Week 1 starts with a BANG

Week 1 of the FlagPlus Football Division 6 regular was as action-packed as advertised. We witnessed big wins, jaw-dropping plays, huge defensive stops, an upset, and even a tie. 

Well that didn’t take long…One week in the books, and we already have our first tie game, as the Warriors and the n.W.o battled to a 32-32 thriller. If this game was any indication of the type of action we will see from Division 6 this season, please SIGN ME UP!!!!  

Both Quarterbacks in the game Michael Sanchez of the n.W.o, and Michael Solimene from the Warriors combined for 10 touchdowns on the evening. I mentioned in last week’s article that the action and scoring in D6 was fast and furious (excuse the pun). I wasn’t kidding. 

 We saw a changing of the guard, or at least positions with the veteran Rolling Rock squad. Since their FPF debut, they have gone to battle with Jordan Bellemare at Quarterback. This season, Jordan has moved to receiver, and his father, Normand Bellemare has taken over the reigns at the all-important pivot position.  

The elder Bellemare, who was the definition of a great snapper, had a pretty good outing in his first game at his new position, as he threw for 3 TDs and ran for another 1, in his team’s 27-20 win over Dez Nuts. 

Naturally, time will tell if the move pays off for the long haul. For a Rolling Rock team that has seemingly changed their name every season, the move makes sense.  

The Greendale Human Beings pulled off a massive upset, in their 13-7 win over the Division E champion runner-up Smokin Axolotls.  

Was this simply a case of a Week loss that means nothing in the long run, or was it the first sign of the downfall of a team who lost a ton of production in the off-season, with the losses of Jason Rossie, Will Power, and Jason Kokolakis? Team captain, and Div 6 Podcast co-host Stef Fennes, thinks it’s the latter, only time will tell.  

 

Top 3  

 

Camren Wilson (Broke Boys) – Wilson, had an impressive FPF debut, as he threw for 208 yards and 5 touchdowns, and was the key difference in his team’s thrilling 32-26 victory over Sons of Mitches. Let’s see what Wilson has up his sleeve tomorrow night against DGC. 

Chad Buck (The Spanish Inquisition) – Speaking of impressive debuts, Chad Buck, had a solid one, as he recorded 3 interceptions, 2 tackles, and 1 pass deflection on defense, to go along with 3 receptions for 43 yards and 1 TD on offense, versus the Ravens Saturday night in Brossard. Although his team fell short (33-21) it was through no fault of the first-year player. 

Ryan Shapiro (Goofy Goobers) – Sorry for the Week 1 rookie feel to this section of the article, but I had to save the best for last, as the unknown Ryan Shapiro, seemingly came out of nowhere and laid a beating on a veteran One Speed: Power team, that many including yours truly, thought would be among the teams competing for the Div. 6 championship. (Like I said last week, the pre-season rankings will most likely be proven 100% wrong.)  

Shapiro, had the best game out of all D6 Quarterbacks (and it wasn’t even close) as he went 17 of 22 for 191 yards, and 7 TDs, with an incredible QB Rating of 142.2. Impressive indeed. 

Honorable mention:  

Michael Khazaka (Pardon My Swag) – The rookie was virtually a one man wrecking crew, in his team’s 26-14 win over The Money Team, as he registered a game-high 5 grabs for 88 yards and 3 TDs, to go along with a pick.    

Michael Sanchez (n.W.o) – The veteran passer looked good as always in his team’s aforementioned 32-32 tie against the Warriors, as he went 20 of 25 for 204 yards and 5 TDs.  

Marc-Antoine Vallee (Ravens) –  One of the most underrated players in all of FPF, Vallee, caught a 37-yard bomb for a TD that seemed to get his team going offensively after a sluggish start. He then scored another TD via a pick-6 just after halftime, which provided his team with all the momentum they would need in their win over The Spanish Inquisition.  

 

Step It Up 

 

Baker Boys and FBG Quarterbacks – I’ll give FBG QB Kostas Zoitakis, credit for getting the all-important victory, because at the end of the day, that’s what matters most. What I will not do, is give props to his, or opposing pivot Marc-Andre Senecal’s performance, as both passers combined for just 13 completions. I know this is Week 1, so I have no problem cutting people some slack, but that was ugly nonetheless. Hopefully outing number 2 will work out better stat-wise for the set of rookies. 

