From 32 to 16

I’d like to kick off this article with an apology; they say there’s a first for everything, well, I missed my first week of article in 7 years (I’ve been part of the Media staff since 2012). I could list excuses, but at the end of the day, I didn’t deliver and I’m sorry.

So much has happened since my last article, this one may just be a juggernaut to compensate.

Let’s get started!

Week 12 – Divisional Round

Dream Breakers tied Mad Bears; ended on the outside looking in when it was all said and done, The Tide finished their season 2-0-1, Soft Serve almost handed Game Changers their only L of the season, LBB won Round 1 but it appears SWAT had the final say, Check Out My TDs got the job done and made playoffs with a late season push. Oh, and let’s not forget about GloGang’s end of the season either!  

Thoughts of the Week

• Power Rankings are gone; the real season is here and making the Finals is the only ranking that matters.
• Some could say I’m lazy for not reformatting the Award Winners, but what can I say, I like that format!
• There was only one “upset” in 4A, but it was a BIG one.
• With 3 upsets in 4B, I guess it was a much deeper division than most anticipated, huh!
• I went out on a limb and said The Infantry would be the team to go 14-0 in 4B alongside Game Changers in 4A. Not only did they not finish undefeated, but lost their first round. I’m shocked.
• Where do you go from here if you’re The Stoics…
• Could 69ers really be the team we’ve all expected them to be preseason?
• Should any 4A team be allowed to play in Division D?
• Between these articles and the podcast, I must say, we cover a great deal of Division 4
• Writing the Podcast script + my article feels a bit redundant this week, but this also allows me to cover things we didn’t have time to say on air. It’s a nice little addition.
• Moe Khan still has this thing about ‘Who will wear pinnies’ in the playoffs.
• There’s 4 non-favorites left in the running; EBROS, SWAT, Mad Bears, MTL Originals. At least ONE will make it past the second round (minimum due to Mad Bears and MTL Originals playing each other). Do you foresee more than 1?

 

Award Winners

In order to properly wrap up the season, let’s take a moment and congratulate the 8 award winners once more!

Division 4A

 

• Quarterback of the Year

#14 Anton Sakiz – Game Changers

1989 yards, 50:3:5, 68.5%, 123.7 QBR

 

• Receiver of the Year

#7 Jordan Panetta – Game Changers

56 rec, 643 yards, 20 TD

 

• Defensive Player of the Year

#13 Andrew Langburt – Half-A-Stars

24 TKL, 14 INT, 8 PDs

 

• Two-Way Player of the Year

#11 Shea Harbour – 69ers

1803 yards, 48:5:2, 65.3%, 117.5 QBR, 21 TKL, 7 INT, 5 PD

 

Division 4B

• Quarterback of the Year

#15 Justin Lerner – Small Giants

2241 yards, 52:14:5, 66.5%, 107.7 QBR

 

• Receiver of the Year

#25 Carmine Pollice – SWAT

64 rec, 758 yards, 21 TDs

 

• Defensive Player of the Year

#2 Isiah Allard – SWAT

20 TKL, 8 INT, 2 SKS, 8 PDs

 

• Two-Way Player of the Year

#85 Rory Semerjian – The Infantry

44 rec, 457 yards, 15 TD, 20 TKL, 9 INT, 3 PDs

 

My Impressions – Divisional Round

 

• Game Changers (1st) vs Keyport Lock (8th): I think the outcome isn’t much of a surprise. Sure, Thierry Gerville’s absence hurt Keyport Lock, but having Kevin Boustany isn’t a knock in itself either. Game Changers looked like the juggernaut they’ve been all season and this game was no different. For Keyport Lock to have a chance, they needed Anton Sakiz to have a below average game and he did not. 6 TD, no interception. GC advances ‘’easily’’.

 

• The Stoics (2nd) vs EBROS (7th): WHAT A SHOCKER. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the score. I had to go around and ask players what happened and how. After the season Chris Rivest had, I was expecting him to light up the scoreboard and be his new self, but the hype got to his head and EBROS played a very smart game; Corey Oliver was a monster for the entire hour and Chris Rivest forgot he’s got one of the best snapper in the division playing for him as he kept forcing balls to Vinny Gualano or his brother Alex endlessly until this game came to a close with Stoics packing their bags.

