something about breaking that 5/6 TD barrier that just clicks the “oh…so that’s how I need to perform to get 7 TDs”. He did that this past week against James’ Backyard. (Who’s James and why are we in his backyard? Is there a BBQ and pool at least?).
  • Vice City may be a team we need to watch out for. They have a few long-time FPF’ers playing on the team with some experience under them. While the completion % was low, 5 TDs and 1 INT with 212 yards is not bad at all for a first ever FPF game for Xavier Faubert Didier.
  • CTE Goons will need to figure out both sides of the ball QUICK. A 38-0 drubbing from Cavaliers du Rohan is not optimistic, however, there is plenty of time and games for improvement.

[Insert Picture Here] … yesss, I’ll have access to FPF pictures and put them in my articles!

  • Longhorns… c’mon!! 0-3 in Div E? Granted, they’ve played 3 more experienced teams in Div E, no one has the experience that the Longhorns do. Where they get beat is on athleticism and the last 2 losses were a combine 10 points. Definitely not a team that will go 0-10, though they will likely go 0-4 after meeting Western.
  • Alexandre Hinse (La Mennaise) already has 4 INTs, 2 of which he’s taken back to the house for 6 in just 2 games. Damn! Equally, if not more impressive was Antoine Bonin‘s 6 sacks in the Cavaliers du Rohan season opener.
  • With more running QBs in Div E, when taking a look at the rushing stats so far, I’m not surprised to see Antoine Meunier atop the yardage category. He’s at 201 yards after 3 games with a TD, while Harry Luong (TYP SHI) and Chaz Presser (TuneSquad) also eclipsing the 100-yard rushing mark.
  • Swiffer WetJets are one of the aforementioned, undefeated teams at 2-0. Nice way to start your FPF careers! Peter Nickoletopoulos is shining so far with 6 sacks in 2 games. A rusher like that can shutdown Division E offenses in a heartbeat.
  • Alexandre Manes had another very solid game against Airs, winning out the game 35-31, which looked more like a Div C score more than Div E. So, impressive from both teams, as Duncan Cook on the other end actually threw for more TD’s than Manes, but did throw 2 interceptions, one of them a pick 6 by Jason Rayes, who was a very good Div E defender 2 years ago in the Spring of 2022. Now entering his 4th season since then, Rayes has only gotten better and has a better understanding of the game, so its understandable to throw a pick 6 to him. Also, watch out for David Collette, 4 TDs on 4 receptions for 56 yards is something to watch out for. It’s created an anticipation to see if he can repeat his impressive game-day performance. Hopefully I’ll get to catch Airs 1 or 2 times this season to see what they are about. Always fun to see new teams.
  • Western vs Warriors – The 33-13 scoreline doesn’t quite make me look right when I called this potential finals matchup on Calling The Audible – FPF’s Podcast as seen on YouTube (https://youtu.be/YUY2RWgRVHA?si=8S7GBI8imf-X0-wi&t=2949). That said, Noah Swaminidhan left the game with an injury, so the Warriors were minus one of their best players. Wishing Noah a speedy recovery!

WAYYYY Too Early Power Rankings

  1. Western – I’ll do the classic Peeze.. moooooo (Yes, a cow’s moo… cow.. for cowards). A team that doesn’t belong in Div E
  2. Mamma Mia – May not belong in Div E, but new, young players with a veteran or 2 is okay for Div E with a new QB to FPF. The kids are on fire!
  3. No Brain No Gain – With a close win over a strong TuneSquad and a convincing win over Trailer Park Boys, I like the early season success from them.
  4. La Mennaise – You put up 101 points in your first 2 games of the season… you know how to score points. Definitely a team to watch out for.
  5. Chomedey Chodes – This returning Div 6 can score and when you know how to score, you’re a dangerous Div E team.
  6. STEPBROTHERS – I want to see the actual roster, but with Sifax Kaced as a defender in Div E, he can neutralize most WR1 options, and if you can do that, that increases your odds of winning games.
  7. Les Petites Carottes JR – A team with Div 5/D experience that have made a few finals already. They did what many teams do where some of the core plays, but a receiver takes their shot at QB. What always works with this method is the D can carry enough while the QBs have time to develop and gain reps. So far, so goo from them.
  8. Swiffer WetJets – Nice wins so far, and 7 TDs in 2 games is enough to be considered good in Div E, and the thing is while no one has 100 yards receiving yet, it seems to be a WR-by-committee, which makes them dangerous, as in Div E, very few teams have 4-5 defenders deep.
  9. Best Worst Zgust – This team has the pieces to be good. Veteran leadership with Alexis Labonté, a great rusher in Stanley Louis who can neutralize many running QBs, and solid secondary WR options in Dario Vincelli and Hervé Junior Louis
  10. TuneSquad – I’m really liking the ball distribution from Chaz Presser with this team and his 13/3 TD-to-INT ratio. There’s already a 100+ yard receiver in Ben Regenstreif, two 90+ yard receivers, add Jesse Dym to the mix, and a player known more his rushing abilitiy, Jeremy Steinberg has 74 yards to his name as the current WR3 on the roster. If Ben Arnovitz is your WR4, this team can score 30 every game, meaning it will be up to the defense to get 2 or more stops to bag the wins. With 8 INTs and 6 sacks through 3 games, the defense has done their part.

