Categories: Co-EdComplementaryDivision

Thoughts, Predictions and Analysis from Week 10 of Co-ed Action

With the playoffs right around the corner, things are starting to get interesting in co-ed. Teams are playing their very best in order to move up in the standings before the regular season draws to a close. Before we get in to the playoffs, let’s review some of the action from week 10 and preview the upcoming week 11 games. This week, I have replaced my Bargains of the Week by Thoughts of the Week. I hope you will enjoy the article!

 

Week 10 Thoughts of the Week:

  • Black Mamba seemed fueled by my prediction that Power Rangers were going to walk all over them. It was great to see them fired up and chirpy in the first half of their game this week, but eventually, Power Rangers put them in their place. Black Mamba still have the illusion that they are better than they actually are. They are a team of average talent with a developing understanding of the FPF game. The result is a below average team. Black Mamba have so far only managed to beat teams that have less talent and equal experience to them. So Black Mamba, stay fired up and keep on playing aggressive, but before you start making claims, remember your place in the food chain.
  • 3rd Down For What are going to go undefeated. They will cap their perfect season with a win over division 2 Hot-Dawgz. There are two factors that are going to lead 3DW to their perfect season. All season long I have been raving about Sara Parker. She was the driving force behind 3DW’s season with over 1 000 passing yards and only five picks. Parker dominated at quarterback and Jeremy Murphy dominated at receiver. With one game left on the season, he has already accumulated 400 receiving yards and 11 scores. If any team wants to upset 3DW, they will need to find some way to limit the explosive duo of Parker and Murphy but I’m just not sure there is any way to contain those two.
  • Party Mix are officially party-less. With only two wins on the season, the co-ed franchise needs to start re-evaluating their approach. This season is a write-off, but they have two options for the spring season. They can either move their party over to division 2 or they need a major upgrade to their roster to stay in division 1. Division 1 is fueled by big name stars who can take over the game. Simply put, Party Mix’s stars cannot compete with the top players from the other division 1 teams.
  • SAVAGE are on the rise. After a very shaky start to their season, they appeared to have found a winning formula at quarterback with Jean-Felix Marquis. Two weeks ago, SAVAGE came oh so close to a massive upset when they lost to 3DW by only a single point. This week, they were on the winning side of a close game. They fought their way to a 20-19 win over Party Mix to claim the fourth spot in the standings. SAVAGE’s final game of the season is against Power Rangers. This is the perfect opportunity for them to prove to all of co-ed that they are peaking at the perfect time.

 

Week 10 Game of the Week:

So far, I have been hesitant to talk about my own games in this Game of the Week section. I have tried to write about the close games and make an analysis based off the stats. However, this week, I believe the most exciting game was Michael Scott’s Tots vs Yin&Yang, my team. This is the first time I try recapping a game I played in so bear with me and I hope you enjoy your week 10 GOTW.

Michael Scott’s Tots (36) vs Yin&Yang (31)

My memory of the first half is foggy. Maybe my brain is trying to erase that scene and trying to pretend it never happened. Sadly, it did happen, and it was not a pretty sight.

What is clear from that first half is that MST scored, and they scored a lot. Their offence was firing on all cylinders and Y&Y’s defence was just along for the ride. Play after play, MST’s quarterback, Evan Ely Nolet, connected with Sebastien Crisi-Lauzon for a large chunk of yards or with Karina Niboj to move the chains. When Y&Y started to over commit to defending those two players, Gerry Gilbert reared his head and made Y&Y pay. Notwithstanding the few completions to Gilbert, MST’s offence seemed to have two settings. Either they threw the short slant to their snapper Karina Niboj or they aired it out to the freakishly athletic Sebastien Crisi-Lauzon. Unfortunately, Y&Y were unable to take away either of those two options. It seemed as though Niboj was eternally open for a 4 or 5 yard gain and there was nothing Y&Y could do to cover Crisi-Lauzon. If Y&Y tried playing man coverage on him, he would just embarrass his defender for a massive gain and when Y&Y tried adding a safety over top to lend a hand, Crisi-Lauzon simply out-ran the man covering him and outjumped the safety for yet another big gain. While MST had no problems scoring, life was not so easy for Y&Y’s offence. They failed to score on their first three possessions. Very quickly, MST jumped out to an 18-0 lead.

