The Finals.

Oh man, OH man. Sunday cannot come fast enough.

When people think about Winter Division 1, they think Montreal’s Finest and D-Boys. Guess who’s in this year’s finals? Yeah, you got it right.

At some point, Montreal’s Finest is bound to fail, right? They can’t go on and win every, single, time (in Winter seasons), right?

This might be me going on about D1, but that D2 finale might be even BETTER.

Let’s get started,

 

Week 14

Braves tried with 5 (which is more than most people would’ve done), D-Boys made a statement against FMS, #NR are in the D2 finals and Waste Yout suffered an absolute heart breaker. In all in, a great week for Semis.

 

Thoughts of the Week

• Can’t say it enough; Kudos to Braves for actually showing up; Banged up, with 5, but still played the game vs Finest. We need more people like that in our league.
• I make a lot of jokes about Matt Kirouac, but when he’s on, he’s a special player and this week’s D1 game showed just that. 4 PDs and a pick? As a rusher?!!
• I get bitterness, but you gotta keep your cool. At all times.
• There’s a different feel about D-Boys this season. I like it.
• I’m still shocked FMS lost. I thought this was a special season for them.
• I remember when people used to tell #NR to move up and play in D1-D2. I wonder what those people are thinking now.
• If #NR wins, does Lance get a shirt? Hmm.
• Waste Yout vs Clockwork was a fantastic game. With a brutal ending.
• Back to back finals in the highest division is impressive, but it’s also not the easiest thing to do physically. I wonder how it’ll play out.
• I’m not sure which game I’m more excited about.
• Go check out last night’s podcast for our previews of the two games; you’ll get to hear Peeze’s and GM’s take as well as mine!

 

Players of the Week

• Akked Moore (Montreal’s Finest): He might have had a quiet season, but he went on a tear this week to propel Finest to the Finals with a 9 catches, 107 receiving yards and 3 TD performance.
• Antoine Boulard (Braves): Playing with one less receiver for the entire game? Didn’t seem to bother him as he had himself a pretty impressive game finishing with 10 catches for 82 yards and a TD.
• Marco Masciotra (D-Boys): He needed a big game to make the finals this season and did just that. 305 passing yards and 7 TDs? In the semis? Don’t doubt him ever again.
• Emilio Jaimes Leclair (Flag Moi L’Sac): He might not be the most known commodity in D1, but he just made a name for himself with a 116 yards and 2 TD performance in the semis. Against D-Boys of all teams.

 

• Troy Trench (#NR): All reports are pointing towards him being the most dominant player on the field that night. His stats might not be eye-popping, but trust me when I say he’s a huge part of the reason why #NR are in the Finals on Sunday.
• Marco Masciotra (Clockwork): His offensive performance might not have been as spectacular as most people expected, but he’s a two-way freak and displayed that fully on Monday with 2 picks on defence, including the game-winner.

 

Playoff Previews

• Montreal’s Finest (1st) vs D-Boys (2nd)

Previous meeting: 26 – 14 Montreal’s Finest (Week 2), 38 – 26 Montreal’s Finest (Week 9)

Why Montreal’s Finest will win:If history has taught us anything, it’s that Montreal’s Finest is the best team in Division 1 and the best Finals performer in FPF. Their current record when playing for the title is ridiculous and the odds need to be pretty high for anyone to be tempted to beat on the underdog. They might not be invincible, but this season’s roster, and the depth, might be as close as it gets. When you consider that a player like Akked Moore had a quiet season and they made it here regardless? Yeah. Chris Milard packs a special punch for their defensive unit and everyone seems to be playing at an excessively high level this season. If someone has the blueprints to beat Finest in the playoffs, they’ve kept it sealed away.

Why D-Boys will win: A few spring seasons ago, D-Boys pulled off the upset against Montreal’s Finest in the finals and I still remember it like it was yesterday. Ever since that game there’s been talks about D-Boys being able to upset Finest on any given day, but it hasn’t really happened. They’ve kept it close, but always a step behind. What has changed? They’ve lost a key player, but acquire new faces that fit their scheme really well. Their defence is, potentially, better this season than it has been in quite some time. Their mentality also changed where they don’t seem to want to beat Finest at what they do best and simply ‘be better’; they know they’ll need a specific game plan if they want to take down this Giant and this is why D-Boys has a true shot this season; a more cerebral D-Boys is a very dangerous D-Boys.

Key factor: Sticking to the script

Prediction: 47 – 42 Montreal’s Finest

 

• #NR (1st) vs Clockwork (5th)

Previous meeting: 41 – 40 #NR (Week 11)

Why #NR will win: It’s been a special season for #NR; their preseason roster looked monstruous and there was plenty of hope, but their execution has been near flawless most of the way. A few weeks into the season, we knew they’d be here when it’s all said and done. The addition of Serge Pilon Jr really pushed them over the top and quite a handful of them have really flourished into stellar playmakers. It’s crazy to think that we can go weeks without talking about Travis Moses and Kendal Mayers, but that’s simply how deep and talented this roster really is. Cory Pecker has been on-point this season and I don’t see why or how this trend would end here. We know their offence is special, but their defence is just as gritty and seeing how complete of a team they’ve become, it’s difficult to bet against them at this point.

Why Clockwork will win: They were my preseason favorite to make it to the Finals and they haven’t disappointed. Sure, they’ve hit a rough patch along the way, but seeing how strong they came out of the gates and how well they’ve performed in the playoffs, it really shows how irrelevant those few losses were. They’ve took down teams that we’ve expected to give them ‘too much’ trouble and made their way to the finals without having the easiest of schedules. Their offence exploits matchups like no other and cannot be countered by simply taking away a guy or two which makes it ten times more deadly than it already looks on paper. If their defence can continue to ball out the same way it has in the playoffs thus far (limiting Waste Yout to only 26 points, for instance), they might actually get themselves another title when Sunday night comes rolling.

Key factor: Limiting Serge Pilon Jr’s contribution

Prediction: 39 – 33 #NR

 

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…! Man, tired Eagle and I could be BFFs. You need to stop sleeping, Eags.