Tier 2: Semi-Finals Preview

Welcome to the Semi-Final round of the Tier 2 Flag Plus Football playoffs. We are officially down to the final four teams, as The Infantry, Vultures, Idaho Udapimps, and Fins Up, battle it out for the right to make the Finals. 

Let’s look at how each team got to this point:

The Infantry knocked off the ghosts of Les Monsieurs Chats (60-0), as the number five seed had to forfeit the game due to a wedding. 

Now with the lack of excitement out the way, let’s get to the games that were actually played.

In the Quarter-Final article I put out on Wednesday, I picked Shake & Bake to upset Idaho Udapimps. That prediction almost came to fruition as the game went down to the wire. 

After Shake & Bake forced a turnover on downs, with less than a minute to five plays trailing by four (38-34), the seventh seed had a chance to pull off the upset.

Shake & Bake Quarterback Marc-Andre Reeves, would start off his team’s final possession by completing passes to Hugo Stensland, Mikael Arseneau, and Denis Martel, picking up two first downs in the process. The QB looked to scramble on the fourth play of the drive, but was stopped after a short gain by defender Sam Anastasopoulos.

After two straight incompletions forced by Anastasopoulos and teammate Danick Coulombe, the game would be decided by an interception courtesy of Defensive Back Jeremy Rooney on fourth down, ending a contest that could be seen as an instant classic. 

I was wrong when I called for the upset special, but not when I said that this would be the game of the week.

After Fins Up and Jagerbomb combined to score 19 first half points, both teams found their respective offenses, and put together 38 after the break. 

Fins Up emerged victorious as their offense scored quickly. Quarterback Will Power led them on scoring drives of five, two, and five plays. The last touchdown was a gift, as it was set up by 

an interception by James Langshaw, off opposing QB Simon Duchesne.  

Needing to get the ball back, the Jagerbomb defense needed to stop Fins Up from getting a first down that would end the contest. The defense almost got their hands on the football on the first two plays of the drive as Jonathan Cloutier and Loic Savoiz-Seguin knocked down passes intended for Carl Achy and Joey Notaro respectively. 

After Power found Receiver DonDre Borden for a 6-yard gain on third down, the two would hook up again, as they connected for 27 yards on fourth down to end a thrilling game between two good teams.

The Vultures punched their ticket to tonight, as they got past Never Overtime (38-31).

Just like the aforementioned Jagerbomb versus Fins Up contest, this game featured some big offensive plays as well. 

Of the 10 touchdowns scored, only three of them were less than 17 yards. Why did I pick that number you might be asking? It is because midfield is 15 yards from the 10-yard line where every new drive starts after your opponent scores a TD. Essentially, seven of the scores that we saw in the contest travelled more than half the field. 

This game would come down to three key plays late. After surrendering a safety due to a bad snap, the Never Overtime defense would need to force a turnover. The unit got their wish, as Defensive Back Sacha Saint-Amand, picked off Vultures QB Ben McMahon, with four plays left in the contest. 

With three plays now remaining, Never Overtime had new life. QB Ryan Kharouf moved fast, as he hit Receiver Mack Dessources for a gain of nine on first down, then found Snapper Karim Madji for an 11-yard gain on second, setting up the final play of the game. 

Kharouf would look for his top Receiver in Dessources once again, but his pass would fall incomplete, ending a fantastic game.

Now on to tomorrow night:

*Both Semi-Final games were supposed to be played tonight at Concordia, but they were moved to tomorrow at St. Laurent 

(1) Vultures versus (4) The Infantry 

Previous Meeting: Vultures (25-18) Week 1

The first meeting feels like a decade ago as it happened all the way back in the beginning of September. It had a heavyweight fight kind of feel, as both teams traded shot after shot, and each defense was able to stand tall and withstand the barrage of punches. 

The game would come down to the final five plays. After giving up a touchdown from McMahon to reigning Two-Way Player of the Year award winner Sanders Armand, that gave the Vultures a (25-18) lead, The Infantry had four plays to score a TD and win the game.

