Week 1 Power Rankings and Predictions

 

Peeze’s Playbook

Week 1

By Paolo Della Rocca

Before I go on and discuss some of the changes in our format when it comes to our media products I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself.  My name is Peeze and I manage the FPF media team.  We are responsible for all of the a/v additional content you see and part of what makes FPF a truly special experience.

For those who are returning you’ll undoubtedly know that we push the boundaries each season and work tirelessly to give you something new and refreshing.  We really do try to provide content that is relevant but also allows us to explore the medium and present it in a way that truly feels like our league.

For years we had divisional articles that would cover the comings and goings in each division. While they were widely read we wanted to address the fact that as the articles were fairly onerous the writers often would not be able to release them until days after the action that they were breaking down.  Our solution for this season was to assign writers to days of the week instead of divisions.  This way recaps and previews would be more timely and of greater interest to our constituency.  

Additionally, each writer has been assigned to a division. On Saturday mornings (excuse this week’s tardiness) you can expect to have a collections of our predictions on the week’s upcoming games and all of the power rankings across the divisions.  

As it turns out, whenever we try to change the way we work there is somewhat of an adjustment period.  This week was no different. That said with a week behind us I’m confident we’ll provide a compendium to your Saturday morning cartoons the likes of which we’ve never seen before.

While the articles provide us with a great deal of depth and analysis we also have additional products that will help you all enjoy the league.  Every Thursday at 7:30 we go live with our long running podcast: Calling the Audible. It’s a three hour rundown of everything that has happened in our Men’s League as well as complimentary divisions.  

For those who don’t have the attention span for long formats such as these stay tuned for clips of the show and remember it can be downloaded wherever you get your podcasts and it’s available on youtube.com/flagplus from Friday mornings.  Follow us on Instagram (@flagplus) for stories and posts that are even more digestible and quickly absorbed. Returning as well is our often copied but never matched Game of The Week.  Each week a game will be featured and the entire community will get to vote on what they’d like to watch and then within a couple of days after it’s been completed the game will be edited, music will be added and players can kick back and enjoy watching our highlighted game.

All-in-all there is FPF related content available on almost every day of the week,  There is never a reason to miss a play, a moment, a great matchup or any of the amazing things that happen on a weekly basis in our great league!

Power Rankings:

Each week all of the writers will submit their power rankings for each division.  We will examine how each team is trending, the caliber of their wins and losses and evaluate their progress through the season. These always spark debate so let us know why you think you’ve been snubbed or which teams we should have noted.  There is no power ranking for Division 2 this week but as we adapt to the new format you can expect them moving forward. 

Division 6D

By Ignacio Valdez-Manzanedo

1-Trojans: Although they struggled as Fafi et sa Bande in the first 4 games of the Fall Cup (going 0-4), they played some tough opponents then and actually put together a nice string of wins in the remaining 4 games, so dont let your first impression from Fall Cup blind you here. Alex Fafard throws a very nice deep ball, and can run on almost any team, putting up over 200 yards of offence in his week 1 battle vs. 89.9ers. They’ve got the rocket arm and speedy legs of Fafard, the FPF experience and the youth all going in favor for this team. I see a very good season in line for this team, with a great week 2 matchup against Stiffy Arm. 

2-Stiffy Arm: Speaking of Stiffy Arm, they make the #2 in the Power Ranking with the wealth of experience this team has with names like Ryan Castiel, Nic Corbo and Alex Evangelidis. How did this team name make the cut for Div 6?? Maybe because they brought in new FPF QB Adamo Colella, an unproven piece into the equation. Although he struggled in his debut (6/13, 93 yards, 2 TD’s, 3 INT’s), the defence was able to score two Pick 6’s to help put 12 points on the board. We’ll see where they land in the Power Rankings over the course of the season, but for now, with the lack of knowledge with so many new teams, they claim spot #2. 

3-Les Studz: Although playing a struggling franchise in Here for the Beer, Les Studz didn’t know that coming in to their first ever FPF game and proceeded to put a whopping 47 points on the board. Philippe Gelinas scored twice threw the air and twice on the ground, but I would like to see more than 6 completions and more than 12 attempts, but that was only because his defence scored THREE pick 6’s for him! For these reasons, they get the #3 spot as a new team. 

4-Tropic Thunder: Can this be the year that the Tropic Thunder franchise finishes with a winning season? I think so, as Div 5B was too high for them in the Winter 2019 season, and they still went 4-6. So not only do I think they finish with a winning record, I think (with a limited knowledge of all the new teams) that they finish the season in the top 5. That of course, might change over the course of the season, as part of the excitement in Div 6D is not knowing the true strength or weakness of the divison. 

5-South Shore Seamen: Returning from a 1-9 Winter 2019 season in 6D, the South Shore Seamen came out flying after handing the QB reigns to Gabriel Ciccarelli and letting Alexandre Dodier go at WR. Seems like that paid off as Ciccarelli scored 6 TD’s through the air and ran for 60 yards on 3 attempts, and Dodier got the 100% Touchdown-to-catch ration, as all 4 of his receptions went for TD’s. Let’s see if this duo can wreck havoc against other teams. For now, they get the #5 rank overall in Div 6D. 

