Time to Wrap up the Season. Who will make the Playoffs, whose season will end this week?

Aight Div C, this is it, the final week of the season. It’s been a crazy fast, but at the same time a slow season. Nevertheless, the division standings are starting to take shape, and while it’s been a different pace from past seasons, we once again have an FPF classic; the final few playoff spots will be determined on the last week of the season. A reminder for the teams that have already clinched, that the top 4 seeds will receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs, so if you don’t want to play Round 1 on Sunday July 31st and then play Round 2 the very next day, go ahead and clinch yourself a top 4 seed. But first, let’s see who’s clinched a playoff spot!

Clinched Playoff Teams

These are the teams that by virtue of points earned, and max points the “teams in red” can earn, have 100% clinched a playoff spot. They do not reflect any tie-breaking scenarios or go through intense breakdowns. They are simply teams that, without a doubt, have clinched a playoff spot.

1. EZW*
2. Blitzed Budds*
3. The Infantry*
4. TOPSZN*
5. Ravens*
6. Hot Sauce Sports*
7. Vultures*
8. The Stoics*
9. Air Force 1*

9 of 12 spots are clinched, so we’ve got 3 spots up for grabs!

Division C Latest Happenings

• You been noticing that Jeremy White isn’t throwing for EZW anymore? Ah, must be because he wasn’t available but wait, he played receiver… so you didn’t hear the FPF breaking news on Calling The Audible. Jeremy White will not be available for playoffs/finals, so Sam Emilio Pelchat is taking over the reigns and taking as many regular season snaps to be ready for playoffs. The rest of the division:

• Props to Gary McMahon. He’s got 4 INTs on the season (including a pick 6 this past week!), putting him in the Top 10 Defensive INT leaders, proving that he can make an impact for the Vultures defense in Div C. He and Juwan Edghill lead the team with 4 picks each.
• Los Penetradores are swinging some heads. 3 wins after 8 games in Div C is impressive with mostly Div E players. I’ve mentioned that it’s mostly been at the heals of Rocco Christiano, but time to start giving some credit to players like Nicholas Fon, Noah Assayag and Justin Goodman. They made the brave jump up 2 divisions and while they haven’t seen the same success as they are having in Div E, the experience will help their FPF futures and their Div E championship run. They are currently holding one of the 3 last playoff spots. They’ve got games against One Step Closer and The Commission, 2 teams below them that they can pull the trigger on and cement their road to the playoffs. Their playoff hopes rest solely in their hands.

• The Vultures are SLIDING. Who would have thought after a MONSTER start to the season that they would have lost 3 of their last 4 games, including a loss to The 1-6 Commission team. Ben McMahon seemed to have found some of that early-season magic in their 9pm game against One Step Closer, but only managed to put up 4 scores for 26 points at 10pm against The Commission. Vultures gave up a 26-25 lead to Alex Blais on 4th down with the game in running down to its final minutes. With 5 plays remaining, they would go to drive the field and get to the 1-yard line in just 3 plays. Unfortunately, McMahon would throw 2 incomplete passes and The Commission kept their slim playoff hopes alive.
• There are 3 playoff spots left for the taking and 7 teams battling for them. Who’s getting in and who’s season will end on July 28th? Like always, you gotta stay tuned to find out!
• Before departing for his European adventures, Paolo Della Rocca and the Hot Sauce Sports D came up with wins over the Ravens and The Stoics.
• The ESU Timberwolves are one of those teams fighting for a playoff spot. They are currently sitting outside of the playoff picture and will need either a tie or victory over the might Infantry. Can Dan Mancini continue his ridiculously crazy offensive output and put up 5 or 6 TD’s to beat The Infantry? It might just take such a performance if Jordan Rossie wants to keep throwing this season past Sunday July 24th.
• The Stoics played 2 games on Sunday, both 1 point games. 1 loss to HSS, 1 victory over The Commission.

• Is Ravens holding TOPSZN to just 12 points the most surprising stat line of the week? When Ryan McGrath isn’t in the lineup, the TOPSZN offense goes from fantastic to average. Or maybe Shawn McGrath has a difficult time against bigger bodied teams? Those Ravens have some big boys that cover a lot of turf. It wasn’t a pretty win, but Ravens end their season with a W.
• There’s currently no clear-cut leader for 2-way Player of the Year and DPOY, although there are a few names for consideration, so go out there in your final game(s), ball out and cement yourself an award (as long as you put your team needs ahead of your own… right?👀🤔).
• Only 2 teams have cracked the 50 TD mark on offense: EZW (50) and Vultures (53).
• Only 2 teams have 70 or more 1st downs: EZW (76) and Les Montagnards (70).
• Only 1 team has 20 INTs: Blitzed Budds (20). Next on the docket is Ravens, EZW and TOPSZN, all with 15 total INTs each.
• #1 team in sacks? Blitzed Budds with 19, then Vultures with 16, followed by Los Penetradores with 15.
• TOPSZN have 1 more game to get their groove back. They’ve dropped 2 in a row where they’ve only been able to put up 12 points in each of those losses. They need to be ready to play Blitzed Budds, because if they aren’t, the game could get ugly. It will be a good tune up game for their playoff run.

