Week 9 Recap

Week 10, baby. Sure, a quick scroll down and you’ll see that all but just a handful of playoff spots are still up for grabs. Should that make this week any less exciting? Hell no. Some of you have better seeds to clinch, for others there’s simply pride on the line, and well, obviously, there are a few playoff spots to snatch up. Everyone has something to play for. Regardless of what it is, you certainly don’t want to end this season on a low note – that five month-long fall offseason is a damn long one. Let’s get to business. 

 

Recaps

Pandas Leave Papineau Ashamed with Hands Feeling Sticky (by Peeze Della Reeze) 

Sticky Hands started the game without Nicolas Saro.  All season long this has been a recurring theme that had us worried about Sticky Hand’s competitiveness in the division.  While he is back from injury Saro missed this game and needed his teammates to carry the team in his absence.  Team captain and quarterback Alexis Labonte was happy to oblige as he connected with team BFG Kevin Gauthier (twice), Richie Mondesir and Samuel Goyette for touchdowns.  Defensively, he joined Alex Dubeau and Francois Ethier as leading men as they intercepted the Pandas on 3 separate occasions.

The Pandas had seen moderate success in the second half of the season before being caged by Zoo in week 8. They hoped that their fortune was ready to turn and looked to beat another struggling team in Sticky Hands in week 9. However, the Pandas got behind the 8 ball (presumably in camouflage) early in this game as they took a 26-6 deficit into half time. Quarterback Ryan Kharouf has been one of the most puzzling stories since he arrived on the scene in FPF.  The man is a literal (and by that I mean figurative) how-to guide for QB technique yet he has struggled as an FPF quarterback. Switching to Roy Khalil in this game yielded similar results as he was unable to move the offense.  Alexandre Bacchalini was the standout in this game as he caught two touchdowns and an interception.  It would still not be enough as Sticky Hands beat Pandas 32-13.

 

Two and a Half Ties

There was nothing but better playoff seeding on the line in the Dabs’ matchup with Get Off My D, but that didn’t keep both sides from balling out from start to finish. The one-man wrecking that is Joey Taylor continued to put in work, leading THD yet again in catches (7) yards (113) and TDs (3), while equally coming up with some big plays on defense despite the stats showing just two tackles and a PD.

Meanwhile, it was same ol’ same ol’ for Jeff Rosenblatt’s GOMD, with Jad Aridi picking up first downs underneath and coming up with a big INT on defense. The stats really tell the rest in in this one: both sides went pretty much score for score until THD tied it up with a short TD with under five plays to go. They failed the ensuing convert attempt, but were able to keep Rosenblatt from finding the endzone on the game’s final drive to result in the third tie of the week.

If this was a preview of what’s to come in these Division D playoffs, next week can’t come soon enough.

 

There’s a New Bro in Town 

Patrick who? For the second straight week, Bromigos usual starting QB Patrick Larose-Laurent was nowhere to be found. Stepping in his place for the second straight week was newcomer to the league Kelley Brossard. Taking the field alongside him was another FPF rookie, Alex Fortier.

Usually that presumed lack of experience would make it a big surprise to see Bromigos and their subs put up 37 points on the Affreux’s experienced defense, but that’s before you find out that both Brossard and Fortier are Valleyfield football products. Add to that the now known commodity in Olivier Laberge, and you’ve got quite a trio of stud athletes facing you across the line of scrimmage.

On the other side of the ball, I have to give a shoutout to second-year FPFer Michel Ladouceur tearing it up to the tune of seven catches and four TDs for the boys in red. It’s a shame that it was all in vain with QB Mat Domon’s two soul crushing pick 6s essentially costing Les Affreux the win.    

 

Power Rankings

1. 5-Star (8-1): I think the really scary thing about them is they just make everything seem so easy. March the length of the field in three plays? Done. Two-point convert? No sweat. Pick in the redzone? I’ll take that, thank you very much. Next thing you know they’re up by five scores.