 

• The Tide (3rd) vs The You (6th): The best way to describe this game is: A wash. The Tide rolled through The You in a way most of us would not have imagined. I mean, sure, The Tide is a good team, but The You showed up with 6, both White brothers got heated and ejected and The You couldn’t finish the game due to lack of players (4 isn’t enough). Foolish. Whether The Tide finishes this game or not, they would’ve won; that offence was unstoppable in round 1.

 

• Baby Kangaroos (2nd) vs Fun Boys (7th): In all honesty, I was expecting Fun Boys to cause an upset here. Vince Nardone is used to playing against this type of offence and he’s been very successful in the past, but allowing 32 points is out of character and Scott Mironowicz didn’t play his best game of the season. Baby Kangaroos is a better defence than what I’ve been given them credit for all season and it showed this week against Fun Boys. It came down to ‘’the better players’’ and Fun Boys fell short.

 

• 69ers (1st) vs Savage Squad (8th): After quite a handful of games where Savage Squad looked on the up and up putting up big numbers and playing really well, they had a bad one here. 69ers’ offence did whatever they wanted and Cam Tonner had a monster game. Savage Squad’s offence struggled to put points on the board and couldn’t stop Shea Harbour at all. Very one-sided game that doesn’t really reflect these last few weeks of regular season.

 

• Greendale Human Beings (4th) vs Past Our Prime (5th): Great game overall. Past Our Prime were able to drive offensively, score, but with the game down the line, POP made more mistakes than GHB and couldn’t walk away with the W when it mattered most. Sure, it was a valiant effort, but a bad drop by Tanner Burrell really hurt POP in those final plays and took away their opportunity to tie/go up against GHB and put the pressure back on Danny Aylward. Definitely a good fight overall by both teams; a true playoff atmosphere game. 

 

• B.D. Bandits (4th) vs Don’t Mess With Texas (5th): One of the worse draws for Don’t Mess With Texas. BD Bandits’ defence was able to take away all that DMWT was trying to do most of the game, which caused issues for Fred Mallette’s offence, but he still managed to put up 27. On the flip side, DMWT’s defence was unable to restrain Mark Belvedere’s and they dropped a whoppin’ 47 as they look like an absolute dominant force for the full hour. If BD Bandits can keep this level of play moving forward, they’ll be a dangerous team.

 

• Half-A-Stars (3rd) vs Jagerbomb (6th): Half-A-Stars were without their QB; huge loss. Jagerbomb were without their premier two-way player JF Daloze; even bigger loss. Andrew Langburt has subbed in for Jordan Prizant recently and played really well making their potential loss not as big as some would think whereas Jagerbomb simply couldn’t replace the productivity and what Daloze brings to this team on a weekly basis. Ryan Kharouf struggled to get a good read on the defence, forced too many throws and Half-A-Stars took a comfortable lead and never let go.

 

• Lonzo Ballers (2nd) vs Small Giants (7th): Lonzo Ballers were without Raphael Dagenais, but it didn’t seem to matter. Small Giants were pretty banged up; John Madimenos was far from 100% and Daron Midgesyan went down early with a bad knee injury. Without all their firepower, this turned from an uphill battle to an impossible fight. Small Giants had a good season, but this was the kind of game they wouldn’t win and being forced to play at 75% won’t get you this sort of win. 

 

• Les Blues Branleurs (4th) vs SWAT (5th): I’ve been high on LBB recently and SWAT really made me pay for that, in a way. Gino Di Fazio doesn’t need to be flawless with this monstrous defence behind him, but he needs to be smart and he can’t start giving the other team good field positioning and momentum. He didn’t score on every drive, but it didn’t matter as he didn’t throw interceptions and banked on his defence to bail him out when he needed them to (which they did. Including himself with a pick). If Gino can continue to play this safe, SWAT could continue onwards!

