The Sarwar Report (D1) – Week 2

 

With only two weeks in book, a lot has already happened. We have our first upset of the season, we have an undefeated and a winless team. However sometimes in life, there are things which are more important than football. The tragic events in Haiti have devastated us all and as each day goes by, we have to do our best to help those in need. There are many ways we can donate and I strong urge you to do so as soon as possible. All of us are truly blessed to play in many ways so let’s share it with those who are less fortunate. Our own Rostyn Castleton has decided to do his part and I’ll talk more about that a bit later. My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone who has been affected by this tragedy.

 

I will touch base on this at the end of this column but now it’s time to plunge back in to the world of FlagPlus Football, here is what happened last week:

 

Headlines

 

All aboard the Express

 

Express finally took that step and made a statement to the league by defeating the Expos 45-41. Patrick Chenard had an incredible performance going 12 of 17 for 174 yards with 5 TDs and also rushed for 75 yards and 2 rushing TDs. It was already apparent from the first week that Express was ready to compete this season when they lost a close one to Montreal’s Finest but they had to show it on the field. The Expos team is no joke either with names such as Chad Byers, Rochdi Benabdelkader, Paul Lapierre, Ricky Martin, Teddy Frenette and so forth; this further proves that the Express won’t go down without a fight this season.

 

Truly the Finest!

 

The score might look close but the Finest had complete control of the game. Kevin Wyeth was 16 of 20 for 253 yards with 7 TDs, a remarkable performance to say the least. There were four different receivers with one TD each. Akked Moore got it done on offence and defense. If anyone saw this game, the first thing that you’ll see is there are no weaknesses on the Finest. Every player brings something to the table and they can hold their own. You know you have a strong roster when Kishon Thompson has only 1 catch on offense for 8 yards and your team puts up 47 points. Even with the injury to Karim Binette, Mike Harrington has stepped up and contributed well. Right now, they are the best team in FlagPlus Football, bar none.

 

Hurricanes vs. Montreal’s Finest

 

We are only less than three weeks away from a rematch of last Winter season’s finale. Will this game live up to the same hype? Will Hurricanes avenge the loss? We can only know in week 5 however one thing is for sure, I will interview two players of the winning team on camera and it will be posted in the following week’s column.

 

 

Three STARwars of the week

 

3. Akked Moore (Montreal’s Finest): 4 catches for 60 yards and 3 TDs; 3 tackles and 1 INT on defense.

 

2. Kevin Wyeth (Montreal’s Finest): 16-20 for 253 yards with 7 TDs and no INT.

 

1. Patrick Chenard (Express): 12-17 for 174 yards with 5 TDs; 75 rushing yards with 2 TDs and 5 tackles on defense.

 

A Second With Sarwar

 

As promised, I now bring you an interview between Robert Campana and I, regarding FlagPlus Football, among other things.

 

Your league has seen an increasing amount of success from 2005 till present day, what are your thoughts on your accomplishments until now?

 

It is a great feeling and there is a lot of hard work that has gone into it. A lot of thinking outside the box, to make it a fun and dynamic league. I am very proud of the progress thus far . I am a perfectionist, so I want to make sure everything runs smoothly and everyone has a great time. I want everything to be as good as they can be; that includes the referees, the scorekeeping, columnists, etc…Having said that, there is always room for improvement and I’ll keep working hard to improve the on and off-field experience for all FPF members.

What would you consider as the hardest part of being a commissioner of FlagPlus Football?

 

The hardest part would be keeping people happy but being firm at the same time. I am not a very strict person by nature, but for the sake of keeping everything kosher, I have to find a balance between fair and firm.

 

What is the hardest decision you have had to make?

 

Well there are always things that require special attention such as players who don’t respect the rules of the league. Therefore it becomes hard for me to be objective but to make sure I am fair, I decided to put together a disciplinary committee. Therefore I don’t carry the weight of every disciplinary matter on my shoulders alone, I get an equal vote like all other members.

A lot of people look at you and admire the fact that you don’t play in the league due to professional reasons, was there ever a time you thought about playing in the league?

 

Never, I love football but it wouldn’t work out. You can call it a cliché but it’s a conflict of interest because we pay the referees and everyone knows that, so it would cause controversy every time I were involved in a close call. Furthermore when I play sports, I am ultra competitive, but playing in FPF, my number one priority is the league running smoothly, consequently I wouldn’t be able to devote my full energy to winning and that alone kills the will to want to play.

 

Over the last 5 years you have seen and witnessed some excellent performances from players and teams; what was the best team you ever saw on the field? Who was the best player (gifted athlete and unstoppable) you have seen? What are some of the moments that stick out in your mind?