On first down, QB Sean Semerjian would find his brother Rory Semejian for a gain of seven. The former Semerjian’s next two passes would fall incomplete, setting up a do-or-die final play of the game. Semerjian would get the snap and roll to his right, but before getting the pass off, he was sacked by Rusher Naz Dhillon. 

In tomorrow’s rematch, I expect both teams to be firing on all cylinders, as each side has had the whole season to find their footing and develop chemistry.

Both sides have playmakers and game-breakers at every level, along with the perfect combination of speed, length, and physicality. They each also have a pair of top-end Rushers in Ethan Adrian, and the aforementioned Dhillon. 

The Vultures have been my choice as the top team in Tier 2 all season. I think this game will go down to the wire just like the first time. The Infantry has the best defense, and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Quaysie Gordon-Maule. Due to those two factors, I am calling for the upset special.

Prediction: The Infantry (32-30)

(2) Fins Up versus (3) Idaho Udapimps

Previous Meeting: Fins Up (32-26) Week 10

In the previous meeting, Will Power tied a regular season high with only four incompletions on 21 of 25 passing for 175 yards, to go along with five touchdowns and one interception.

His counterpart in Brady Ohanessian, had his worst game of the year, as he connected on a season-low 46.9% of his passes, and threw four TDs to two INTs. 

To get the win tonight, the Fins Up defense will need to defend the long ball. In the first meeting, they gave up scores of 25 and 40 yards in the second half. That will be easier said than done as that is the most dangerous part of the Idaho Udapimps offense. 

For Idaho Udapimps to emerge victorious, they will need to do two things. First, they must display the same clutch ability that permeates this team both now and last summer. This squad has been short players, and have had to pull off their share of comebacks. No matter what obstacle they have faced, the team has risen to the occasion to win the Spring Season championship, and several games this fall. The chances of them having to rely on that attribute again tomorrow is high. 

The second thing the team must do is make sure the game doesn’t come down to a final drive or play. The GOAT Kevin Wyeth told me years ago that this league is simple. If your team can make one to two stops a game, you should always win. Can Idaho Udapimps get the stop they need that they didn’t get the first time around?

Just like the other Semi-Final game, this one isn’t lacking top-end players on both sides of the ball. I want to go with Fins Up again, but I don’t see them knocking off Idaho Udapimps a second time this year. 

Prediction: Idaho Udapimps (34-30) 

It is only fitting that the top four teams in Tier 2 are battling for the right to make the Finals next week. St. Laurent should be rocking tomorrow, as both games promise to be exciting. I will be scorekeeping The Infantry versus Vultures game, but keeping an eye on Idaho Udapimps against Fins Up at the same time. 

Don’t forget the Finals are next Sunday in Laval.

Picks

Vultures vs The Infantry – The Infantry (Upset Special)

Idaho Udapimps vs Fins Up – Idaho Udapimps (My pick for Game of the Week)

Regular Season: (36-16-1)

Last Week: (3-1)

Playoffs: (6-2)

Upset Special: (5-6-1)

This past Friday I had FPF President Jeff Rosenblatt and Vultures QB and FPF Commissioner Ben McMahon on my podcast The514Show. 

We sat down for 30 minutes and talked about a host of topics including the current Fall Season, the playoffs, the soon to be launched youth league with the Montreal Mavericks, and of course, the upcoming 2025 Winter Season. The episode comes out tomorrow on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and anywhere else you get podcasts. Download it, take a listen, and share. 

Last Monday, I released a second half of the NFL preview episode that we recorded recently. It features FPF Ref and die-hard Cowboys Rehan Sarwar, as well as my buddy Johnny, who is an avid Eagles fan. The jokes and trash-talking were non-stop. Check it out:  

That is it for this week. I will be back next weekend with the final article of the Fall Season, and my Finals Preview.  

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.