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Game Recap

This game started with a pick on the 2nd play of the game: an incredible pick by Nico Blais that gave Sam Pelchat a short field to drive in just 2 plays. He would connect on the TD with C-O Lavigne on his patented smash out move. After a 1st down run by Jordan Rossie, he would complete a pass to Dan Mancini for 27 yards downfield for his first of all 4 of Rossie‘s touchdown passes on the night. Tie game 6-6.

The teams would exchange scores for a deadlock 12-12 tie. On EZW’s next drive it was the JC Ferland show, as he took his first target of night up 8 yards, and took his second target the rest of the way, for a 32 yard TD. Rossie tried, with 30 seconds and 5 plays remaining, to drive the field, but fell shy 13 yards away from the endzone. The touchdown at the end of the half would have been huge for ESU, as EZW were up at halftime 19-12 and would be starting with the ball in the 2nd half.

The Timberwolves D did step up to begin the half though, as they bended but did not break on EZW’s opening drive. The EZW offense was driving the field, moving all the way to the 12 yard line. After a penalty by Sam Pelchat set them back 5, Ferland on 1st and 15 was able to recover 8 yards, but 3 consecutive incomplete passes by Pelchat and the ESU Timberwolves D gave Rossie the ball back with a chance to tie the game. After 3 consecutive passes to Ramez Popal for 6, 7 and 8 yards, Rossie went to his favorite target in Mancini for another 20+ yard TD. Unfortunately for the Timbs, they could not convert on the XP attempt and were still down 19-18.

But that’s when the game turned in favor of the Timberwolves. Pelchat threw a deep ball that was picked off by Dilan Daoust. That pumped up Rossie, as 2 consecutive defensive series, his D was able to get him the ball back. But as pumped as Jordan was, he had trouble moving the ball and the EZW Defense came to Pelchat‘s rescue, forcing the Timberwolves into a 4-and-out. This was the game-changing series because 16 yards away from the endzone and 2 plays later, Pelchat hit Jeremy White for his 2nd TD of the night.

The teams would once again exchange scores, which gave Jordan Rossie once final drive for the tie/win. It started off great, with a 21-yard sideline reception to Rayan Chalal, but the late-game heroics ended their, as Rossie‘s 4th down pass was picked off by Felix Bissonnette to seal the victory for his team.

Players of the game:

EZW: Samuel Emilio Pelchat – 19 completions, 29 attempts, 199 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT, 1 Rushing attempt, 4 Rushing yards, 1/5 on converts.

ESU Timberwolves: Daniel Mancini– 5 receptions, 9 targets, 121 receiving yards, 4 TD’s

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Game Preview

First things first, this game is (obviously) more important for Les Montagnards, as it is their final game of the season. For them, it’s lose and you’re eliminated. Win and you give yourselves a chance at making the playoffs. Not only do they need to win, they need to make sure the defense is on top of their game, giving up as little points as possible, as their playoff hopes likely come down to a tie-breaker scenario, and if it comes down to a 3-way tie, points against will likely be the tiebreaker. From the teams battling a playoff spot, they have the most, with 286 points given up in 9 games, so a shutout victory would be ideal (but unlikely).

While it’s not as critical for Tough Lungs, nothing would make them happier than to eliminate one of the other 6 teams they are battling for a playoff spot with and increase their odds of playing for the Div C championship. They do have 1 more game 2 hours after their battle against Les Montagnards, against the 1-8 Two Inch’s Gang.

In any Div C game, we need to first look at the Quarterback battle. Both teams have recently shown question marks to their #1 QB’s. Les Montagnards have actually been switching all season between Julien Fiset-Cyr and Anthony Brisebois, while Tough Lungs have recently sat Mathew Lerner. Whether it’s injury-related or vacation-related remains a question mark, but Tough Lungs would, I’m sure prefer to lineup Justin Lerner and Brandon Aylward at receiver, giving them an incredible 1-2 punch. Then there’s the question of them potentially having Danny Aylward getting 5 GP and moving in that direction for their playoff hopes. So not only will this game be interesting to watch, but just who gets the start at QB has important implications for this game and future games. So let’s assume both teams can suit their best rosters, which means Brisebois in at QB (also means he gets to play D) and Mathew Lerner in for Tough Lungs.

