Division 4A: On to the Semis

Welcome back guys! Division 4B article was posted earlier in the day and it is now time for 4A. We had some upsets in the quarters, which sets up semi-final matchups between seeds #3 and #8, as well as seeds #4 and #7. With the two bye teams losing in their first playoff game, it raises the question whether getting a bye is actually advantageous. I would tend to say no as First round matchups are usually easier and allow a team to get into rhythm, while a first round may make a team lose some momentum. Let’s recap last round’s results.

Quarterfinals Review

Ballz Deep cement themselves as legit despite some doubts with a 2 score victory over favorites Bet Boost Ballers. Shanton Smith and Richie Mondesir step it up offensively with Justin Weir having an amazing game throwing, and getting a huge interception on defense.

Mofos do it again and beat Les Otaries Extremes for the second time this season. Tiemoko Sanogo was efficient and was dangerous as ever with his legs scoring 4 total TDs and adding a 2 point convert.

Half Senders FC upset Trapstars with a dominant offensive performance by Sam Mashtoub and 2 huge picks by Jahnai Lewis. Matthew Zepetelli had one of his most efficient games throwing the ball and helps his team advance.

Backfield Penetration triumph over Idaho Udapimps thanks to El-Andre Abbey 3TDs and pick-6. Alessandro Barazonni wasn’t perfect but he put the ball in the hands of his playmakers and let them make plays.

Division 4A Squad Breakdowns

As I did for 4B, I will do again with 4A, which is to break down every team’s squads in 4 different categories: QB Play, Receiving Core, Coverage Defense and Rushing Defense.

QB Play

Backfield Penetration: Alessandro Barazonni 91

While Barazzoni doesn’t have the strongest arm, he more than makes up for it with his great instincts and ability to use his stars efficiently in his system. After a disappointing performance in Fall’s Cup Tier 3, he will surely be looking to bounce back and prove he’s got what it takes to win a championship at the QB position.

Mofos: Tiemoko Sanogo 91

Although 91 seems high with his regular season stats and his high interception and sack totals, he is too dominant with his legs to put him any lower. He’s ran for almost 200 yards in 2 games in the playoffs and has only thrown 1 pick. He’s really stepped up his game and will try to make stud rusher Raff Morelli look foolish tonight.

Ballz Deep: Justin Weir 89

Weir is another QB who has really stepped it up these playoffs. He struggled during the season throwing many picks and getting sacked too often. The sacks are still an issue but he’s protected the ball much better so far. It’ll be a tough ask to do the same tonight vs. a star-studded defensive team in Half Senders FC.

Half Senders FC: Matthew Zeppetelli 89

Zeppetelli is a very intelligent QB who usually makes the right decision, and also has the ability to escape out of tricky situations. His biggest knock is probably his arm strength, and his tendency to throw lobs over the middle. He ended the season very strong and brought his elevated game to the playoffs. Let’s see what he can do against a very talented Ballz Deep defense.

Receiving Core

Backfield Penetration: 95

Obviously, this team’s offense is highly dependent on star Rony Ismeus, but it features a plethora of talent other than him. Anthony Lazarra and Anthony Siggia are both very experienced and reliable receivers, while Joseph Rokhendy and El-Andre Abbey bring much needed athleticism that this team lacked in Fall.

Mofos: 87

It’s easy to underrate this receiving core when Tiemoko Sanogo gets a lot of the attention, but this team is filled with talent. Vincent Beauregard, Julian Nelson, Alexandre Cavanagh, Xavier Morin, and Arthur Dagenais are all solid players. They perhaps lack a genuine star at the receiver position but it’s a roster that works well with Sanogo’s game.

Ballz Deep: 91

There is no doubt that this receiving core is amazing. Shanton Smith is a legit star, and Richie Mondesir is a great second option. Having Matthew Peacock as a third option is a pure luxury and Jonathan Weir is very reliable. QB Justin Weir has a plethora of options when throwing the ball which has allowed him to spread it splendidly throughout the season.

Half Senders FC: 91

Though this team lacks depth offensively, there is no denying the immense talent at the top. Sam Mashtoub, Ryan McNally and Jahnai Lewis are all stars. While Mashtoub is perhaps the most stylistically pure receiver, both McNally and Lewis make up for it with their elite athleticism.