While I may be trying to forget Crisi-Lauzon manhandling our defence for big plays and our offence failing to score, my memory of the moments after we went down 18-0 is much better. The game turned around when Justin Weir took over at the helm of the offence. With time running out in the first half, he used the combination of his arm talent and his freakish elusiveness as a runner to orchestrate Y&Y’s first scoring drive of the match. When the half-time whistle blew, MST were up 18-7, but you could feel the tide was starting to turn.

Y&Y started the second half much like they finished the first half: with a touchdown. Y&Y were now down by only a score. After that opening play in the second half, Y&Y managed to stop MST’s offence on one of their drives. Y&Y’s offence capitalized and scored again to take a narrow lead. As the second half progressed, Weir got more and more comfortable as he established a relationship with Olivia Sormany, Matthew Peacock and Gino Di Fazio. Sormany led all of Y&Y in receiving yards with 45 while Peacock and Gino shared the lead in terms of receptions. Things were working on offence; the ball was moving, and Y&Y were scoring points. What Weir could not get done with his arm, he got done with his legs. He led all of co-ed in rushing yards with 64 and a score.

After exchanging scores for the rest of the second half, Y&Y marched down the field and scored to take a narrow lead with just a few seconds left before the 5 plays. The ball was then back in the hands of MST’s quarterback Evan Ely Nolet. He had just a few plays to gain the 40 yards needed for a victory. It was much more than the game that was on the line. If MST scored on that drive, they would claim 2nd spot in the standings from Y&Y. Michael Scott’s Tots slowly advanced down the field. Y&Y concentrated all their efforts on taking Crisi-Lauzon out of the game, but that opened up other players for MST. With one play left, MST were just five yards away from Y&Y’s goal line. At that point, everyone knew who the ball was going to. Y&Y double teamed Crisi-Lauzon with Weir playing man on him and a safety helping over the top. The ball was snapped, and Crisi-Lauzon ran a deep in at the back of the endzone. Nolet aired the ball out towards him and it looked like the pass was too high and too long for anyone to be able to haul it in but it wasn’t too far for Crisi-Lauzon. He leaped, reached and caught the ball with one hand to win the game for MST and secure 2nd place in the standings.

 

Misinformed Predictions:

Party Mix vs ATH Squad: At the start of the season, I wouldn’t have thought twice about this game. I would have predicted Party Mix to cruise to an easy victory. However, the way this season has unfolded, Party Mix and the term “easy victory” are no longer synonymous. ATH Squad have scored more points and conceded fewer than Party Mix and they need this win to secure third place. I see ATH Squad beating Party Mix in a closely fought game.

It’s a Match vs Tigers: The top place team in division 2 is taking on the last place team from the same division. I have said everything I possibly can about Tigers. They are nice, they are fun. Sadly, they just aren’t talented enough. It’s a Match is going to run away with this one.

Michael Scott’s Tots vs Black Mamba: Despite giving Black Mamba a hard time in these articles week in and week out, I am willing to admit that they have a decent corps of players. Sadly, they just don’t understand the FPF game well enough for them to be able to translate that talent into wins. On the other hand, MST has both the talent and the football smarts and that is why they will win this game.

A-Town vs Yin&Yang: I know that I have never predicted my team to lose. Guess what, I never will. I will pick Y&Y to win every game no matter the odds against us. Maybe that makes me a biased writer, but so be it. With that being said, I am once again confident that my team will win this week. Yes, Y&Y have lost their last two matches and three of their last four, but all that means is they are primed for a win. I see that win coming this week against the struggling A-Town.

Power Rangers vs SAVAGE: This is a game to keep your eye on. On the one hand, Power Rangers did not look great against Black Mamba in their last match and on the other hand, SAVAGE are playing by far their best football of the season. Call me crazy here, but I am calling for the upset: SAVAGE are going to beat Power Rangers.

Hot-Dawgz vs 3rd Down for What: This is a pretty easy match to predict. No team in division 1 has been able to beat 3DW this year. I don’t see how a middle of the pack division 2 team like Hot-Dawgz can compete with the clinical play of 3DW.

Another week of co-ed action done and we are another week closer to playoff action! Week 11 is the last round of games before the playoffs roll around. I am on vacation this week so I will be following the action from afar so if there is anything you want to let me know about your game or if there is something you feel I should write about, let me know.