6-Inglorious Basterds: An FPF junior team making the transition to the men’s division, put a nice showing, albeit against a struggling BDR franchise. Still, I’ll take the teams that can execute, and 33 points coming off two Pick 6’s (damn, there was a lot of Pick 6’s in Div 6D this week!) and 3 TD’s through the air. Play like this all year, and you’ll stay in the Top 10 Power Rankings. 

7-7th Rounders: To shut out a team in FPF is never easy, and putting up 31 points is also nice, but to do it all in your first FPF game is impressive to say the least. It definitely warrants a spot on the Power Rankings. I’m liking what I’m seeing from this team: A good balance of pass and run, and 3 players with over 48 receiving yards and 1 INT each, look out for Olivier Dufour, Francis Savard-Vocino, and Jafar Hassan as a great trio for Julien Cheaib to lean on all year. They claim spot #7. 

8-What Could Have Beens: What Could Have Beens, like South Shore Seamen made it on the list because scoring over 40 points for a new team to the league is impressive in itself. Also like the SSS, it looks like WCHB’s QB Sean Brown is a running QB, leading Div 6D with 73 rushing yards, an effective strategy on offence for Div 6D. 

9-Lionhearts: Finally! After being on the wrong side of multiple blowouts in the past, the Lionhearts show no mercy and open the season with the most points they’ve scored in a game as a franchise. Seems like the Lionhearts have found their man at QB in Carmelo Di Giovanni. although his week 1 opponent, Goon Squad, have had their share of difficulties the past winter seasons. That being sad, you still need to execute on offence, something the Lionhearts have had trouble doing in the past, so to see 33 go on the board is a big sign of improvement.

10-The Replacements:  Just squeaking out Zone 6 Ballers for the last spot in the Power Rankings, The Replacements look to build off an improved version of themselves from the Fall Cup 2019 season and have brought in some free agents to help them battle for a playoff spot. 

Division 6

By Ignacio Valdez-Manzanedo

1-Suicide Squad: Putting behind a tough season-opening 1st half behind him, Alex Noel showed what he can do to a team in 22 minutes and 5 plays, outting up 28 points in the 2nd half and going a perfect 5/5 on Extra Points all game. Watch out for Noel and Gabe Wiseman to tear up Div 6 this year; both phenomenal athletes and very knowledgeable students of the game. They get the #1 spot in the first Power Ranking of the year as I expect them to be a contender for the regular season’s #1 spot atop the division. I believe a spot in the Finals is where this team is destined. 

2-Tankin’ for Tua: The Ryan Eichler-Noah Groper duo connected 30 times for 365 yards and 10 TD’s in just 5 games in the 2019 Spring Season. I suspect they improve on their 5-5 Spring record and chase Suicide Squad for the top spot in Div 6 this year.  

3-Winnie Tha Bish: Danny McFee and Joey Taylor will be another duo to watch out for this season. Expect Joey to get 9-10 receptions a game in the famous Joey Taylor offence, but don’t let the name distract you from the other players on the team. Between the 3 other receiveres, they caught all 4 TD’s from McFee, who himself grabbed 2 INT’s against TPB’s QB Antoine Meunier. Balance, speed, and overall talent gets them a #6 ranking that can easily go up as the season progresses. 

4-Average Joe’s:  I don’t want to let my bias show in my writing, as I’m quaterbacking this team, but we’ve got a good squad here that will (hopefully). Andel Thomas-Gordon was a big free agent addition to this team, looking to make a deep run in the playoffs after being ousted in a double overtime thriller in Round 1 of the Winter 2019 playoffs. 

5-Masters of Coin: This FPF franchise (previous team names include Sick_Bick, Warriors, and Rogues) look like they are without star QB Mitch Fergenbaum this Winter, who has a ridiculous 77% win percentage in his FPF career. That being said, their best talent and athlete is Benji Zeigler who IS on the team alongside #2 Adam Rabinovitch, and Max Dayan who is filling in for Mitch. I don’t think they have as successfull a season as they are used to having (they usually go 10-0, 9-1), and I don’t believe they put up 40 points with ease like they are accustomed to. However, the team definitely has enough skill to make the playoffs and so I slot them in at #5.

6-Space Ape’s: Terry Babalis is the only Div 5/6 FPF name that stands out to me on this team, and the only other player with an FPF pedigree is Jean-Felix Daloze who’s played his career with mostly the Jagerbomb squad. Both guys carried the team defensively, with 2 sacks and 2 PD’s for Babalis and 1 pick for Daloze in their season opener. I like the offensive spread on this team after 1 week. They land in at #6.

7-The Potatoes:  Good to see a past 6D team make the jump to Div 6, which makes sense, seeing they made the 6D finals last year. Samuel Lamothe didn’t have the greatest game passing the ball in week 1, but didn’t turn the ball over and ran effectively. If they can continue this throughout the season, it will lead to a decent year. Time to challenge yourselves! Welcome to Div 6 and the Div 6 Power Rankings. 

