Women’s Finals and Coed Quarterfinals!

The season is just about over! The Women’s division played their finals on Monday. Congratulations to the Volts for winning division 2 and to Bleu Poud for winning it all in division 1. Like all FPF championship games, the finals were broadcast live with a full commentary team. The recording to both of those broadcasts can be found on our YouTube channel here.

Last week we talked a lot about byes and playoffs seeding. For all that talk, very little changed. Kiss My End Zone and Fitsquad maintained the top two spots in Coed 2 and have the byes. Party Mix closed out their regular season with wins against Average & Savage as well EZFun, which was enough to secure them the top seed and the bye in Coed 1.

Weekly Recaps

La Secte (12) vs 3HUNNAS (7)

La Secte won their second game of the season, beating 3HUNNAS 12-7 in a defensive affair. When I saw this score line, I was expecting there to be a ton of interceptions, but that was not the case. 3HUNNAS actually did not throw a single interception this game while La Secte only threw one.

La Secte did a fantastic job of managing the clock and controlling the time of possession in this match. They ran more than twice as many offensive plays as their opponents. In fact, they had 41 offensive snaps whereas 3HUNNAS only had 18. What that tells me is that La Secte were patient with the ball. They did not force it deep, and they took the easy completions that the defence offered them. While I am impressed with how much La Secte controlled the ball, this team still has a lot to improve on. 3HUNNAS are known for playing tight man to man defence. La Secte averaged just above 4.5 yards per reception. Essentially, they were able to complete short hooks and slants but struggled to complete anything deeper or gain yards after the catch. This comes down to the trust that quarterback Raphael Beauchamp-Desbois has in his arm. There are talented athletes on this team who can create separation downfield. If Beauchamp-Desbois had slightly more faith in his arm, he would be able to connect and move the ball more than 5 yards at a time. As it has been all season, the other issue with La Secte’s offence is their overreliance on Alyson Francillon. He caught over half of the total passes that his team completed and accounted for both of their touchdowns. While Francillon is a great player, their overreliance on him makes this offence predictable and easier to pick off. If La Secte want to go from winning regular season games to winning playoff games, they will need to spread the ball.

As for 3HUNNAS, thankfully this loss did not really mean much for them in terms of playoff seeding, however, it did expose a major flaw in their offence. George Jean Louis loves chucking the ball deep and scrambling around in the pocket and that is exactly what La Secte took away. First, they made the risky decision to use their best coverage defender, Alyson Francillon, as a rusher. While he only finished the game with 1 sack, he held Jean Louis to 33 passing yards and only let him run once. 3HUNNAS need to learn from this match. They cannot play backyard style football where the quarterback runs around and then throws it deep and expect to consistently win games in FPF. Defences in FPF consistently give up the short completions and 3HUNNAS need to start completing those easy passes. This is an uber athletic team that can gain yards after the catch with ease.  If they do not learn soon, this might be a very short playoff run for them.

Les Bleus (12) vs Bleu Poud (28)

After losing to Les Bleus in the regular season, Bleu Poud turned things around in a big way for this championship match. Not only did they claim the Women’s 1 championship, but they did so in a convincing manner. After Les Bleus jumped out to a 6-0 lead on a 5 yard grab by Joyce Généus, Bleu Poud responding on the very next drive. They drove the field and Emmanuelle Bronsard connected with Béatrice Bouchard on 4^th down for a game changing touchdown. That 4^th down catch changed the tides. Bleu Poud did not look back from that point on. They finished the first half with 13-6 lead and would score 15 more points in the second half to put this game away. 

Where this game was ultimately decided was on 4^th downs and in the redzone. Bleu Poud converted on a shocking 75% of their fourth down attempts. While that number might sound about right in normal FPF, it is far higher than the average in the Women’s division. Since first down is at midfield, if you only gain 5 yards on your first three attempts, you are faced with a 4^th and very long. There are also no punts in the Women’s division since teamst always start a drive on their own 5-yard line. In short, teams always go for it on 4^th down which is why converting 75% of fourth down plays is so impressive. Bleu Poud consistently put themselves in situations where it was 4^th and manageable instead of fourth and long. On the other hand, Les Bleus struggled on 4^th down, converting on only 20%. Their struggles on 4^th down are a testament to Bleu Poud’s defence. They took away the deep ball and limited yards after the catch with sure tackling. I do not think I saw them miss a single tackle. By limiting the YAC, they forced Les Bleus into 4^th and long situations. As I already said, they did an exceptional job of defending the long ball so in situations where Bleu Poud knew Les Bleus had to go deep, it was even harder for them to complete passes.

