WOWEE! Co-Ed 3!! So much possibility!!!

Co-Ed 3 has produced some of the most high intensity action in it’s first week of play! With the top 2 teams having a BYE week, it was up to Seeds #3-#6 to battle it out for a chance to get to face the 2 titans of the Division. During this time, I managed to see Cocaine Bear (FINALLY), which was definitely not the movie I thought it would be, but was an adventure nonetheless! Most teams have a week off thanks to Easter and Jesus (What a stand up guy, getting us so many days off) so are able to really size up the competition this week. 

For those of us who are still on the Marvel train, our next adventure is Guardians of the Galaxy 3 in May (so close, yet soooo far), which should close out the story of our ragtag crew, like all other trilogies in the MCU. 

The Spring season is also around the corner and registration has opened! If you are already itching to get more FPF under your belt sign up now! If you are missing players, you can always reach out to the FPF page or sign up as a Free Agent and hope to get picked up by a team! ( I think they still do that). Either way! I’ll see you in the spring season!

THE UNSTOPPABLE THOUGHTS OF A MAD MAN

• Anything can happen during Playoffs and boy did they ever! I would consider this week to be the week of upsets. KANIKULE was able to push out LA SECTE that, despite a great start, had found trouble in the 2nd half of the season going 0-7 and losing back to back weeks to KANIKULE. For the double trouble, the TOTS were able to get revenge on a PASCARES team that beat them 2x in the regular season by a single point, and won in the first round of playoffs 25-14! BENCHWARMERS and SNEAKY SNAKES are back on the menu this week after a BYE. Will the week off hurt them? Semi-Finals are here, let’s find out! 

• Only allowing 135 points against in 10 games is an amazing feat by HALF N HALF. That is by far the lowest points in the division, and pairing that with scoring 100+ points more than their competition, BENCHWARMERS are the favorites to win Co-Ed 3. However, they have already lost to SNEAKY SNAKES early in Week 1 and then tied to KANIKULE in one of their last games of the season. With both of those teams now fighting for the Final spot in the Championship, BENCHWARMERS will need to bring their A-Game against the TOTs for their chance at revenge on either of the 2 teams that took their perfect season away from them!     

• I wonder how SNEAKY SNAKES feel, knowing that their tie is what saved them from possible elimination. They managed to pull out 13 points in the season and jumped over PASCARES who had 12 – and who got eliminated. That is the glory of earning a BYE week. Yeah, a week off might be a bit hard on tempo, but you ignore a week of chaos! Now they face a strong and hardy KANIKULE, who they already have history with… 

• Good job to all players putting up some PLAYOFF stats! If you’re like me, you enjoy the competition this league brings and you definitely keep track of stats. For those of you who don’t, I respect your decision… but you’re missing out! Needless to say, since not all teams make the playoffs, it’s important to put in as much work as possible to get those stats up.  

• MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS came out with the upset last week mostly thanks to Kenny Boutilier, who not only took the QB position, but also managed the elusive Pick-6! Beating the #3 seed was not an easy task and will only get harder… since this week they face the #1 seed – HALF N HALF. Most of their players are All-Stars and they haven’t scored less than 30 points all year, except Week 1. Are the TOTS about to be disappointed by Lithium Batteries or will they hit the jackpot and make their way to college Finals?      

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Semi-Final Round Preview

Half N Half VS Michael Scott’s Tots: 

Boy, oh, boy! This game has been played 2x this season, with HALF N HALF coming out the victors both times: 45-12 and 31-6 (technically 31-0 cause of the Forfeit). HNH have been able to put up a minimum of 30 points a game, while the TOTS struggle to put up over 20 consistently. This is not to say that HNH will have an easy game! The TOTS have won 4 out of the last 5 games they have played (only losing to HNH). Kenny Boutilier has so far not been able to break into the top 5 QB’s of the division, but is the current leading QB out of the first week competitors. With targets like Evan Ely Nolet, Maude Santos Charlebois, and yours truly, TOTS have the ability to spread the ball and score! With Maya and Anna stepping up on Defense as well, the TOTS are finally clicking and able to keep teams to lower scores. Maya already leads the team in Tackles and PDs and will continue to be a much needed boost to the TOTS defense, while Kenny will need to continue to make appearances on defense and get some turnovers. 