8-Pension Plan:  The Pension Plan franchise is back as the veteran team of Div 6. According to Peeze on the Thursday FPF podcast, Junior Spera is not locked in as a full timer on this team, but the offence is in good hands with Anthony Siggia, who is averaging 7.5 touchdowns a season and 330 yards since the Winter 2018 season. Expect those numbers from Siggia and a 6-4 / 7-3 record for this team by the end of the year.    

9-Stack Your Roster:  I see the name Mendy Cardichon in Div 6, and this alone should scare defences. Since Spring 2017, he’s averaged 460 yards and 12 touchdowns a season. I’m curious to see Emile Janda’s progression as a QB after throwing for just under 1500 yards and 30 TD’s in Spring 2019. I want to see him keep the INT’s to under his career low, 15, for the season (challenge accepted?). Week 1 saw Thomas Courboin go off for 3 TD’s and Arnaud Prince-Duthel snatch 2 INT’s to go with his 2 PD’s. Contributions like this on both sides of the field, along with Cardichon’s usual performances has me thinking playoffs for this team. Stack Your Roster fills in the #9 spot. 

10-Trailer Park Boys : Playing this team twice in Fall Cup’s Tier 3, I can see where the strengths and weaknesses lie, and Div 6 is the right division for this team. Forfeiting week 1 isn’t the way you want to start the season, but if they can overcome it, it will be because of the team’s defence, which they pride themselves in. They brought back defensive specialist Matt Leblanc, a returning TPB player and former teammate of mine. A good locker room guy who loves football. If star receiver Hugo Geoffrey plays on this team, he would be a much-needed punch to the offence for them to lock a 6-7-8 seed. That’s where I see them end the year and round off the top 10 Power Rankings after week 1.  

Division 5B

By Marc-Andre Desaulniers

1-South Side Speedsters: La bande à Benjamin Reid a très bien débuté la saison avec une victoire éclatante. Cette saison sera sans doute la bonne pour dominer du début à la fin.

2-Los Banditos: Avec l’ajout de Jérémie Gauthier, leur défensive est très redoutable et ultra agressive. Francis Desrochers peut marquer une tonne de points, mais avec une telle défensive il a moins de pression sur les épaules.

3-New Wave: Je savais que leur équipe était talentueuse, mais j’avais un point d’interrogation au poste de qb, plus maintenant! Jared Gallant a le bras et les concepts pour dominer à cette position. Ila très bien distrobué son ballon et cette équipe va être parmi les favoris au titre.

4-Air Force 1: Simon Blais distribue à merveille son ballon et commet que très peu d’erreurs. Phil Angers a été dominant en défensive et ils tous les ingrédients pour être une équipe de premier plan.

5-Holy Trollers: Kevin Kousaie est tout un leader sur le terrain et il l’a encore prouvé avec une solide performance des deux côtés du ballon. Jordan Chin est l’un des bons joueurs de la division.

6-Honey Martin:  J’adore cette équipe. David Roaldi a lancé une interception, une rareté, il en lance pas plus que 3 ou 4 par saison, il prend toujours de bonnes décisions. Si vous ne connaissez pas les frères Bellini, Mark et Enzo, ils vont vous le faire payer sur le terrain. L’un des meilleurs duos de receveurs de la division.

7-Warriors: Michael Solimene était absent pour la rencontre et Stefano Solimene a très bien fait comme qb remplaçant. Peter Giannias a connu un fort match des deux côtés du ballon.

8-LeftLovers: Joseph Cecere a été très impressionnant et sa connection avec Emilio Cecere est hors norme. Une équipe bien balancée et ultra effiace.

9-Green Monster 2.0 : Mon inquiétude avec cette équipe a toujours été au poste de qb. Patrick Jazon a pris les choses en main et joue du football intelligent et minimise les erreurs et il laisse les athlètes extraordinaires faire le reste. Leur deéfensive est au minimum top 3 de la ligue.

10-Chocolate Barracudas: Sonny Elias est entrain de se faire un nom comme l’un des meilleurs qb de la division. Lusson Pierre est une force en défensive. Une équipe sans faille qu’on va sans doute retrouver au sommet à la fin de la saison. 

Division 5A

By Marc-Andre Desaulniers

1-Bruins: Ils ont remporté une victoire sans leur qb partant, Gabriel Wiseman et les deux receveurs étoiles, Luis Bégin et Zach Zwirm ont eu seulement 6 attrapés au total ! Cette équipe est remplie de talent des deux côtés du ballon et ils sont mes grands favoris en ce début de saison.

2-Ducks and Cover: Cette équipe était déjà bien rodée, ils ont ajouté les joueurs étoiles Maxime Côté, Benoît Vanier et Tabari Yearwood. Mathieu Domon a débuté la saison en force avec 5 td et a complété 75% de ses passes, wow!

3-Spartans: Cette équipe joue ensemble depuis plusieurs saisons et leur chimie est déjà au rendez-vous. James D’Andrrea lorsqu’il est en forme est sans doute le meilleur qb de cette division et son bras canon dans les zones profondes est une arme redoutable. Leur défensive sera l’une des meilleurs.

4-Buffalo Wild Wings:  Une autre équipe bien rodée. Efficace des deux côtés du ballon. Tristan Rinaldis est le meilleur athlète au poste de qb, il peut tout faire sur un terrain.