2. Prestige Worldwide (8-1): I mean, who needs Jonah Cohen when Joe Kano can do it all. 

3. Zoo (8-1): You just can’t stop Kaye-to-St-Amand this season.

4. The Alpha-Ts (7-1-1): 43-0 over Taimesaheiiin. Sounds about right.

5. Backyard Bullies (6-2-1): Ties suck, but at least we can confirm their shutout was indeed a fluke.

6. St. Lunatics (5-3-1): Way to actually put up good points when needed. But ties still suck. 

7. Gators (6-3): Score as many points as you want versus a team without a QB; don’t think I haven’t forgotten about that close win over Sticky Hands.

8. Gamecocks (7-2): Week 9 marks the first time Hot Boys Hotline score 30+ points since Week 2… when they did it versus Weapon X. This win isn’t one I would be writing home to mama about if I’m Gamecocks.     

9. Two and a Half Dabs (7-1-1): 32 points is the most THDabs have given up in a single game this season. Cause for concern, for should I write it off as a blip?

10. Justice League (6-3): Just when I write them off as pretenders, they go and hold the high-scoring Goats offense to a mere 15 points.

 

Playoff Standings

Bold means you’ve clinched your ticket to the playoffs; strikethrough means you’re out; everyone else is still in contention. Recall: top 12 from each conference makes it in. You can thank Simon Dagenais for the work. You can equally let him know if there are any mistakes @DagenaisFPF. 

A	Team	GP	PTS	W(P-F)	DIV	PA		B	Team	GP	PTS	W(P-F)	DIV	PA
1	Prestige WorldWide	9	16	8	[4-0-0]	155		1	5-Star	9	16	8	[4-0-0]	172
2	ZOO	9	16	8	[4-0-0]	171		2	Two and a half Dabs	9	15	7	[1-1-1]	179
3	The Alpha T’s	9	15	7	[3-0-0]	145		3	Backyard Bullies	9	13	6	[1-2-1]	214
4	Gators	9	12	6	[3-1-0]	203		4	Gamecocks	9	14	7	[4-0-0]	249
5	Fuzzy-Kittens	9	10	5	[3-1-0]	199		5	On Les Empêche	9	12	6	[3-1-0]	219
6	Junkyard Dogs	9	10	5	[3-1-0]	201		6	The Goats	9	12	6	[2-2-0]	230
7	Magic City	9	10	5	[2-2-0]	166		7	Justice League	9	12	6	[1-3-0]	144
8	Les Affreux	9	8	4	[2-1-0]	227		8	Get Off My D	9	12	5	[2-0-1]	248
9	Bromigos	9	8	4	[2-1-0]	241		9	St-Lunatics	9	11	5	[2-1-1]	211
10	All Blacks	9	8	4	[2-2-0]	266		10	Friends in Low Places	9	10	5	[3-0-0]	157
11	Ghosts	9	6	3	[1-2-0]	254		11	SABRFC	9	10	5	[1-2-0]	200
12	Sticky Hands	9	4	2	[1-3-0]	258		12	Frosty Bronsons	9	8	4	[2-2-0]	235
13	Pandas	9	4	2	[0-4-0]	237		13	More Money-Less TDs	9	7	3	[1-2-1]	238
14	Longhorns	9	2	1	[1-3-0]	265		14	Supply and Command	9	7	3	[1-2-1]	288
15	Les Indécis	9	2	1	[1-3-0]	290		15	Hot Boys Hotline	9	6	2	[0-3-1]	244
16	Weapon X	9	2	1	[0-4-0]	297		16	Blue Devils	9	5	2	[0-3-1]	228
17	TAIMESAHEINN	9	1	0	[0-4-0]	274		17	Get on Deck	9	2	1	[0-4-0]	316

 

Previews

Themes are cool, so seeing as it’s Week 10, I decided to preview all the games with playoff berths on the line:

 

Ghosts vs. Bromigos

It’s win-and-in for Ghosts, lose-and-hope-either-Sticky Hands-or-Pandas-lose-too (otherwise things can get messy in the case of a three-way tie here). Winning would obviously be the preferred option here, but that won’t be an easy task versus a surging Bromigos team. Having seemingly replaced starter Patrick Larose-Laurent with newcomer Kelly Brossard (to finish out the season at least), the Bromigos offense has scored its most points in back-to-back games since putting up 33 in each of Weeks 2 and 3. Really the way I see this one going down is simple: if Ghosts are able to go drive-for-drive with the Bromigos offense, I like their chances. If they go down early and are forced to move away from their preferred short-pass system into a long ball attack, I think Bromigos walk away with a win – especially with the athletes they have in that secondary.