 

• A-Squad (4th) vs Mad Bears (5th): The best way to beat A-Squad is with a very good rusher that can contain Yacoub Telemaque. Mad Bears have that and much more; A-Squad’s offence struggled, forced balls and didn’t look like the confident and smooth team they’ve been for the past few seasons now. Mad Bears have been underrated all season due to their slow start and this game simply showed who they really were; a fast, explosive team that can play very good defence and score with ease.

 

Players of the Week

• Anton Sakiz (Game Changers): 230 combined yards, 6 TDs and a 125.2 QBR. Pretty strong first round!
• Alex Joltopuf (Greendale Human Beings): When called upon, he always delivers. 12 receptions (!!), 91 yards and 3 TDs.
• Andrew Langburt (Half-A-Stars): Stepping in for their starting QB, he played real well not throwing any INTs (4:0 ratio) and getting 2 himself defensively

 

• Sebastien Thibault (Mad Bears): He may have thrown 2 interceptions as a QB (4:2 ratio), but he got both of them back himself defensively (including one for six) and was pretty clutch on converts (4 points out of 5 tries)
• Edouard Arsenault (Air Force 1): 7 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TDs and a pick-six on defence. He did it all this weekend!
• Gabriel Wiseman (Ghosts): His 23 receiving yards aren’t bad, but he’s on this list for getting 5 sacks on Sunday night. Yes, five sacks.

 

Previewing the Quarter Finals

• Baby Kangaroos (2nd) vs The Tide (3rd)

Previous Matchup: 31 – 31 (Week 11)

Analysis: With Zach Zwirn, this is a completely different game. He adds an extra layer of depth to Baby Kangaroos that would’ve made it difficult for The Tide to cover. The underneath patterns + Zach Zwirn’s ability to be a HUGE playmaker on the sideline + Ryan Aridi’s ability to stretch the final was the perfect triple threat, but they’ve lost one of their facets. The Tide will be aggressive defensively and force tough throws; if they can contain Baby Kangaroos’ speedsters to a lesser game, The Tide’s defence will roll through because we all know their offence won’t be stopped in this game.

Key matchup: Ryan Aridi’s speed vs The Tide’s defence

Prediction: 37 – 31 The Tide

 

• Game Changers (1st) vs B.D. Bandits (4th)

Previous Matchup: 30 – 6 Game Changers (Week 3)

Analysis: If there’s one thing that makes Anton Sakiz a great QB this season is his composure. He doesn’t force throws nor is he looking to make a certain play work; something a lot of QBs do. BD Bandits have a very good playcaller defensively in Steve Sanner who loves to give different looks and forces you out of your comfort side. As long as Anton Sakiz is able to take what the defence gives him and remains calm, he’ll cut up BD Bandits and force Mark Belvedere’s hand into playing catch up; something that isn’t truly his forte. I don’t expect the Game Changers’ receivers to be bullied off their routes and it’ll be a great game through and through.

Key matchup: Steve Sanner’s defensive playcalling vs Anton Sakiz’ composure

Prediction: 38 – 26 Game Changers

 

• Half-A-Stars (3rd) vs Greendale Human Beings (4th)

Previous Matchup: 46 – 34 Greendale Human Beings (Week 4)

Analysis: If there’s one game Half-A-Stars really needed Jordan Prizant, this is it. In what could very well turn out to be an offensive matchup, can Andrew Langburt keep up with Danny Aylward score for score and break 40+? That’s the real question. Both of these defences will take chances and make mistakes; it’s how they’ve made it this far, but these QBs and offences are too smart and too good to fall for it. Matthew Rupcic’s absence will be felt defensively for GHB and it’ll create a much bigger gap than Peeze anticipates (from the Podcast). It’ll make Zach Aaron have a much bigger game, but will it be enough?

Key matchup: Danny Aylward vs Andrew Langburt; battle of the QBs

Prediction: 44 – 37 Greendale Human Beings

 

• 69ers (1st) vs EBROS (7th)

Previous Matchup: 45 – 19 69ers (Week 11)

Analysis: The old school battle. Both these teams have been in Division 4 for as long as I can remember; I also remember playing both of these guys back when too. EBROS have lost a key piece, but the core remains very good. Good enough to upset Shea Harbour for 44 minutes and create turnovers. Corey Oliver will need to be especially disruptive in the middle and force throws to the sidelines; not Shea’s strongest area. Zach Stachowski won’t need to score on every single drive, but he’ll need to manage the clock well and can’t end up giving 69ers one too many opportunities because they will seal this game away if that’s the case.