5-Ice Up:  Sans doute l’équipe avec les meilleurs athlètes. Max Marini a débuté la saison en force au poste de quart-arrière. Ils vont avoir l’une des meilleures attaques de la division cette saison.

6-Brotherhood Lite: Quaysie Gordon-Maule a bien distribué le ballon et en défensive il était partout sur le terrain. Une autre équipe ultra talentueuse.

7-Pardon My Swag: Brad Evans a été Brad Evens, précis et méticuleux dans ses prises de décisions. La défensive sera redoutable avec les Craig Browning et Riley Pincombe. Vous devrez jouer votre meilleure partie pour les vaincre.

8-GLC: Ils ont remporté une belle victoire sans leur qb partant, Hai Minh Luong. Ce dernier est l’un de mes qb préféré, il est tellement brillant dans ses décicions. Mendy Cardichon a très bien fait avec 3 passes de touché.

9-The U: Cette équipe est ulttra combative et trouve toujours le moyen d’être compétitive. Evan Frank peut vous battre de plusieurs façon et la défensive vous fera regretter tous vos erreurs

10-Voodoo: Quelle attaque ! Leur seul point d’interrogation sera en défensive, mais ils vont marquer une tonne de points cette saison.

 

Division 4B

By Alex Blais

1-FILP: Le duo offensif de Danny D’Amour et Jared Buck à cliqué contre les Ok Boomers. Pour battre le FILP, l’adversaire devra trouver une manière de ralentir l’offense du FILP. Défensivement, les demi-défensifs sont rapide, avec Danny comme numero 3, c’est difficile de trouver un joueur de libre. 

2-Takeover: Avec une victoire dominante contre les Villeray Goons, je détérmine que la deuxième meilleure équipe en division 4B est Takeover. La défense des Villeray Goons ne semblait pas capable de ralentir Ian Einheiber comme quart-arrière. De plus, avec des joueurs doués comme William Power ainsi que Alessandro Arciero, Takeover peux emporter le tout cette saison. 

3-The Sheriff: Avec une victoire imposante face au Mangoose, The Sheriff ont eu le premier blanchissage de la saison en division 4B. The Sheriff est une équipe qui fait peur sur papier et sur le terrain.  Cette équipe a le meilleur joueur de la division 4 (dans mon opinion) dans Alexandre Noel. Ce joueur talentueux s’est démaqué contre Mangoose en attrapant 3 passes de touchés en 71 verges ainsi qu’une interception. Pour avoir du succès face à cette équipe, les adversaires doivent arrêter Noel.  

4-ZT’s:  Avec un quart-arrière comme Philip Pelletier, je devais mettre les ZT’s au moins quatrième dans mon power ranking. Avec l’aide de Zachary Cloutier et de Michael Fafard, les ZT’s va être une équipe  extrêmement menaçante cette saison offensivement. Pour vaincre cette équipe, l’adversaire devra essayer de les suivre offensivement. Parce que, selon moi, aucune équipe ne pourra les arrêter offensivement.   

5-Team Ethnik: La semaine dernière, Benoit Lawlor a très bien joué contre Show Me Your TDS. 6 receveur on obtenu au moins 20 verges.  Cela prouve que Benoit Lawlor a l’habileté de bien distribué le ballons et qu’il a de la confiance dans tous ses receveurs et qu’il n’as pas juste un favoris. C’est rare qu’on voit cela en FPF, mais cela peut être les faire gagner plusieurs matchs et je trouve que la plupart quart-arrières doivent faire comme Benoit Lawlor.

6-Les Gros Coqs: Malgré l’interception sur le premier jeu de la saison de Dom Lefort, lui et ses troupes se sont repris pour vaincre une bonne équipe étant les Backwood Boyz. Les Gros Coqs est une équipe qui peut détruire une défensive en lançant la balle a leur receveurs doués ou même par l’habileté de Dom Lefort de courir avec le ballon. Cependant, cette équipe doit mieux performer défensivement. Car, quand une équipe laisse 27 points, c’est rare que l’équipe gagne. 

7-Class on Grass: Même si l’équipe est neuve dans FPF, je crois que Class On Grass peut emporter le tout cette saison. Le quart-arrière  Simon Boudreault peut faire confiance aux frères Mathieu et Alexandre Guérin sur chaque jeux. J’ai vu leur match contre les Freshmen, et Simon lançait la balle dans les aires sachant que l’un des deux allait faire une attrapée à la Randy Moss. 

8-Mean Machine:  Si Daniel Goloff continu avec des performances comme qu’on a vu contre Dream Chasers, Mean Machine peut aller loin. En plus, avec l’appui défensif de Adam Rabinovitch, cette équipe relativement neuve va être une menace cette saison . 

9-Villeray Goons: Même si Villeray Goons on perdu contre Takeover, je crois qu’ils peuvent facilement finir dans le top 10 des équipes en division 4B. Dimitri Sinodinos est l’un des quart-arrières les plus talentueux de la ligue. Il doit juste se faire plus confiance avec le ballon, il a le bras ainsi que la rapidité. Si Dimitri lit mon article : Fait toi confiance!!! Tu as le talent pour l’emporter.   