Josh Vasquez (Los Avocados) – Many moons ago I had Josh Vasquez as my Quarterback with The Commission for a couple of games during the 2009 Spring season. He showed a decent arm, with the ability to make plays with the feet. Over the next 2 seasons, he continued to show promise at the position, with the Spartans and the X’s and O’s. After not playing FPF for the next 5 years, Vasquez, came back to play last spring with the Suh-Tang Clan. In two games with the squad, he threw for 5 TDs, and completed just over half his passes (26 for 49).  

What puts him on the Step It Up list, is his performance last Sunday night’s 26-6 loss against an all-rookie Sticknmovers team. Vasquez went an underwhelming 7 of 23 for 69 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. For a player that has experience playing in higher divisions, a game like that is unacceptable.  

DGC – I feel bad picking on a first-year team, but in a league like FPF, that is set up to promote scoring, to come out and score zero points is inexcusable. I had a chance to meet Wide Receiver Cory Wener and Quarterback Nicholas Borrelli before the season started. They are both good guys, but that alone won’t be enough to generate some touchdowns. It’s obviously still early in the year, but a performance like that is hard to forget. Step It Up boys.  

 

Matchups 

 

Ryan Shapiro versus the Dez Nuts Defense – As mentioned above, Shapiro had a fantastic debut, as he dismantled One Power: Speed. Now, he and the Goofy Goobers face another tough challenge, as they take on another team in the Top 10 pre-season rankings, in Dez Nuts, who boast a defense that recorded 2 INTs vs the Rolling Rock, and have veteran defensive player-makers in Joseph Buffone and Sean Fiorillo, and Dominic Mangione. 

Channel 4 News Team versus Rolling Rock – The predominantly rookie Channel 4 News Team, got off to a good start by knocking off an equally inexperienced Farmers team. This week however, the challenge gets a lot harder, as they take on a veteran Rolling Rock squad that knows how to win.  

On the other side, Rolling Rock Quarterback Norman Bellemare, will be taking on a team who is not well-known, in just his second start. A lot of questions will be answered after this one. 

Ravens versus Pardon My Swag – Two experienced teams going at it tomorrow night in Brossard. This game should be a good one, as both sides have tons of fire power on offense, and difference-makers on the other side of the ball as well.  

One thing worth monitoring is the Pardon My Swag QB situation. Last week, despite getting the 26-14 win, Jesse Racine threw 3 INTs against an inexperienced The Money Team. If Racine struggles again, will we see the team put in veteran passer Brad Evans, or the talented, but young Avery Lalla, who currently plays the position in FPF Jr? 

 

Picks (Favorites in bold) 

 

Cette Equipe La vs Farmers – Cette Equipe La 

Blitz Babes vs Sticknmovers – Blitz Babes 

DGC vs Broke Boys – Broke Boys 

Ravens vs Pardon My Swag – Ravens (Upset Special #1) 

Bruins vs Greendale Human Beings – Bruins 

The Spanish Inquisition vs Goon Squad – The Spanish Inquisition (Upset Special #2) 

Super Troopers vs Smokin Axolotls – Smokin Axolotls  

Los Advocados vs Mogadishu Pirates – Mogadishu Pirates 

FBG vs Sons of Mitches – Sons of Mitches 

Victorious Secret vs Warriors – Warriors 

Channel 4 News Team vs Rolling Rock – Rolling Rock 

The Baker Boys vs The Money Team – The Baker Boys 

Goofy Goobers vs Dez Nuts – Goofy Goobers 

One Speed: Power vs n.W.o – n.W.o (My pick for Game of the Week) 

Rogue Squad vs Savage Mode – Rogue Squad 

That’s it for this week. I’ll be back next week with a a recap of Week 2 action, and a preview of what’s on tap for Week 3. 

I have already started hearing from some of you guys as it relates to interest in, as well as info for the article, so thank you guys for reaching out. With that said… 

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