Things Heat up in Week 3

The holiday break is over, and we are now officially in the dead of winter. Despite the bitter cold that this time of the year delivers, one thing that is staying red hot, is the action in the FlagPlus Football Junior Division. 

Week 3, saw a slate of games that featured great football. Whether it was crisp passes, nice catches, long runs, or big stops on defense, the youngsters were game, and the action was virtually non-stop. 

As we get ready to kick-off Week 4 this weekend, and teams continue to build on the chemistry that on most squads is already there, the games and level of competition should get even better. 

Beleive it or not, the regular season is almost halfway done. After tomorrow’s slate of games, the second half of the season will begin, and the playoff race will be on.

Before we start worrying about the end of the regular season and the playoffs, let’s take a look at what went down this past weekend in each division. 

 

Freshman Division

 

After suffering their first loss of the season in Week 2 to the Cougars, the Bruins, bounced back in big fashion, with a 46-12 victory over the winless Fighting Irish, last Saturday at the Stinger Dome. 

Bruins Quarterback William Leclerc, who was making his FPF Jr debut, had a monster game, as went 8 of 12 for 121 yards, and 4 touchdowns. 

His favorite target on the afternoon was Noah Swaminadham, who had a game-high 5 catches for 64 yards, and an impressive 3 TDs.   

Also finding their way to the end-zone for the Bruins’ offense, were Receivers Justin Swaminadham and Eloi Temblay.  

For the Fighting Irish, despite the tough loss, there definitely some positives to take away from the game. The biggest one, was the team’s ability to score some points, after being shut-out their first two games of the season.  

Getting into the end-zone for Vinny Gulano’s team, was fellow FPF rookie Daniel Taylor, who scored 2 touchdowns, the first was a nice 40-yard run, and the second was on a 15-yard reception form Quarterback Kevin Payne De Serres. 

The Ducks remained the team to beat in the division, as they improved their record to (3-0) with a 32-6 win over the Wolverines.  

The Ducks’ defense was huge, as the team came away with 4 interceptions, one of which was run back for a touchdown. 

Individually, leading the way for the Ducks were powered by a strong game by Jayden Michel, who had a great game on both sides of the ball, as he had 2 catches for 35 yards and a touchdown, to go along with 2 interceptions, 1 TD, a pair of tackles, and one pass defended on defense. 

Having a solid game for the Wolverines was QB/WR Shatekaienthson Vandommelen. The FPF Jr rookie, threw for a TD pass, registered a tackle on defense, and recorded a game-high 2 catches for 40 yards. Good job! 

The Cougars made it two wins in a row, as they escaped with a 12-6 victory over the Musketeers.  

Once again, the team’s dynamic duo of Logan Trepanier and Tristan Dermody was on fire, as they combined for 1 TD 6 tackles, and 2 INTs. Let’s see what kind of damage both players do this week-end against the Fighting Irish. 

For the Musketeers, it was a heart-breaking loss. One positive the team can take out of the game, is that their offense showed a lot of big-play potential, as Wide Receivers Adam Bateman, Frida Llaguno, and Alexis Ortega-Crudo all had long plays offensively. Give this team a few more weeks, a they should be able to put up more points on a consistent basis.   

 

Sophomore Division 

 

The Hawkeyes continued to show why they are the class of this division, as they beat the Buckeyes 24-6. The game was a breakout performance for Hawkeye’s Quarterback Kaelen Trepanier. The first year FPF Jr player was simply phenomenal on both sides of the ball.  

As a passer, Trepanier, FPF Jr-high 175 yards, to go along with 3 TDs, on 15 of 28 passing. When he wasn’t throwing, he made the Buckeyes pay with his legs, as he had 4 carries for 64 yards and a TD. 

That wasn’t all however, as Trepanier also contributed an INT on defense, as he recorded an INT. 

The Red Devils, became the first FPF Jr, hit fifty points this season, as they knocked off the Seminoles 50-12. (Yes, the Horned Frogs did as well last week-end, but this game started at noon, whereas the Frogs/Bulldogs game started at 5 PM)  

Red Devils QB Noah Lachance had a remarkable game, as he went 15 of 18 for 221 yards and 4 TDs, and spread the ball around to all of his receivers. 

When you drop that many points, obviously your offense is taking care of business.  Don’t worry defense fans, the Red Devils’ defense showed up to play as well. Defensive Back William Denis, Felix Guerin, Lorenzo Cormier-Jarbah, and Darrius Nicholson all recorded an interception, with the latter two running them back for touchdowns. 

For the (0-3) Seminoles, it was another tough loss, but there were some performances from their players that give them reason for hope. Most notably, the Dean Fleming, Jordy Melnik, and David Bensemana, who all made plays on both sides of the ball. 

I said it in Week 1, and I’ll say It again, in FlagPlus Football, whether in the adult league, or in the FPF Jr, no matter how many touchdowns you score, the game more often than not comes down to conversions. Look no further than the Hurricanes 14-12 win over the Gators for proof. 

Both evenly matched teams fought to the final whistle in the defensive slugfest. The only difference between both squads, is the Hurricanes’ successful 2-point conversion after their first TD of the game, and that score gave them the win.

 

Varsity Division 

 

The Longhorns got their first win of the season, by knocking off the Spartans 38-33 last Saturday at Kirkland. This game was an epic shoot-out between to offenses that came to play. 

Spartans’ QB Ryan Garber Spartans) and Samuel Crudo the of the Longhorns, combined to throw for 510 yards, 10 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. A total of seven different receivers recorded a TD, with Joshua Peters, Adam Mahrouse, Spencer Fitzpatrick finding the end-zone twice each. 

