The Pulse (D5) – Week 13

 

Last week, I broke even with my predictions. I anticipated that the Outlwaz would upset the Golden Eagles, but the Warhawks proved me wrong defeating Da Boyz in a close battle where the winner was decided on the very last play of the game.

 

Let’s return to my predictions. Although I was fairly confident that the Outlawz would cause problems for Kevin Lubin and company, never in my wildest imagination did I foresee the Golden Eagles laying an egg and falling flat on their faces. But the Golden Eagles did not beat themselves in this game. No, that distinction clearly goes to the Outlawz, as they were the ones dishing out the blows and were unanimously ahead on the judges’ scorecards at the end of each round.

 

The Outlawz and their third ranked defense in the regular season, took away the running game from the Eagles’ MVP Lubin, yielding an average of 3.8 yards per carry. The defense took away the passing game as well, forcing three interceptions and recording five sacks. And the offense was relentless posting 32 points with Vincent Jacques leading all receivers in this contest with 89 yards receiving on four receptions and a score.

 

On the other side of the bracket, the Warhawks‘ victory last week was not as convincing, but impressive nonetheless. The Warhawks were able to learn from their 20-0 beat down at the hand of Da Boyz back in week 4, and made the necessary adjustments the second time around. Role players stepped up for the Warhawks, most notably Robert Moores, who made a spectacular jump ball catch over Ryan Kelly in the end zone. The Warhawks’ defence also got a boost from Chetan Soni, who picked off Nigel Thomas in the first half.

 

Da Boyz were a tough matchup and their running game caused problems for the Warhawks. Mather Warsame and Thomas combined for 72 rushing yards and had a good chance to win the game. But as it has been an issue for Da Boyz all season long, their lack of a passing game came back to haunt them. Deep in the red zone, Da Boyz were forced to win the game through the air and were unable to do so as the Warhakws` defense came up with a terrific goal line stand, topped off by Tim O’Hara’s outstretched defended pass on the last play of the game to propel them into the championship game.

 

The Outlawz are the new sheriffs in town

After the regular season, I was a little sceptical about Jean-Michel Beaudin being selected to the All-Star game. However, after seeing his performance in the postseason and most notably last week, Beaudin has left no doubt in my mind that he is an elite quarterback in division 5 and worthy of such an honour. Since the beginning of the playoffs, the Outlawz have scored 108 points with a plus/minus of 51 points. What this tells me, is that this is a balanced team and a dangerous one with Beaudin at the helm.

 

Warhawks flying to uncharted territory

 

The road to the finals has been a long and arduous for the Warhawks. This is a team that has struggled since their days as the Dawgs. Sensing a need to change their image and persona, the team decided to give birth to the Warhawks prior to the Spring 2010 season. At first, the change seemed futile after going 0-10 in their inaugural season causing most to think “same ol’ Dawgs.” But that could not have been further from the truth. The Warhawks were still putting the final touches on their team and on the verge of something great. That greatness was unveiled in the 2011 winter season, as the surging Warhawks finished second in their conference with a 7-2-1 record. According to their leading receiver Brian Martin, the Warhawks are finally playing as a team and bring that cohesive mentality to each game. That simple recipe has propelled this struggling franchise into the upper echelon in division 5 and they control their destiny heading into the championship game.

The Outlawz and Warhawks on a collision course

 

Matchup to watch The Outlawz have been solid on defense all year and Hugo Quintin and Gabriel Cournoyer will need to have their best game of the season. With their star rusher Julien Hamel out of the lineup with a lower body injury, both Quintin and Cournoyer will have a busy night trying to contain Warhawk‘s star players Brian Martin and Joel Watson.

 

Since these are the finals, we can’t just have one matchup to watch. After all, the stakes could not be any higher. Another key mathup to keep an eye on, rests with the Warhawks’ QB Tim O`Hara and the Outlawz new rusher Raphaël Ducas-Lapalme, fresh off his three-sack performance in relief duty last week.

By the numbers

The Warhawks are riding an eight-game win streak heading into the championship game. That hot-streak will be tested this Saturday against the Outlawz. The Outlwaz held the best offense in their division to a measly six points last weekend. That defense is ferocious and should be put behind bars.

 

I’ll save my pick for the pre-game show, leading up to the finals, live in Brossard this Saturday. Good luck to both teams!