Coverage Defense

Backfield Penetration: 94

This team is truly insane. Rony Ismeus was the best defender in the division this season and both El Andre Abbey and Joseph Rokhendy are able to dominate on the defensive end with their elite athleticism. Anthony Lazarra and Massimon D’Ipolito are also smart defensive players who can bait QBs and make critical plays.

Mofos: 89

Perhaps not the most flashy defense as they don’t get many interceptions or passes deflected, they still make it very hard for opposing QBs to move the ball. Kris Verreault had two of his worst games throwing versus this team. They are very fast and cover a lot of ground and make QBs hesitate.

Ballz Deep: 92

Led by Justin Weir and Sharon Smith defensively, this team only allowed 213 points on the season and held offensive dynamo Bet Boost Ballers to a measly 19 points in the quarters. As was the case for their offense, they have depth and a squad full of 2-way players.

Half Senders FC: 92

Once again led by the trio of Mashtoub, Lewis and McNally, the one who shines the most on this side of the ball is McNally. His IQ and athleticism make him one of the most dangerous safeties in 4A. Jahnai Lewis has 4 INTs in 2 playoff games and has shown that he too can dominate that side of the ball. It will once again be a question of whether the rest of the squad can be clinical.

Rushing Defense

Backfield Penetration: 95

Raff Morelli has been one of the most dominant rushers in all of FPF for a couple years now. His 16 sacks on the season put him at #4 on the season. His speed and experience at the rusher position is just another boost to an already great defense.

Mofos: 82

The weakeast position for Mofos, Pierre-Olivier Andrieux has only recorded 4 sacks on the season and has failed to record a single one in the playoffs. Alessandro Barazonni doesn’t typically run much but if he sees a weakness there he might. The team has tried Tiemoko Sanogo at rusher and this is something I think is ideal due to his speed creating immense pressure on opposing QBs.

Ballz Deep: 86

Duncan Macintyre has 7 sacks and 3PDs on the season, which is pretty average. He has got 2 in 2 games these playoffs and will need to do a great job against Matthew Zepetelli who has the ability to extend plays with his legs.

Half Senders FC: 86

Deciding to make your QB your rusher is not something I would ever recommend, as the position requires a lot of energy, and you do not want a tired quarterback. Yet, Zepp has done a solid job, getting 5 sacks in the regular season and 3 in 2 games in the postseason.

Before we break down the overall ratings for each team, I asked Idaho Udapimps QB Brady Ohanessian to give me his opinion on the 3 remaining defenses he’s faced this season (Backfield Penetration, Ballz Deep and Half Senders FC).

Q1: From the 3 remaining teams you’ve faced, which of them do you believe was the hardest to score against?

Answer: “I believe the toughest defense to score against was Backfield Penetration. They have a good mix of experience and athleticism from both the rush and in the secondary.”

Q2: Who on the remaining teams do you believe to be the best defender?

Answer: “This one’s tough since it was only one game, but it has to be either McNally or El Andre Abbey. McNally does a great job of taking away the middle of the field and covers a lot of space. Abbey has really good closing speed creating tight windows when throwing near him.

Thank you Brady, now let’s calculate. Just like Division 4B, QB play will be 30%, Receiving Core 20%, Coverage Defense 30% and Rushing Defense 20%.

Matchup #1: Backfield Penetration vs. Mofos

Backfield Penetration

Offense: 92.2

Defense: 94.4

Overall: 93.3

Mofos

Offense: 89.4

Defense: 86.2

Overall: 87.8

Now it obviously seems that Backfield Penetration are huge favorites in this one and that is pretty much the case. They’ve been the most impressive team in my eyes this season and they’ve only gotten better as the season advanced. Ultimately, the matchup will be between Tiemoko Sanogo and Raff Morelli. There is a very real possibility that Mofos end with the win, but Sanogo will need to be as good if not better than he was versus LOE. Mofos will also need to create some turnovers.

Score prediction: 34-28 Backfield Penetration

Ballz Deep

Offense: 89.8

Defense: 89.6

Overall: 89.7

Half Senders FC

Offense: 89.8

Defense: 89.6

Overall: 89.7

It’s actually crazy to me that both of these teams have the exact same ratings, but it makes sense. Both teams are really similar, with two playmaking QBs who are prone to errors at times, star 2-way players and perhaps a bit of a weakness at the rusher position.

Score prediction: 36-35 Half Senders FC

There you guys have it for the semi-finals predictions in 4A.

Good luck tonight!