Tier 3 Wildcard Review and beginning of the divisional round

I’ll be reviewing my picks/predictions for the games that were played, and preview two huge games in the upper bracket: Illegal Use of Hands vs. Joes Panini and Idaho Udapimps vs. Killer Rays.

Wildcard round

In N’ Out (21)vs. West Island Knights (20)

I’ll take West Island Knights in this one. They’ve had a lot of struggles but have had some decent results in their losses. They’re very athletic and have a more potent offense than In N’ Out.

Well, In N’ Out forfeited the game, so not much to say here.

Upper bracket

Killer Rays (7) vs. Mengoose (10)

Killer Rays have shown that they can hang with the top dogs of the division and so have Mengoose. Felix-Antoine Lavigne has really stepped up his game the past few games and Mengoose have some stud receivers. Tyler Gurberg and Tylar Bianchi will be the ones to watch as they will look to bounce back from the Idaho Udapimps loss on Wednesday. Give me Killer Rays in this one.

Felix-Antoine Lavigne seems to have regressed to his old ways this past week. It was a tough game, in which he only threw for 2TDs. Though he moved the ball well, throwing 210 yards (113 to CO Lavigne), he lacked poise near the endzone and threw 2 crucial picks. As for Killer Rays, Gurberg and Bianchi bounced back big time, with Bianchi going near perfect throwing 6TDs and no picks, while completing 25 of his 30 attempted passes. Gurberg was phenomenal as well, reeling in 3TDs on 9 targets (8 catches) and gaining 91 yards for his team. 

Joes Panini (8) vs. Born in the 80s (9)

Joes Panini were slightly better throughout the season but Matthew Zeppetelli has been struggling lately, with tough losses to Mengoose and Bandits, and an unconvincing win over Lightwork. Unfortunately for Born in the 80s, David De Andrade went down in their final game and he will be out for the remained of the playoffs. In his place, Mederic Lauzon will suit up at quarterback, which is honestly a great replacement. Lauzon hasn’t had a full season at QB since Winter 2023 and may be rusty, and playing with new players always means that chemistry will need to be built. I think Joes Panini take this one, but look out for Born in the 80s in that lower bracket if that happens.

Matthew Zeppetelli bounces back, ladies and gentlemen. A huge game for him with 203 yards, 6TDs and no picks. He defaulted to his bro for most of the game, with AJ destroying the Born in the 80s defense. His 111 yards and 4TDs makes him my player of the week. Michael Caparelli was also great as a 2nd option going 8 for 8 for 54 yards and 2TDs, as well as getting a pick on defense. For Born in the 80s, it was a really good first showing for Mederic Lauzon. Obviously the chemistry concerns were real, but those will probably subside as the team gets more reps. Craig Browning and Julien Proulx were really good offensively, but the team will need to find solutions on defense if they want to contend.

Lower Bracket

Bandits (13) vs. West Island Knights (20)

Bandits will only know their opponent an hour prior to the game, and I assume it will be West Island Knights. While Bandits struggled initially, they’ve won 3 of their last 4 with a notably huge win against Joes Panini last week. If Emile Skaf limits the mistakes, Bandits should have no issue disposing of their opponent.

West Island Knights played a good game. Shamar Joassaint threw and decided Corey Williams was the key to win this game, but they fell just a bit short. As for Bandits, Skaf limited the mistakes and played a smart game, only throwing 4 incompletions. Jad Aridi exploded offensively and both Jean-Pierre Nahra and Sebastien Champagne got 2TDs. 

Rico Ryders (14) vs. The Rudeboyz (19)

Rico Ryders have had some ups and downs this season, but they ended with a huge win over Bebes Dragons Magiques. Matthew Yanakoulias has been turnover prone this season and Rudeboyz have some really good defenders. Trevor Ruffner seems to have taken over at QB for them and has done pretty decent. This will be a game of which quarterback will throw the less picks in my opinion, and I have to go with Ruffner. Give me The Rudeboyz.

Oof. I was completely wrong here. I thought Ruffner was going to throw less picks than Yanakoulias and Yanakoulias threw none while Ruffner threw 5. Yanakoulias played absolutely out of his mind throwing for 253 yards and 7TDs. Hopefully he can keep that going as we know he’s had some inconsistency issues. Denis Koutavas balled out with 82 yards and 3TDs and Justin Lerner had 65 and 2TDs. 5 different defenders got a pick for Rico Ryders. I’m not saying they’re contenders just yet, but they’re a team to watch going forward.

Griffnation (15) vs. Wide Open Bar (18)

Griffnation’s Olivier Sabourin has done a really good job at QB with 31TDs and 12 interceptions. Thomas Moorjani-Houle has been great and will be hard to stop for Wide Open Bar. Their big win against Born in the 80s really gave me some confidence about this squad. As for Wide Open Bar, Louis Lussier has been great with his feet, but has struggled with his arm. He has thrown for 23 TDs but 13 picks and got sacked a whopping 17 times. Lussier is really talented but will need to limit the bad decisions. I think Griffnation takes this one.

Wide Open Bar are forfeiting this game.

Bleue Dry (16) vs. Bebes Dragons Magiques (17)

Bleue Dry have a lot of talent on their squad, and Frederic Juneau is in my opinion one of the best QBs in this division. His receivers seem to have let him down a couple times this season, but i don’t know how Bebes Dragons Magiques stop Guillaume Dufresne. If Yvan Desjardins turns it around, the Dragons will have a lot on their plate. While Guillaume Boulanger has been solid for them, the team struggles defensively and will need to find ways to stop Dufresne. I’m taking Bleue Dry.

Just a reminder of what I predicted last week, I stand by it.

Divisional

Illegal Use of Hands (1) vs. Joes Panini (8)

QB: Alessandro Barazzoni vs. Matthew Zeppetelli. 

Barazonni has been very consistent, is very patient, reads the play well, but lacks the explosiveness in his game that Zeppetelli has. I think this is a very even matchup in quarterback play, which always leads to a good game. Who will be able to impose their pace in this one?

Receiving core: Bekim Borova, Anthony Lazarra, Mathew Simard, Anthony Siggia vs. AJ Zeppetelli, Michael Caparelli, Nicolas Knez, Joe Morgese

I’m giving the edge slightly to Joes Panini here. AJ Zeppetelli is perhaps the best receiver in Tier 3, and their depth is also slightly better than Illegal Use of Hands. The advantage for IUOH is that basically anyone can play in Barazzoni’s system, but these guys are all reliable studs.

Defense: Both teams have very solid defenses, but Illegal Use of Hands is on another level. They allowed more than 100 points less than Joes Panini. George Kalavritinos is also one of the best rushers in Tier 3.

My prediction: Illegal Use of Hands in a very close one, due to their superior defense.

Idaho Udapimps (2) vs. Killer Rays (7)

I don’t want to say too much since I’m involved here, but Killer Rays could have very well beat us when we played them. Tylar Bianchi and Tyler Gurberg have a great connection and I know Gurberg will try to prove himself after a tough game versus us. Curtis Ryan is a nightmare matchup vertically and Aidan Lariviere is very shifty. Obviously, this is a huge game for both teams but Killer Rays will have vengeance on their minds. Let’s make it a fun one boys.

There you have it for this week. Good luck in your games!