Weekday Quarterback (D3) – Week 12

We are now just over a week away from championship weekend in FlagPlus Football and right now it seems as though the underdogs have made their mark in all divisions to this point. We are about to see two 5 seeds face off against two 8 seeds in each conference final. It is a remarkable stat and just goes to show that it does not matter how well or how poorly you play during the regular season as long as find a way to sneak in to the playoffs, anything can happen.

The Darkhorses and Trojans have proven to everyone that it is all about peaking at the right time in this league, and luckily for them, they’ve both have done just that. If we were to analyze both eighth seeded teams, you would also find one important similarity between the two: experience. I have mentioned this all season long and truly believe it is an important part of any team trying to win a championship. Actually all four of the remaining teams have guys who have been in the league long enough to be considered veterans, but when I look at the Trojans and the Darkhorses, I see a couple of important guys on each team who have a great amount of experience.

For the Trojans, it is easy to nominate Sean Avraam and Adam Ciampini, who have both been on board since the inception of the league. On the Darkhorses side, you have Rick Cummins, who has also been a part of the league since the early years. Then there’s Jason Edwards, who’s played for some great teams over the last five years as well. All four of those guys bring that intangible edge to the table that is but also have in addition to their great athletic ability. I am sure there are a few teams who are on the outside looking in who would love to have a few guys with that kind of knowledge and experience on their team. That being said, there are still two weeks to be played, and at this point all four teams are in a neck and neck race.

Conference Final Matchups

DK versus Darkhorses

Rochdi Benabdelkader and his DK squad head into the weekend with only six eligible players on their roster and according to some rumours they could be playing the game with one player less for most of the game. It seems as though DK star Steve Tassy is injured and may not be able to make it all the way to the final whistle. If this is true, DK could be in for a really long night. Knowing the players in this league, I would wait until game time to see if Steve Tassy is going to play or not. Guys tend to find a way to fight through pain and injury to help their team, particularly once the playoffs roll around, and in this case, there is a chance to play for a title. Right now, this is the biggest factor in this game. Here’s hoping Steve Tassy’s injury is not serious enough to force an undermanned DK into this game.

No matter what the injury situation is for DK, expect Benabdelkader to have a solid game plan in place and you can definitely expect the rest of the DK team to be fired up especially if they know they will need to play even better with just five players on the field. The most important matchup in this game might be Jamal Pierre versus Sean Kennedy. Both of those players are extremely tough to cover because of their size and strength. Kennedy has caused fits for opposing Conference A defences since the playoffs began, but playing against a guy like Jamal Pierre is a whole different monster. Not only can he match you physically but he will do whatever it takes to get in your head and distract you from playing your game. Will Kennedy be a willing partner for Jamal Pierre to jaw with? If you are a fan of intense football then you can only hope so.

In terms of what the Darkhorses must do this weekend, it is actually a pretty simple formula. Right now, the Darkhorses are playing as well as they’ve played all season long and that is because they are getting great performances out of their offense, namely Leon Holder. Holder made a statement in the first round of the playoffs by knocking off the top seed in the entire division and then used the next week against the Warriors to prove that he can play consistent football. Holder now has a remarkable 12 touchdown passes and 0 interceptions in those two playoffs games. If he can continue to do that, then I believe that the Darkhorses have an excellent chance to win this football game. The second part of the equation for the Darkhorses is maintaining a cool head and not taking stupid penalties. The Darkhorses have caused a few scuffles during the playoffs and while it has not hurt them so far, continuing to take those chances might not be the wisest strategy this deep into the playoffs. All it takes is one wrong move to lose a guy to OC/UR suspension, and even if you win this game, you could be losing a key piece to the puzzle for the finals. Protecting the football and playing a disciplined game looks to be the best way for the Darkhorses to book a spot the Championship game.

GPK versus Trojans

While the other game has some interesting side bars, this game looks like it is going to see both teams playing at full strength while both are coming in playing their best football of the year. I was one of the people who thought that GPK peaked too early, and that they had played as well as they were going to play during their mid-season hot streak. After losing a game to SWAT towards the end of the regular season, GPK has bounced back and continues to fly under the radar even though they might be the most well rounded team left. While they have had success in the post season, primarily thanks to Mike Stagg and Erik Lagarde, it would be ridiculous to forget how well this team played earlier this season, with every receiver playing a key part in their offense. The Trojans will likely focus much of their attention on Lagarde –as they should– but if that is the case, Mike Stagg is great at spreading the ball around to the rest of his receivers. Both teams have come off extremely clutch victories, but did it in different fashions. The Trojans knocked off the division three favourite, SWAT, in overtime, after giving up a late lead in regulation, while GPK gave the Cobras way more than they could handle. GPK did a great job of forcing Alex Lever to make inaccurate throws and held a strong offensive team to only 12 points. Did GPK play great defensively or did Alex Lever and the Cobras have a rough outing? It is hard to be sure, but at this point in the season teams tend to get what they deserve and GPK did its part on defense to win against a good team and quarterback. We don’t know if their defense can muster another performance like that, and they may need an even stronger effort against a very experienced QB in Sean Avraam.

The keys to victory for GPK are to absolutely get pressure on Sean Avraam. A patient QB like him knows how to move the ball efficiently and has proven time and again that a good defensive secondary is not always going to stop him. You need guys to get in his face and force him to make rushed throws down after down. Secondly, they will likely need their secondary receivers to play their best. Ryan Joyce and Jason Smith were the next most targeted receivers by Mike Stagg last week. Perhaps they will become more important since Lagarde will likely be facing and over-under look in the secondary, trying to limit his production on both short and deep routes. Adam Ciampini could also be the guy who lines up in front of him when the Trojans mix in some man defence. If Mike Stagg can spread the ball around early, it will likely force the Trojans into changing their game plan which then opens up Lagarde for the big plays.

In order for the Trojans to win the game, they need to continue to stick with a well balanced attack that forces teams to spread themselves thin defensively. Ciampini, Vinny Gualano, and Mitch Chiba are all very important receivers for Avraam and are guys that have a great amount of talent. Avraam will have to try and get those three the ball as often as possible and let them do the work after the catch. Another important piece of the puzzle for the Trojans is their rusher combination of Rob Cosenza and Yves Thomas. Either one of those guys has to be patient against Mike Stagg. Stagg is not mobile, but has a very quick release. That could be extremely frustrating for an opposing rusher over the span of an entire game. If the secondary can force Stagg to have to look for his second and third reads, the pass rush can lead to forced throws and sacks. If Stagg is able to stand comfortably in the pocket and complete passes on first read, then it might be a long day for the Trojans defense.

I hope everyone has a great end to the week and is able to come out to the Catalogna Soccerplexe to watch the games this weekend. Make sure to tune in to the WEPL with myself, Moe Khan, and GM Kolethras who was in to replace Alex Porras. Next week we will hold our seasonal press conferences featuring players from each finalist. Make sure to speak to a league member if your team wins this weekend. Good luck to all the teams involved.