Just like the aforementioned Red Devils/Seminoles game, despite the offensive fireworks, there were some standout plays on defense as well. Spartans Defensive Back Jeremy Calorendi, put up 6 tackles and 2 pass deflections. Not to be outdone, Longhorns rusher extraordinaire Shaylynn Bentley, recorded her first 2 sacks of the season, and pressured Garber all game long. 

The loss by the Spartans, bumped their record to a surprising 0-3. With a talented roster, and an explosive roster at their disposal, it’ll be hard to imagine the donut in the loss column sticking around for much longer for this crew. 

In a battle of previously unbeaten teams, the Horned Frogs handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season, as they came away with the huge 51-28 victory.  

Horned Frogs’ QB Avery Lalla had a fantastic game, as he went 17 of 26 for 167 yards and 4 TDs. He definitely spread the wealth, as all four scores each went to a different receiver. 

Helping out Lalla, and the team was Kaylem Ferdinand. The rookie DB/WR had a team-high 5 receptions for 64 yards and a TD on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, he had 2 INTs, one of which he ran back to the house. Teammate Alexi Dubois was solid as well, with a pick-6 of his own, and the team got big sacks out of Giordano Proulx and Dwante Morgan.  

Contributing as well to the win offensively, were Wide Receivers Zachery Stehr, Justin Brunelle, Jordan Murphy, and the aforementioned Morgan, who all came up with big plays that kept drives alive, and the Bulldogs’ defense guessing.  

The Bulldogs offense, got a big performance out of Wide Receiver Alex Pimental, as the rookie playing in his first ever FPF Jr game, finished with 5 catches for a game-high 100 yards and 2 TDs.  

Although he recorded a TD, it was a surprisingly quiet day for the Bulldogs’ Sam El-Mashtoub on the offensive end, with just 2 catches for 18 yards. He made up for it defensively however, as he registered a game-high 6 tackles to go along with an interception.   

On a totally separate note, the aforementioned Lalla, and El-Mashtoub, both second-year FPF Jr members, who had more than solid debut campaigns last year, are two of the latest players who this winter season, are also playing in the adult league as well. What makes their feat even more impressive, is the fact that they along with the Hurricanes’ Adam Mahrouse, are the first set of players to do both at the same time. All 3 players are following in the footsteps of Juwan Edghill and Reece Woods, who played in both leagues, but in separate seasons.  

The transfusion of talent from FPF Jr to the adult league, speaks not only to the quality of ball being played in both leagues, but to the skill level of the players in both sectors. 

 

Bird’s Eye-View 

 

Week 3 felt like an air show, as a number of Wide Receivers put up big numbers last week-end. At least 10 WRs had put up an average of 12 yards per catch or more. That’s really impressive. 

As I mentioned earlier, the Fighting Irish are (0-3). Despite being the only winless team in the Freshman Division, the team has more than lived up to their name, as they have fought to the final whistle in all three games so far this season. After scoring their first points of the season last week, and gaining some confidence, you can’t help but think that win number 1 isn’t too far away. 

Last week-end were tough games for Gators’ Quarterback Vincenzo Frank, and Fighting Irish Kevin Payne De Serres. Frank was sacked 3 times, and completed only 4 of 18 passes for 25 yards, 2 INTs, while Payne De Serres, went 3 for 14 for 20 yards, while getting picked off 5 times. Both players are extremely talented kids, who will definitely shake off the performance and come back bigger and better this week. 

As sometimes is the case with kids playing sports, you will inevitably see some tears. Wins and exciting times will happen in any sport, just like losses and hurt feelings. Despite all that, no matter why you are in FPF Jr, whether it be to play during your tackle football off-season, or this is your first experience playing, just remember, that bad times will lead to better times, and that you guys the players, are here to have fun, and that’s what matters most. 

 

High Five 

 

Camren Muclair (Hawkeyes) – The rookie WR had a impressive game with 7 grabs for 96 yards, and played a big role in his team’s win 24-6 win over the Buckeyes. 

Kaelen Trepanier (Hawkeyes) – I usually don’t like to pick two players from the same team, but Trepanier was really good last week. I won’t go over his stats again, but I will say that he displayed a big arm that was very accurate. His ability to make plays with his feet was also a sight to see. I have a feeling with a little bit more time under his belt, Trepanier, will be the next FPF Jr QB to make the jump to the adult division. 

Shaylynn Bentley (Longhorns) – The sack master from last season’s defending champions notched her first two sacks of the season. The last time she started to heat up, her team won it all. Will we see a repeat this year? 

Noah Swaminadham (Bruins) – Another member of the Swaminadham clan, Noah, had a fantastic game 5 catches for 64 yards and a game-high 3 TDs in his team’s 46-12 win over the Fighting Irish. 

Jayden Michel (The Ducks) – Michel, threw for a TD, caught one as a Wide Receiver, and as a Defensive Back as well. What more can I say? 

 

Picks 

Bulldogs vs Longhorns – Longhorns 

Musketeers vs Ducks – Ducks 

Horned Frogs vs Spartans – Horned Frogs 

Hurricanes vs Seminoles – Hurricanes 

Wolverines vs Bruins – Bruins 

Hawkeyes vs Gators – Hawkeyes 

Fighting Irish vs Cougars – Cougars 

Red Devils vs Buckeyes – Red Devils 

 

Just a quick reminder to tune into the FlagPlus Football YouTube channel. This week, yours truly and FPF founder himself Rob Campana, hosted the first ever FPF Jr podcast. It was a lot of fun to do. Rob and I, encourage parents and players alike to check it out. It will air every Tuesday nights from 9:30 to 10PM for the rest of the regular season and playoffs. 

That’s it for this week guys. Thanks for taking the time to read the article. I’ll be back next time with a recap of Week 4, and everything else that is going on in FPF Jr.  

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, feel free to contact me at [email protected]