Key matchup: Rico Tulino’s defensive ability vs Trevor Ruffner

Prediction: 32 – 25 69ers

 

• Ghosts (1st) vs SWAT (5th)

Previous Matchup: 44 – 28 Ghosts (Week 1)

Analysis: SWAT caused their first upset of the Winter playoffs by beating one of the best rosters last weekend. Now facing what is yet another LOADED roster in Ghosts, the task is a tad different. Sure, we’ve talked about how taking away the deep ball will cripple Francois Martin, but at the end of the day, Ghosts has the athletes to run with SWAT’s 3-headed monster and neither teams will have the athletic superiority that got them this far. Week 1 was a LONG time ago and both teams are very different since. I do believe Ghosts are more than one-dimensional at this point of their season and Gino Di Fazio is playing much better than his former Week 1 self. I don’t expect either team to be perfect here and we’ll see a bunch of exceptional plays. This might just be one of the most fun game to watch all weekend long!

Key matchup: Alexis Gaumont vs Isiah Allard

Prediction: 33 – 26 Ghosts

 

• The Sheriff (2nd) vs Air Force 1 (8th)

Previous Matchup: 19 – 6 The Sheriff (Week 5)

Analysis: Air Force 1’s underrated defence will be put to the test versus a very different kind of team. They played each other in Week 5 and AF1 has improved a lot since. The upside for AF1 here is that they know what Luis Begin does and they’ll be better prepared for it. To The Sheriff’s credit, what they do changes depending on who they face and they mid-game adjustments are what brought them all the way to this 2nd round of the playoffs. If Luis Begin is contained and unable to run, this will not be a high-scoring affair, but that also favors either of these teams. Can Simon Blais summon his vintage self and light up the scoreboard for his team?

Key matchup: Samuel Leblanc rushing Luis Begin

Prediction: 25 – 19 The Sheriff

 

• Mad Bears (5th) vs MTL Originals (6th)

Previous Matchup: 26 – 12 MTL Originals (Week 2)

Analysis: Last time these two teams faced, Mad Bears were in a completely different place. Their game evolved a lot since with the return of Sebastien Thibault and the weeks of playing together. MTL Originals’ roster is still the same juggernaut it was week 2, but their new QB does play differently now. If MTL Originals can summon the speed to run with Mad Bears and contain their QB, they might just have a shot here. I don’t think it’ll be a very high scoring affair; a low and scrappy game where MTL Originals will need to bank on their physicality and it being enough to slow down Mad Bears. It’s always fun to see teammates play teammates!

Key matchup: Jean Alexandre Erroa’s rush vs Sebastien Thibault as a QB

Prediction: 27 – 25 Mad Bears

 

• Lonzo Ballers (2nd) vs Les Verges Folles (3rd)

Previous Matchup: 26 – 7 Lonzo Ballers (Week 9)

Analysis: Can anyone really hang with Qwyntin Rice this season? Vincent Morrissette can. Last time these two teams faced, it was sort of a meaningless game and rosters were incomplete on both ends; Les Verges Folles were without their QB Zacharie Quiviger and Lonzo Ballers were missing Quaid Johnson and Hennessy Oraye. I expect a completely different game and both teams showing up ready to leave it all on the field. Can Lonzo Ballers find a way to stop Nicolas Saro and Shawn Lafortune?

Key matchup: Qwyntin Rice vs Vincent Morrissette

Prediction: 37 – 32 Lonzo Ballers

 

That’s it for me this week. Hopefully this will trigger you just enough to drop me a message either via email ([email protected]), twitter (@DagenaisFPF) or in person. Remember, I didn’t do this to you, YOU did this to you. Until next time…! Maybe the Producer should remain the host about the clock?