 

Magic City vs. Pandas 

A win from Pandas combined with a Sticky Hands loss is really all it takes for the newcomers to the league to make the playoffs. But I think the show ends here for them. The main reason being that I remain unconvinced the Pandas offense will be able to put up the points it needs to win this game. Sure, they scored 38 on Blue Devils a few weeks ago, but I think it’s tough to compare that defense to one that allows barely 3 TDs per game on average. Meanwhile, if Matt Cinquino shows up and throws the full game for Magic City, I’m not sure Pandas will have an answer for his run-and-chuck style – especially if rusher Rami Abdelnour, who has been absent the past two weeks, misses his third straight game.  

 

All Blacks vs. Sticky Hands 

With their postseason hopes riding on this game, what can we expect from Sticky Hands? I say their very best. QB Nicolas Saro missed last week’s game, but there is zero doubt in my mind he makes it to this one. On the other side, All Blacks, when QB Alexandre Poulin-Rioux shows up, are not exactly the flashiest or most intimidating team, but they know how to march the field and snapper Alexandre Lapointe can always be depended upon to punch it in from the red zone. But if Saro shows up and slings it the way I know he does, and the Sticky defense is able to force a couple of stops, I think Sticky win this one.  

 

Frosty Bronsons vs. Backyard Bullies 

Remember back in the midseason article when I talked about whether QB James Nowakowski would be able to lead his team to success via his arm whenever the time came? Well all signs point to that time coming at 8 p.m. sharp this Sunday. BYB rusher Mark Donohue has been nothing short of spectacular all season long, and he figures to give Nowakowski some serious trouble in the pocket whenever the mobile Frosty QB looks to run. Surely then, it’ll be up to Nowakowski’s ability to pass the ball that determines the winner of this one. But even if he does manage to adapt to a more “pro”-style offense, finding his go-to target Alex Holowach won’t be easy with Rich Humes roaming the field. In what’s quite simply a do-or-die game for Frosty Bronsons, I think they die. I hope they can prove me wrong (but kinda not really cuz then that guarantees that my team doesn’t make the playoffs sooooo).     

 

Supply and Command vs. More Money-Less TDs

If Frosty Bronsons lose, it’ll be the winner of this game that keeps their season alive. To be quite honest, I don’t think MM<TDs would be in this situation if it wasn’t for the sudden absence of QB Chris Eramian these past three weeks, just as he was starting to heat up. If he shows up, you have to think Alessandro Arciero, Nyle Anderson, Lee Galletti and William Power make for some serious trouble for the SnC defense. Then again, even if it’s Anderson at QB, it’s not like all hope is lost for MM<TDs given how I’ve basically been throwing like a right-handed Tim Tebow in the second half of the season.

 

Predictions

Belleau: 10-7 on the week, 93-60 on the season (60.78%). As for myself, 10-6 this week, 94-50 this season (65.28%). I’m expecting to see some hero picks from Belleau in his article this week. He’s in a no-win situation though, because all the following are the correct picks for the week:   

 

Les Affreux vs. The Alpha-Ts

 

Bromigos vs. Ghosts

 

Gators vs. Zoo

 

Two and a Half Dabs vs. SABRFC

 

Hot Boys Hotline vs. Blue Devils

 

Longhorns vs. Junkyard Dogs

 

5-Star vs. Gamecocks

 

Prestige Worldwide vs. Fuzzy-Kittens

 

Supply and Command vs. More Money-Less TDs (N/A)

 

Backyard Bullies vs. Frosty Bronsons

 

Taimesaheiiin vs. Get on Deck

 

Magic City vs. Pandas

 

Get Off My D vs. Friends in Low Places

 

All Blacks vs. Sticky Hands

 

St. Lunatics vs. The Goats

 

On Les Empêche vs. Justice League

 

***

Be sure to check out this week’s Division D podcast with Simon Dagenais and and Terry Tam at www.youtube.com/flagplus, recorded live on Thursday at 9 p.m. Until next week, Blanchard out.