10-Ok Boomers:  Bon, je devais mettre mon équipe. Les Ok Boomers on tellement de talent défensivement avec des jeunes et rapides demi-défensif ainsi que Justin Blanchard qui dit les jeux, sans oublier son frère Lucas comme rucher, nous avons le talent. L’équipe doit juste commencer à cliquer offensivement pour se donner une chance.  

Division 4A

By Alex Blais

1-Infantry:  Avec une victoire dominante face a Les Blues Branleurs, The Infantry va l’emporter cette saison, si je dois prédire un vainqueur a la semaine 2. Il y a tellement de bon joueurs talentueux offensivement ainsi que défensivement et si Sean Semerjian reste consistent, l’avenir semble beau pour The Infantry.

2-Les Princes de la Rive-Sud:  Les Princes De La Rive-Sud est une équipe qui déborde de talent avec un quart-arrière exceptionnel dans Julien Fiset-Cyr ainsi du receveur Antoine Gagnon-Griffin. L’équipe doit juste s’amélioré défensivement pour être les premiers dans mon power ranking car laisser 33 points est beaucoup.  

3-Outlaws: Malgré la défaite crève-cœur contre Les Princes De La Rive-Sud, je crois que Outlaws est une équipe menaçante qui a jouer contre une autre équipe menaçante à la semaine 1. Ils doivent juste se rapatrier pour monter de position.      

4-Bandit Bruthers : Avec l’expérience de Corey Walwaski comme quart-arrière ainsi que des receveurs doués, l’offensive des Bandit Bruthers peut allée loin. Cependant, les joueurs défensifs doivent « Step-Up » comme on dit et de laisser moins que 27 points. Mais selon moi, Bandit Bruthers vont allés loin.

5-Eskimo Brothers: Avec une victoire serrée face aux Sphinx, les Eskimo Brothers commencent la saison 1-0. Pour continuer leur séquence victorieuse, Zach Stachowski doit lancer moins d’interceptions. De plus, leur joueur vedette, Shawn Steen doit rester en feux.

 6-Chocolate Thunder: Si Nikki Papich reste consistent avec le nombre de passe de touchés lancé par match, cela peut causer des problèmes contres certaines équipe. Cependant, défensivement, la troupe semble excellente dans les mains de Nikki Papich, ils doivent juste marqués plus de touchés.

7-The Tide: Avec une bonne performance de Doug Mckernan, The Tide ont pu Mess With Texas. L’agilité du quart-arrière lui permet d’être menaçant par la passe ainsi que la course et il peut mener son équipe loin.

8-Mad Bears: Avec une bonne performance de Doug Mckernan, The Tide ont pu Mess With Texas. L’agilité du quart-arrière lui permet d’être menaçant par la passe ainsi que la course et il peut mener son équipe loin. 

9-Half-A-Star:  Malgré la  défaite contre les Verges Folles, Half-A-Stars ont le talent de gagner. Andrew Langburt doit monter sa performance. Lancer trois interceptions ne passera pas contre The Infantry. 

10-Les Verges Folles : Si Zacharie Quiviger continu de bien distribué la balle et de diversifier les receveurs, les Verges Folles peuvent continuer a gagner des matchs. 7 different receveur ont au moins une réception face à Half-A-Star. 

Division 4B

By Corey Walwaski

1-The Sheriff: The Sheriff dominated in week 1 and had the most impressive performance in my opinion. Luis Begin, if healthy, is one of the hardest players to slow down and the trio of Alexis Bessette, Alexandre Noel and big man Francois Martin will be tough for defenses to stop. 

2-Takeover: I watched them play in Week 1 and they just seemed so comfortable and in their element already, which is tough to do in week 1. William Power and Vincent Benjamin is a hot ticket to watch and they’ve been known to put up flawless regular seasons. Can Ian Eiheiber take them to the promised land?

3-FILP: Danny D’Amour playing QB in Division 4? That automatically gives them a leg up on the competition and he’s put together a good support cast as well. They beat up on Peeze in week 1 and while some may say that’s not super impressive, putting up 26 against the defense he has assembled is.

4-Team Ethnik: Usually with a solid regular season, they’ve been the Tampa Bay Lightning of FPF. It’s time for them to do some damage in the playoffs and hopefully this will be their season. Benoit Lawlor is used to putting up huge numbers in the regular season and they’ve been plagued by injuries and inconsistent rosters in the playoffs. That being said, they’re the upper class of this division.

5-Les Gros Coqs: Every season I am more and more impressed with these guys, especially the play of QB Dom Lefort and two-way stud, Boris Gagnier.  Bonus points for their awesome uniforms.

6-BBallers: I watched most of this team dominate Division 6 last winter in their inaugural season and I expect them to make some noise this season. Already with a win against EZW, I bet that most of Division 4 has not heard of Gianni Casati and the BBallers, but they will soon. These guys can be the biggest surprise of 4B this year.

7-ZTs: I don’t know much about Philip Pelletier or whether he’ll be their full time QB, but anytime you have Tristan Rinaldis as a potential backup on your team, there’s a lot to look forward to. Rinaldis is extremely capable in Division 4 and I expect these guys to be in the top half of the group at the end of the season.