Will it be enough though? HALF N HALF have been on fire all season. Even with Kristopher Verreault missing 3 games and Camille Ste-Marie filling in, HNH have seen continued success against whoever they play. Kris has been at the top of the QB list all year, and having broken the 40 TD mark (combined Throwing and Rushing), I don’t think there is a better QB in the division. But despite being a great QB, he cannot do everything alone and will need to rely on his receivers and defenders to keep him in the game. Thankfully, he has no shortage of dangerous receivers: Gabriel Wiseman is a known FPF name at QB, Rusher and Receiver positions, his nephews – Jahmaal Roach, Tahnyus Steer and Malakai Roach have all made splashes in FPF in the past couple of seasons and are not to be underestimated – 2 of them are already All-Stars. And if that wasn’t enough, all of their female players: Aryane Boucher, Camille Ste-Marie, and Marie-Anne Landry-Duval all have 130+ yards and 4+ TDs. 

Despite the clear power imbalance, the TOTS have not given up on this game! Will the stretch of weeks off hurt the HNH performance? Will the TOTS be able to stop the unstoppable Kris Verreault? Or will we see a repeat performance of the games this season and HNH will blow past their opponents? I have a slight bias towards HNH, but I’m holding out for a hero!   

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Sneaky Snakes VS Kanikule: 

SNEAKY SNAKES finished the season 6-3-1 and in my opinion, were the dark horse of the division. Able to take on almost any team, they quickly rose through the division. Christopher Landry finished in the #3 spot in the QB race, and was 1 of only 3 QBs to pass the 1000 Yard mark during the regular season! KANIKULE finished 5-4-1 and almost made their way to the #2 seed. Athena Ryan found herself at the top of the division, amongst the best QBs, and the only team to have beaten SNEAKY SNAKES twice in the regular season. SNEAKY SNAKES come into this game the underdog, despite their higher seed. 

Alexandra Van Den Bossche continues to lead the SNAKES with 7 TDs and over 250 yards receiving, which is more TDs than any one receiver on KANIKULE. Winning 4 of their last 6 games, SNEAKY SNAKES have spread the ball, created turnovers, got Pick-6’s, and followed through with converts! But that still wasn’t enough to beat KANIKULE. They will need to put pressure on Athena Ryan in order to disrupt her game, while also keeping the ball spread and utilizing all receivers. KANIKULE have been relying on Obed Laryea for the majority of their yards this season, but stats show that all receivers have been able to get a handful of TDs each, and most others have 100+ yards receiving. 

Defensively, the SNAKES have more INTs, but KANIKULE has more sacks, meaning more pressure on the QB. Both teams don’t need me telling them what to do, they’ve already played each other enough times. KANIKULE should be ready for what the SNAKES can bring, and I expect SNEAKY SNAKES to adapt to KANIKULE and finally beat them. Their first win by 4 points, and then winning by only 2 during their last encounter, this is KANIKULE’s game to lose. It will be a battle of QBs!   

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ZACK’S TOP WEEKLY PICKS: 

QB (1): Kenny Boutilier (MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS) – 34 Attempts / 18 Completions (57.6%), 121 Yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs, 0 Sack 

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WR (1): Alyson Francillon (LA SECTE) – 9 Targets / 5 Receptions (55.6%), 67 Yards, 1 TDs

WR (2): Estelle Quevillon-Lemay (LA SECTE) – 5 Targets / 5 Receptions (100%), 33 Yards, 1 TD 

WR (3): Justin Anania (PASCARES) – 4 Targets / 3 Receptions (75%), 39 Yards, 1 TD  

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DB (1): Ezechiel Tieide (KANIKULE) – 1 Tackle, 3 INT, 2 PDs, 1 TD

DB (2): Justin Leblanc-Guindon (LA SECTE) – 1 Tackle, 4 INTs

DB (3): Kenny Boutilier (MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS) – 1 Tackle, 1 INTs, 1 TD,

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RUSHER (1): Maria Mansseri (KANIKULE) – 2 Tackles, 2 Sacks  

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GAMES OF THE WEEK: 

HALF N HALF vs MICHAEL SCOTT’S TOTS (Can’t Vote on games my team is playing….But a Semi-Finals match for the TOTS? How can I not bet on my own horse?!)

SNEAKY SNAKES vs KANIKULE