Power Rangers (52) Two and a Half Kittens (46)

All season long, I had been wondering when we would finally see a healthy Tam Vilaydeth at the helm for Power Rangers. To the great concern of the rest of Coed 1 and the joy of Power Rangers, it looks like Vilaydeth is finally back to his old self. He had one of the best games that any quarterback has had this season in Coed, throwing for 21 completions, 276 yards, seven scores and no interceptions. While his stats look impressive, the test that Vilaydeth still needs to pass is the eye test. It has been speculated that he could have developed arthritis in his throwing elbow as a result of a gruesome arm injury suffered last year. As a result, his ball has not been leaving his hand with the same velocity or accuracy. What the stats in this game mean is that he either found a way to adapt his game to his injury or he has healed. Both options are bad news for other teams in this division. Power Rangers’ biggest asset is the depth of their offence. The fact that Genevieve Gauded, one of the best female snappers in FPF, finished this game with just two catches is a testament to how many weapons they have. Their three biggest threats are Constance Millaire, Serge Pilon and Jasmine Farmer. The three accounted for 200 yards of offence and four scores in this one. Simply put, that trio cannot be covered in man coverage. There is not a single player in Coed who has the athleticism of Pilon. Additionally, Millaire and Farmer are the two best female players in this division. Opposing defences are forced to play just about uniquely a zone defence and Vilaydeth has the experience to dissect that with surgical precision.

As for Two and a Half Kittens, they were one interception away from going score to score with Power Rangers. Chris Verreault, replacing at qauterback for the absent Joey Taylor, was phenomenal in his FPF debut. He threw for over 225 yards and 7 scores just like Vilaydeth did. However, he also threw an interception which wound up being the deciding factor.  Frankly, I have been waiting to see this kind of offensive explosion out of Two and a Half Kittens all season. The main reason it came in this game is because they finally started involving female players in their passing game. After totaling 90 receiving yards and one score oven the first nine games of the season, Aryana Boucher caught four passes in this one for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, this team is still struggling to slow down their opponents. Time and time again they have proved that all they need is 1-2 stops to win a game. However, their defence has struggled to even deliver one against the division’s best teams. They found the key to their offensive improvement, passing to the girls, now they just need to find how to improve their defence.

Teams of the Week

Every week, I will name 12 players to the team of the week. If you make the offensive team of the week, you cannot be on the defensive one and vice versa. I will name one team of the week for both Coed divisions combined and a separate team of the week for the Women’s division. You can make the team of the week in both divisions. For the Coed team of the week, there will always be a minimum of two women on the offensive and defensive team.

Week 11 Coed Team of the Week

Offence

Quarterback: Tam Vilaydeth (Power Rangers) 21 completions, 276 passing yards, 7 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Constance Millaire (Power Rangers) 7 receptions, 83 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Emilie Pfeiffer-Badoux (Party Mix) 9 receptions, 90 yards, 3 TDs

Receiver: Alexis Gaumont (Team Commandos) 6 receptions, 89 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Gabriel Wiseman (Two and a Half Kittens) 5 receptions, 79 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Jasmine Farmer (Power Rangers) 6 receptions, 59 yards, 1 TD

Defence

Rusher: Camille Ste-Marie (Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) 2 sacks

Defensive Back: Alexi Dubois (Kiss My End Zone) 5 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PDs

Defensive Back: Marilou Côté Noël (Party Mix) 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD

Defensive Back: Alexia Vitti (Average and Savage) 10 2 PDs   

Defensive Back: Theo Ojeaha (Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) 3 tackles, 2 INTs

Defensive Back: Boudjema Saada (3HUNNAS) 2 INTs

Finals and Semifinal Women’s Team of the Week

Offence

Quarterback: Marie-Lune Foczeny (Volts): 21 completions, 284 passing yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiver: Mathilde Sybille (Bleu Poud) 7 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Frédéric Chevarie (Brutes) 6 receptions, 61 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Élodie Fournier (Volts) 5 receptions, 82 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Victoria Di Loreto (Volts) 3 receptions, 70 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Catherine Gaumont (Bleu Poud) 6 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD

Defence

Rusher: Meggie Gervais (Brutes) 2 sacks

Defensive Back: Jasmine Farmer (Bleu Poud) 3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD

Defensive Back: Camille Barbeau (Les Bleus) 1 tackle, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Erika Bastion (Les Bleus) 2 tackles, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Béatrice Tremblay (Volts) 3 tackle, 2 PDs

Defensive Back: Rosalie Landry (Les Bleus) 5 tackles, 2 PDs

Quarterfinal Predictions:

Power Rangers (2) vs Average and Savage (7)

This is an easy one to predict. Tam Vilaydeth is getting healthier, Power Rangers are getting better and Average and Savage have not won a single game all season. The podcast generously said that A&S have a chance of keeping things close in this one if they do not turn over the ball. I do not think they will be able to avoid turnovers.

Prediction: Power Rangers

Bishop Sycamore (3) vs Two and a Half Kittens (6)

While the A&S vs Power Rangers game might have been an easy one to predict, that is not the case here. Two and a Half Kittens have a fantastic offence and are one of only three teams to have scored more than 300 points. On the other hand, Bishop Sycamore’s defence is the best in the division and has only conceded 220 points all season.

In terms of momentum, that is squarely in favor of Bishop Sycamore. After starting the season 0-4, they won their last six games to finish 6-4. Their last loss actually dates back to their week 4 game against Two and a Half Kittens.

The biggest question for TAHF is what kind of production they will get out of their female players. Throughout the first nine week for the season, no team used their female receivers less. At times, it looked like they were playing 4 against 6 because Joey Taylor refused to even look at his female receivers. On the other hand I know Bishop Sycamore will get production out of their female players because their quarterback is the best female passer in FPF history. Ultimately the key to success in Coed is contributions from you female players and I have far more faith in Bishop Sycamore when it comes to that.

Prediction: Bishop Sycamore

Y & Y (3) vs Team Commando (6)

The first thing that you need to know about Y&Y is that they take it to the next level in the playoffs. While team captain Gino di Fazio is notorious for benching players in the regular season, he takes that to another level in the playoffs. Despite Y&Y having the largest roster in Coed 2 and consistently showing up with 10 or more players to games, I expect no more than 8 to play significant minutes in the post season. That has two consequences to the team. While their star players play more and that makes the team better, it also erodes team morale. Chemistry on Y&Y already seems at an all time low. Their snapper, Ryan Dobbs-Garnett, is known for being a chirpy player. However, he spent the last game of the regular season yelling more at his team than his opponents. From the outside looking in, this team looks like it is internally combusting.

This game versus Team Commando can serve as a huge confidence boost for the team. If they get off to an early lead they can start to rebuild team chemistry. On the other hand if Team Commando score first, I could see Y&Y melting down in this one. Ultimately, I think the talent of Y&Y will shine through, but their team dynamics is something we will need to keep an eye on as the postseason progresses.

Prediction: Y&Y

3HUNNAS (4) vs La Secte (5)

This is the most intriguing match of the quarterfinals. Not only have La Secte not finished in last, they are the favorites heading into their first match of the postseason. 3HUNNAS fell to La Secte in the final week of the regular season largely in part to La Secte’s stifling defence. Alyson Francillon has George Jean Louis’ number as a rusher and the rest of the La Secte defence was able to take away the deep ball.

If 3HUNNAS want to have a chance of moving on in the postseason, they need to fundamentally change the way they play offence. While the deep ball might work against certain teams, it is very clear that it does not versus La Secte. If they cannot find a way complete short passes and march the field with hooks and slants, their postseason run will be very short lived.

Prediction: La Secte

For the Women’s division, that is a wrap for the Winter 2022 season! After the Winter 2020 postseason was cut short due to the pandemic, it feels great to finally be able to crown two champions in this division. The growth of the Women’s league, from a few teams in one division in 2020, to two competitive division’s this year was impressive. The games were a joy to write about and I cannot wait to keep following this division.

As for Coed, the playoffs are just hours away from getting under way. This is when things really get serious, and we see the difference between pretenders and contenders. Good luck to everyone!