8-Class on Grass: I didn’t get a chance to see their first game and they have a lot of newer players to FPF, but they seemed to make a splash in Week 1. I imagine they will only continue to improve and this may be a team to keep our eye on. Can Simon Boudreault handle the jump to the men’s league?

9-Ballers: A week 1 win against Finessers is bound to grab some attention and they overcame two turnovers to beat the experienced squad. We’ll see how Vincent Boyer does in his first season in the league and he’ll hope to limit those interceptions to give his team a chance.

10-EZW:  This was tough to choose between EZW and Finessers but I give the edge to EZW because of their higher division experience. I watched Jeremy White have success in Division 3 last week so it’s only normal to believe he can dominate in Division 4. I don’t see them being at the bottom of this list for long.

Division 4A

By Corey Walwaski

1-Bandit Bruthers: Nothing really to write about here, we’ll have to let our play back this up.

2-Les Princes de La Rive Sud: Statement win against Outlaws will earn you some recognition. Julien Fiset-Cyr is also looking to be in mid season form and these guys are off a very solid record from last year. They should be near the top of the standings for the entire season.

3-The Infantry: Anytime both Semerjian brothers step on the field, there’s a cause for concern for the other team. They had a frustrating exit last winter season as well and they will be hungry to prove themselves.

4-Les Verges Folles: Another team with an impressive win against a top team, Half-A-Stars. Is that more of a reflection on the kind of talent that they have or simply a bad week from their opponent? Time will tell for this team and I think that Quiviger is one of the more underrated passers in the division.

5-Chocolate Thunder: Nikki Papich makes his QB debut in Division 4 and has built a nice little roster who will compete this season. This year will revolve heavily around Papich’s development and it’s nice to see these guys challenge themselves. The addition of Boris Balourd is an excellent move as well.

6-Super Saiyans: I’m surprised by the result this past week but I’d be foolish to count them out. As long as they don’t lose another one soon, they’re firmly etched into my power rankings. Jordan Allard wants to win a championship badly as a QB and he consistently has a team of large, athletic players that are tough to defend and even harder to throw over. Nobody wants to see these guys in the playoffs.

7-The Tide: Led by Doug McKernan, they’re off to a strong start and they are a group that knows how to play the game well. They may not be as flashy as some other teams, but they more than make up for it in terms of their grit. I’m calling them my wild card this season.

8-Half-A-Stars:  Just like a few other teams, the rust showed in their first week. Andrew Langburt will bounce back in Week 2 and they will begin their climb to the top of their rankings. They may float around the middle of the pack for a while, but I firmly believe that they will be in the race come playoff time.

9-Outlaws: After a frustrating loss in the spring finals, this team will look to bounce back. A slightly new looking roster, all of the big names are back and they added the experience of GM Kolethras on defense. I’m not too worried about week 1.

10-Dream Breakers: I’ve seen over the last few seasons that Sebastien Dallaire should never be taken lightly and the usual crew of studs are back for this season. The combination of Jasmin Prince and Vincent Laganiere are as good as any other duo in the division.

Division 3

By Brent Bodkin

1-KGP: The defending Division C Spring Season champs made the biggest statement of any Div.3 team, with a (36-14) beatdown of an Easy-Jake-Oven squad, that is definitely a championship contender. 

2-Keyport Lock: They scored the most points (47) out of any Division 3 team, and in the process, beat a solid All Hooks squad, who has the talent and experience to make run at the Div. 3 title. 

3-The BrotherHood: It wasn’t pretty, but led by their defense, The BrotherHood, shutdown The Commission offense in the first half, and did just enough to squeeze out a (19-12) victory, despite missing their best two-way players in Jamal Gittens. 

4-La Brume: The Jimmy-Lee Janvier and Sébastien Crisi-Lauzon connection exploded for 101 yards and 3 touchdowns, and helped power La Brume, to a (32-26) upset over the Concordi…err Lonzo Ballers, that surprised more than a few people.

5-Pineapple Express:  If you can’t beat em, join em. That’s exactly what Pineapple Express did, as they picked up AJ Gomes, who single-handedly PE, in the Spring Seaon playoffs. The presence of Gomes, allowed the team’s true number one Receiver Joel Malkin, to run virtually free through the Game Changers defense, for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

6-BearSkins: Last year’s Div. 3 champs, started the season with a strong defense of their title, as they blew out a clearly overmatched Loups squad (26-6). Things will get much tougher for the BearSkins, as they take on Keyport Lock, in what will most likely be the game of the week.

7-69ers: Finally forced to play in a higher division, the 69ers didn’t disappoint, as they scored arguably the biggest upset of the opening week, with a shocking (25-7) win over Past Our Prime. The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Shea Harbour and company however, as they take on another veteran squad in Trinity this Wednesday night.

8-Junkyard Dogs:  The addition of Hall-of-Famer Paul Lapierre, paid immediate dividends for the JYD offense, as the big man led all Receivers with 8 catches for 87 yards, and 3 touchdowns in the team’s (46-34) win over Sweat & Beers. Although we are 9 weeks away, will the presence of Lapierre, who also added an interception on the other side of the ball, be enough to guide this team who routinely gets in their own way come playoff time over the hump?