If that’s the case, I prefer Lerner‘s familiarity with his receiving set, with players running the routes at the exact depth that Lerner expects. Lerner would have to be careful with his deep balls, as Mathieu Girard-Provost has proven to be difficult to beat deep. Lerner will also need to make sure that he doesn’t read the deeps late, for Girard-Provost, but also Khalil Agrebi‘s large frame will block a lot of visibility for accurate ball placement on the deep shots. That said, expect a lot of targets for Justin Bizzarro Gray who will look to be the 4th receiver to crack the 300-receiving yard mark on the season and intermediate routes from either the Wrangler, Justin Lerner or Brandon Aylward. From the other perspective, Olivier Doleyres will need to play a solid game as rusher. He and the Tough Lungs defense will have the most success if he can cause Brisebois to throw off his backfoot, leading to errant throws that anyone really in the defensive backfield can pick off for Tough Lungs. The Tough Lungs D will have to be careful and not underestimate Marc-Antoine Viens. The dude has quick feet, great hands, and uses his big frame of his to box out defenders.

If I had to pick 2 players (1 from each team) to come up with a big play, but as a darkhorse, I would have to say that I could see Greg Kritselas coming up with a big TD on the last play of the first half. A late TD to end the first would be huge for Tough Lungs, since Les Montagnards are the home team and will likely opt to start the game on Defense (and therefore the 2nd half on O). For Les Montagnards, that unexpected hero would be Antoine Gagnon-Griffin. I can see a key turnover in the game coming from him, using his tall range to pick off Lerner and give his offense the ball back.

Alright, it’s prediction time. I see Tough Lungs coming up with 1 more play than Les Montagnards in a close game. I predict both teams scoring 4 times, with Tough Lungs coming up with the 1 point victory from converts.

Prediction: Tough Lungs 26 – 25 Les Montagnards

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Division C Fantasy Team of the Week

Quarterbacks (2):

QB1 – Jordan Rossie – G1 (ESU Timberwolves): 12/21, 57.7% completion, 223 yards, 6 TDs, 0 INTs, 3 Rushing attempts, 25 Rushing yards, 133.5 QBR, 3 for 6 on converts (3 points earned).

QB2 – Alexandre Fafard – (Beer Belly Brigade): 18/27, 66.7% completion, 154 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 6 Rushing Attempt, 87 Rushing yards, 1 Rushing TD, 105.6 QBR 2 for 5 on converts (3 points earned).

Receivers (5):

WR1 – Daniel Mancini – G1- (ESU Timberwolves): 6 receptions, 8 targets, 145 yards, 5 TDs

WR2 – Daniel Mancini – G2- (ESU Timberwolves): 5 receptions, 9 targets, 121 yards, 4 TDs

WR3 – Kevin Marcil- (One Step Closer): 6 receptions, 10 targets, 142 yards, 2 TDs

WR4 – Corey Williams – G1– (The Commission): 4 receptions, 4 targets, 94 yards, 3 TDs, 1x XP2

WR5 – Sean Semerjian – G2 – (The Infantry): 7 receptions, 7 targets, 95 yards, 3 TDs, 1x XP1

FLEX (1):

Mike Pierrecin – G2 – (The Commission): 8 receptions, 11 targets, 112 yards, 2 TDs

Defensive Backs (5) + Rusher (1):

DB – Gary McMahon – G1- (Vultures): 1 tackle, 1 INT, 1 Def TD, 2 PD’s

DB – Sean Semerjian – G1 – (The Infantry): 6 tackles, 1 INT, 1 Def TD, 1 PD

DB – Nicholas Fon – (Los Penetradores): 1 tackle, 1 INT, 1 Def TD

DB – Marcus Lynch – G1 – (Hot Sauce Sports): 2 INT’s

DB – Jeremy White – G1 – (EZW): 2 INTs

Rusher – Matthew Caponi (Los Penetradores): 3 sacks

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Week 8 Game Picks 

My Picks are in Bold Green

Beer Belly Brigade vs. Vultures

ESU Timberwolves vs. The Infantry

Hot Sauce Sports vs. The Infantry

EZW vs. The Stoics

One Step Closer vs. Los Penetradores

Les Montagnards vs. Tough Lungs

TWO INCH’S GANG vs. Tough Lungs

TOPSZN vs. Blitzed Budds

The Commission vs. Los Penetradores

The Stoics vs. One Step Closer

The Commission vs. Hot Sauce Sports

Epilogue

Well, that does it for this weeks article. Just put me full-time on Calling The Audible.

I usually scorekeep on Tuesday nights in Loyola, so feel free to come say hi before playing your game or reach out to me on socials @iggymanz or Ignacio Valdes-Manzanedo on FB messenger to let me know if you like the articles, hate ’em, what you wanna see more of / less of.

Cheers!