Week 2 Fantasy Team of the Week

In my Fantasy Team of the Week, I go with the 2 Best QBs, the 5 best starting WRs, the 5 best DBs and the best rusher and make the best team that could have suited up that week.

Enjoy!

QB1: Charles Presser (TuneSquad) – 20/24 (83.3%), 162 Passing Yards, 7 TDs, 0 INTs, 134.4 QBR, 2 Rushing Attempts, 33 Rushing Yards

QB2: Cameron Wilson (Western) – 15/19 (78.9%), 245 Passing Yards, 9 TDs, 1 INT, 136.4 QBR

WR1: Jonathan Bottazzi (Chomedey Chodes): 5 receptions, 6 targets, 102 yards, 5 TDs, 1x XP1

WR2: Karim Yasmine (Longhorns): 7 receptions, 9 targets, 96 yards, 4 TDs, 1x XP1

WR3: Marcus Labropoulos (Western): 7 receptions, 8 targets, 119 yards, 3 TDs

WR4: Alexandre Meunier (Trailer Park Boys): 8 receptions, 8 targets, 95 yards, 2 TDs

WR5: Natan Nettel (The Diddlers): 6 receptions, 12 targets, 96 yards, 2 TDs

DB1: Emil Barthélémy (STEPBROTHERS): 3 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 Def TD, 1 PD

DB2: Shems Zidi (TYP SHI): 2 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 Def TD

DB3: Matthew Campbell (Western): 2 tackles, 3 INTs

DB4: Andrea Iseppon (Best Worst Zgust): 1 tackle, 2 INTs, 1 PD

DB5: Sam Anastasopoulos (Freshmen XL): 1 tackle, 2 INTs, 1 PD

Rusher: Arnaud Charlier (QUEENS): 3 sacks, 1 tackle

Iggy Magnet’s Game Picks

Flag Dealers vs. The Diddlers – Iggy’s Pick: Flag Dealers

Head Tops Only vs. BackYardigans – Iggy’s Pick: BackYardigans

Longhorns vs. Western – Iggy’s Pick: Western

Practice Squad vs. Baby Sharks – Iggy’s Pick: Baby Sharks

Swiffer WetJets vs. QUEENS – Iggy’s Pick: Swiffer WetJets

The Creamsicles vs. Locked & Loaded – Iggy’s Pick: The Creamsicles

Bloodline vs. STEPBROTHERS – Iggy’s Pick: STEPBROTHERS

Freshmen XL vs. CTE Goons – Iggy’s Pick: Freshmen XL

TYP SHI vs. Chomedey Chodes – Iggy’s Pick: Chomedey Chodes

Texas Whales vs. La Mennaise – Iggy’s Pick: La Mennaise

Baby Sharks vs. Mamma Mia – Iggy’s Pick: Mamma Mia

Bullshigh vs. BackYardigans – Iggy’s Pick: BackYardigans

Vice City vs. Sweet Bonanza – Iggy’s Pick: Vice City

TuneSquad vs. Chomedey Chodes – Iggy’s Pick: TuneSquad

Les Petites Carottes JR vs. James’ Backyard – Iggy’s Pick: Les Petites Carottes JR

Les Vidanges FC vs. Airs – Iggy’s Pick: Airs

CTE Goons vs. Flag Dealers – Iggy’s Pick: Flag Dealers

OPN vs. The Stables – Iggy’s Pick: The Stables

Bullshigh vs. Locked & Loaded – Iggy’s Pick: Bullshigh

Team Timbo vs. Cavaliers du Rohan – Iggy’s Pick: Cavaliers du Rohan

Bum City vs. Swiffer WetJets – Iggy’s Pick: Swiffer WetJets

Epilogue

Alright Div E, hope you enjoyed the read, there will be less about me and more about you and your teams in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for the next article!

If you didn’t know, FPF has a weekly podcast, where Moe and I (and other characters) talk about the week that was, highlight teams and players and answer the hard-hitting questions everyone is dying to hear! Check out last week’s episode. Go ahead and listen to the intro and then skip ahead to your division using the timestamps. Until next time!