9-Martine et le Flag: Upsets seem to be the theme of Week 1, and it continues Wednesday night, as Martine et le flag, knocked off the heavily favored Les Maloudes (25-24) at Stade Hebert, getting a little revenge, as Les Maloudes hammered them (32-6) in Week 5 last winter. Up next for MELF, is an interesting matchup versus The Crew.

10–Trinity: I was going to use the if you can’t beat em, join em line here, but since I already used it with Pineapple Express, I didn’t want to use it again, even though almost nobody beat The Alpha-T’s. Nonetheless the additions of Jesse Dupuis and Alexis Gaumont, helped carry Trinity, to a (28-26) win over a tough and veteran Dirty Dawgs team, as the duo combined for 6 catches 118 yards, and 2 touchdowns. 

D1 Power Rankings 

By AJ Gomes

Week 1 has come and gone, but not without giving us the excitement and upsets we were longing for. Some teams looked like they were in mid-season form, while others needed to shake off some rust and get back into rhythm. Here are your power rankings going into week 2. The competition is sure to step up this week so be ready to compete and good luck. 

1.YCSWU-(1-0):  Sitting on top of the table and on top of the world after getting the job done in a season debut that saw them without their starting QB vs the league’s “Finest”. Vinny Gualano filled in at quarterback and had a near perfect performance going 23/27 with 4TDs. A clutch pick 6 from Justin Mclean helped relieve some of the pressure early on and some solid defensive play from the rest of the team helped secure the win. I’m counting on their defence to make the difference this season. Let’s see if they can stay on top and pass this week’s big test vs the #2 seeded Braves team. 

2.Braves (1-0): In the #2 spot, we find a loaded Braves roster on the hunt for a perfect season. They truly look like they don’t have an off-season and continue to play flag on a weekly basis, all year round. Jonathan Maheu was calculated as always in week 1, throwing 6 TDs to 5 different targets. Mike Pierrecin continues to be a red zone terror and will remain to eat up those easy TDs all year long if you let him. The versatility of Alex and Serge Pilon gives them some defensive security that makes them a true threat and possibly the toughest team to beat in FPF.

3. Flag Moi Sac(1-0): Even when they aren’t playing their best game they still manage to get the job done and that’s why they’re #3 in this week’s power rankings. Flag Moi Sac clawed their way to victory vs Got-Skills in a tight season opener that could have gone either way. The brotherly connection is strong as Alex Nadeau-Piuze was able to connect with his brother Samuel Nadeau-Piuze for 2 scores. They will surely build on that moving forward while also trying to involve Anthony Vandrame more during the season. They will need less mistakes vs Da Finest this week if they want to stay in the top 3.

4. Got-Skills (0-1): A heart break loss for a skilled team that deserved a better outcome after making 2 interceptions vs one of the leagues smartest QBs. Got-Skills failed to get the job done unfortunately, only losing by 1 point. They were strong on the defensive side of the ball with picks from Zach Jauniaux and Seb Deschamps but lacked some firepower on offense when they needed it most. I think they should involve Zach more on the offensive side of things considering he had no receptions in the first game. They have loads of experience and talent with guys like Tam Vilaydeth on board so I’m counting on them to bounce back strong. 

5. Da Finest (0-1): Not the start they wanted to the season but don’t be surprised if we find them back in another championship game this year. They don’t have much to worry about seeing as they were without top target Pat Jerome in this one. I expect Kevin Wyeth to bounce back strong and return to his poised ways. The new addition of Matt Kirouac is sure to help the veteran team along with the addition of Khadeem Pierre, we should see them back and stronger than ever soon enough. I wouldn’t count on them to stay out of the top 3 for too long but then again even Brady lost in the wild card this year so let’s just wait and see. 

6. STL (0-1): Last but not least, we have STL who is seeking redemption after a week 1 shootout loss where they put up 38 points but failed to make a defensive stop and let in 48. Quarterback Dylan Taylor did his part, matching his opponent and throwing 6TDs to 5 different targets. However, they will need to clean up some things on the defensive side of the ball if they want to compete with the best and get out of the #6 spot. With that said I can’t imagine Theo Ojea and Jordan Mclaren will allow such a high scoring game again this season.

Visions of the World of Tomorrow

Each week each of the writers will go up against me, head-to-head, mano-y-mano and so on?  Why is it in English we butt heads but in Spanish we spar hand to hand?  Perhaps the Spanish were more sensitive to head injuries and CTE before we were even aware.  That said, this is who we’ll think will win each matchup, across the divisions of FPF Men’s League divisions. Remember, if we haven’t chosen you, its because we don’t like you.