 

I know it sounds like he obvious answer but its hard to name some specific players because there have been so many amazing athletes over the past seasons in the league, you can’t just pick a few. In terms of a moment that sticks out, the finals between the Hurricanes and Montreal’s Finest last season was an amazing game to watch. I felt like I was watching it as a fan. The most dominant teams I’ve seen would have to be the 05-06 Young Guns, the 08-present Hurricanes and Montreal’s Finest, and the 06 Wolverines.

 

As many people might not know, Daron Basmadjian has been of great help to you for quite sometime, talk a bit about his contribution to the league.

 

I can’t say enough about Daron, he is an essential part of this whole operation and I respect his opinion a lot. He has a different way of thinking (more stern) which compliments my way. He gives me another perspective because he has good knowledge of the league and the game, therefore I always seek his opinion on many things.

 

Also, talk about Mike Paolozza’s great work behind the camera.

 

Mike makes the show. We saw the first couple of poor WEPL episodes during the first season without Mike, and the rest is history. He is also a team player, so if you ask for something he always accommodates. We studied creative arts together back in CEGEP, he was an excellent filmmaker, I was not! I’m just happy his talents are helping us out.

 

Your favorite columnist? Your favorite WEPL personality? Why?

 

Daron and you are my favorite WEPL personalities; it is not a pro league in which there are cameras so it is always tough to be everywhere and be up to date on everything. Nevertheless, you guys do a great job covering the league by digging deep and doing your research. Moe is the perfect host, his stregnths and Daron’s are much better suited in their current roles, rather than how it was in previous seasons. In terms of articles, Ross Castleton’s article is most interesting because of his writing style. He writes well and keeps his reader’s entertained.

 

At one point, Ottawa and Toronto were part of the league; will you ever consider going there again? How about other places?

 

The original goal was to try to expand the league across Canada and have national championships amongst all the leagues. However, I learned quickly if you are not there to oversee certain things, like in any business, the quality of the league (product) suffers. I am a perfectionist and want to be as involved as I possibly can, and in Toronto or Ottawa I didn’t have the chance to do that, so many habits adopted there were not what I preach about here in Montreal, there are no intentions to give it another shot at this point. I definitely don’t regret trying it out though, I am a firm believer that you learn more from failed experiments than successful ones.

What was the thought behind creating a fifth division?

 

Just to give new guys a home and make it fun for them. It would further segment the league in a better way. Competition becomes closer. I always say, if there are no 10-0 and 0-10 teams, the division was divided fairly.

 

Have you ever considered a women’s division?

 

I definitely looked into it but there wasn’t much of a demand. It is always a possibility down the road but not for the time being.

Last, what direction do you see (or what vision do you have for) FPF in the next 5 years?

 

I would like to expand league to have games on weeknights. This will also give us a chance to add more divisions which means there will be even more parity. As a result, the competition will be better spread across the league. Over the years, We’ve slowly added things to make the league fun and enjoyable (articles, videos) in order get a full experience rather than just showing up to play on the weekend. I intend to implement more of the same in the future.

 

 

There you have it, an inside perspective into the head of Robert Campana and the league known as FlagPlus Football, hope it was as much fun for you guys to read as it was for me to write. Next week, I’ll have another interview with a player from the defending champions Montreal’s Finest but who? You’ll have to read next week’s article to find out.

 

 

What’s On Tap

 

CLR Forces (1-1) vs. Rainmakers (1-1)

 

This is a clash of last Winter’s two teams who were on the cusp of joining the “elite” in D1. SO far this season, CLR Forces are a better, more determined team than they were last year. Frederic Dupuis versus Ryan Kastner will be a great match up as both QBs have been or are involved in CIS football. This game will come down to the team whose defense can make the last stop. Both teams have a similar plus/minus differential which also leads me to believe that this game will be a close one. The edge will also go to the team who has less injures and as it appears right now.

 

X-Factor

 

CLR Forces: Guillaume Ward

Rainmakers: Michael Chitayat

 

Winner: CLR Forces

 

 

Last, but definitely not least, as discussed above, Rostyn Castleton would like your help and is how you can get involved:

 

The Castleton Challenge: I’m challenging the teams of FPF to raise the most money they can for the Haitian cause (which will be donated to UNICEF), and I’ll personally pay for the game of their choice to be recorded and aired on the site as well as invite four members of the team on my show. The money will be collected by myself or Matt Young of Timebombs. If you would prefer to arrange a time to meet me to give the donation, please private message me on FB or email me at [email protected]

 

Thumbs up to Rostyn Castleton and Matthew Young for taking initiative and I hope everyone will follow suit. That’s it for this week’s column. If you have any questions/comments/suggestions, please contact me at [email protected]. I wish you all luck in this weekend’s match ups and leave you with the following:

 

“To succeed…You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you.” – Tony Dorsett