Division 6D

Home	Visitor	Peeze’s Pick	Ignacio’s Pick
Les Studz	Lionhearts	Les Studz	Les Studz
BDR	Ballin 60’s	Ballin 60’s	Ballin 60’s
Trojans	Stiffy Arm	Trojans	Trojans
Killer Rays	Raw Sauce	Killer Rays	Killer Rays
South Shore Seamen	Tropic Thunder	Tropic Thunder	Tropic Thunder
Believe The Hype	Inglourious Basterds	Inglourious Basterds	Believe The Hype
Diablos	89.9ers	Diablos	Diablos
Mountain Goats	Green Wave	Green Wave	Green Wave
Goon Squad	Here for the Beer	Goon Squad	Goon Squad
SAFTB	The Replacements	SAFTB	The Replacements
7th Rounders	Boucsaneers	7th Rounders	TIE GAME
Zone 6 Ballers	What Could Have Beens	What Could Have Beens	What Could Have Beens

Division 6

Home	Visitor	Peeze’s Pick	Ignacio’s Pick
Primetime	Stop Whining	Stop Whining	Stop Whining
Menace II Sobriety	Tankin’ for Tua	Tankin’ for Tua	Tankin’ for Tua
Masters of Coin	Winnie Tha Bish	Winnie Tha Bish	Winnie Tha Bish
Fridge Raiders	The Potatoes	The Potatoes	The Potatoes
Stack Your Roster	Trailer Park Boys	Trailer Park Boys	Trailer Park Boys
Suicide Squad	Wolfpack	Suicide Squad	Suicide Squad
Kings of the North	Chambo	Chambo	Kings of the North
Trapstars	Llamas Pyjamas	Llamas Pyjamas	Llamas Pyjamas
Space Apes	Pension Plan	Pension Plan	Space Apes
Average Joe’s	MACDO	MACDO	—

Division 5B

Home	Visitor	Peeze’s Pick	Marc-Andre’s Pick
Lockdown	Goats	Lockdown	Lockdown
Broke Boys	Chocolate Barracudas	Broke Boys	Chocolate Barracudas
Team Y.S.	Leftovers	Team Y.S.	Leftlovers
Air Force 1	Johnny Fireball	Air Force 1	Air Force 1
Green Monster 2.0	Les Hommes de l’Ouest	Les Hommes de l’Ouest	Green Monster 2.0
Threat Level Midnight	Brewers	Threat Level Midnight	Threat Level Midnight
Clinkers	Honey Martin	Clinkers	—
New Wave	A-TOWN	New Wave	New Wave
Blackouts	Los Banditos	Blackouts	Los Banditos
Y$L	South Side Speedsters	South Side Speedsters	South Side Speedsters
Holy Trollers	Tuts and Parlays	Tuts and Parlays	Holy Trollers
Warriors	Wack Attack	Warriors	Warriors
Mean Girls	Hot Sauce Sports	n/a	Hot Sauce Sports
Gryphons	Thundercats	Gryphons	Gryphons

Division 5A

Home	Visitor	Peeze’s Pick	Marc-Andre’s Pick
The U	Longhorns	The U	The U
MTLoud	Pardon My Swag	Pardon My Swag	Pardon my Swag
Spartans	Ice Up	Ice Up	Ice Up
SCLSU Mud Dogs	Buffalo Wild Wings	SCLSU Mud Dogs	Buffalo Wild Wings
Ballz Deep	Bud Knights	Ballz Deep	Bud Knights
Oldschool	Big Baller Brand	Big Baller Brand	Oldschool
Arouch	GLC	Arouch	GLC
Unknown Talent	Rancerz	Unknown Talent	Unknown Talent
Tip Top Shape	Voodoo	Tip Top Shape	Voodoo
K-Squad	Bruins	Bruins	Bruins
Les Voyous	Glogang	Glogang	Glogang
Ducks and Cover	Fightin’ Tigers	Ducks and Cover	Ducks and Cover
Brotherhood	Tough Lungs	Tough Lungs	Tough Lungs

Division 4B

Home	Visitor	Peeze’s Pick	Alex Blais’ Picks	Corey’s Picks
ZT’s	War Pigs	ZT’s	ZT’s
Mean Machine	Warhawks	Mean Machine	Mean Machine
Dream Chasers	Team Ethnik	Team Ethnik	Team Ethnik
Ballers	Class on Grass	Ballers	Class on Grass
Finessers	EZW	EZW	EZW
FILP	Mangoose	FILP	FILP
Show Me Your TDs	Bballers	Bballers	Show Me Your TDs
The Sheriff	Backwood Boyz	The Sheriff	The Sheriff
Takeover	Freshmen	Takeover	Takeover
Les Gros Coqs	Villeray Goons	Les Gros Coqs	Les Gros Coqs
OK Boomers	AA	n/a	n/a

Division 3

Home	Visitor	Peeze’s Picks	Brent’s Picks
Greendale Human Beings	Dirty Dawgs	Greendale Human Beings	Dirty Dawgs
Past Our Prime	Easy Jake Oven	Easy Jake Oven	Easy Jake Oven
Backyard Bullies	District	Backyard Bullies	Backyard Bullies
Game Changers	Sweat & Beers	Game Changers	Sweat & Beers
La Brume	The BrotherHood	The BrotherHood	La Brume
KGP	Pineapple Express	KGP	KGP
Junkyard Dogs	Olympia Performance	Junkyard Dogs	Junkyard Dogs
The Commission	Loups	The Commission	N/A
Jagerbomb	All H