Nicolas Katerelos on DreamKillers’ Rise and the Dominance of QB Noémy Fortin-Hurtubise

QB1 in Full Command

There’s no way around it — Noémy Fortin-Hurtubise is having a breakout season. Through eight games, she’s thrown for 1,607 yards, 39 touchdowns, and just 6 interceptions, completing nearly 64% of her passes with a quarterback rating of 111.6. She leads the division in both touchdowns and total yardage, and has her team averaging over 33 points per game. At this point, she’s not just playing well — she’s the clear front-runner for QBOY and a lock for her second all-star appearance.

Katerelos, your quarterback is absolutely balling out — 39 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions, and she’s leading the division with 1,607 passing yards. It’s easily her best start to a season. What do you think has been the key to keeping the turnovers so low this year?

“Taking what the defense gives us. If you look at each game, there’s always one player getting the ball more than the other. Listen, if you’re playing deep cover 3, we’ll throw the ball to our snapper on a hook 16 times we don’t care. It’s boring football but it’s efficient football. We have a player, Marc-André Gauthier, on our team who happens to coach Noémie in women’s B, so they know each other very well and know what to call when to call it. Smart football, quick decision making and confidence. Confidence is everything for a quarterback and you’re seeing a lot more of that out of our QB1, and it’s showing in the stats.”

She’s known for taking risks and slinging it, but this year she’s playing with crazy efficiency. Has her mindset changed at all, or is everything just clicking right now?

“I wouldn’t say her mindset changed, I just think that she’s a lot more confident and has gained a lot of experience in the past year, leading to smart throws and less brain fog in stressful/tight game situations. Quarterbacking is like playing golf, if you’re scared of shanking it, you’ll most likely find the nearest lake. You can’t be scared to take chances. Scared football is not good. I said it from the start, she’s a star, she just needs to stay composed and calm under pressure. I don’t think her « risks » were always calculated, they were often mistakes due to the game happening fast, but it evidently slowed down for her and it shows. She’s got the talent and the arm strength to keep on taking those deep shots and slinging it, and it helps that she’s got a new weapon this season. Noémie if you’re reading this, keep sending me the ball deep and we’ll keep on cooking.”

When you’re at QB, you’re the one calling the shots — how does it feel having to trust Noémy to make the read when you’re lined up at WR?

“It greatly helps that we have the best quarterback in the division in Noémie Fortin-Hurtubise throwing me the ball, I have complete trust in her decision making process and ball placement. I do feel like I’m always open, or at least most of the time, and even when I’m not I still want that 50/50 ball. But then again, whenever I see my teammates make a great play down the field, I come back to my senses and acknowledge the great read she just made. It could be humbling at times to not call the shots but when I see her play the way she does on a weekly basis, I shut up and run my route.”

Alright, let’s talk about your team’s record — sitting at 3-4-1 what’s been working so far for the squad this season?

“We have experience and playmakers everywhere on the field and it’s showing. We have the best rusher in the division in Elyse Bourdages and the best quarterback in Noémie. These are the two most important positions in the sport. We’ve been putting up points like crazy, it’s hard to lose games when you average the amount of points we do. As soon as we get it together on defense, we’ll be an unstoppable force.”

No Lies, Just Firepower

So why are they sitting 10th in the standings at 3-4-1? The issue is clearly on the defensive side of the ball. With a point differential of just +9, the margins are razor-thin, and every possession matters. Offensively, they’re doing enough to win week in and week out, but the defense hasn’t matched the output.

Nicolas Katerelos said it best in the interview — the offense is rolling, and it’s not an exaggeration. DreamKillers lead the entire division in yards per game (207.6) and rank third in total points scored (268). They average over 33.5 points per game, move the ball efficiently, and rarely punt. Statistically speaking, this is the top offense.

With the way the team is rolling and the way your QB is playing, there’s no doubt you’re contenders — but do you really see this squad going all the way? What’s it going to take?

“I do. I think we have every piece needed to win big games and ultimately, the championship. The biggest issue for us right now is consistency on defense. We can’t be having shootouts when we’re putting up almost 40 points in a game. We need to get together and find a better way to communicate and share our defensive responsibilities. I don’t think we quite know ourselves yet, and we need to figure out where everyone belongs on that defensive side of the ball. We need to take the pressure off our QB’s shoulders, can’t « need » her to score 6 TDs a game to win.”

Offense Is There — Now It’s On the D

If the defense can catch up to what the offense is doing, everything changes. This is a team that has the quarterback, the playmakers, and the firepower to go on a serious run. They don’t need perfection — just a few key stops, a few good reads, and a bit more communication. Because if they figure that out, the rest of the division might be in trouble.

Getting Personal: Katerelos Opens Up About His Shift from Play Caller to Playmaker for DreamKillers

What’s the biggest difference between playing Quarterback and Receiver?

“When you’re the Quarterback, every play starts with you. You have control, you make the decisions. When you’re a wide receiver, you have to let go of all control, which is hard when you have a temper and feel like the ball should be thrown your way every other play. I have two personalities: when I’m throwing I’m a positive leader, uplifting the troops, and when I’m catching I could be a diva.”

Which role do you enjoy more: being the one throwing or making the catches?

“It’s my first season running routes and I’m really enjoying it. I throw all year round and considering I’m not a scrambler, I don’t tire much after my games. When I play WR, I feel like I’ve put in the effort and earned every yard I got. Throwing TDs is cool, but catching them is better I think. If I could be guaranteed 5 quality targets a game at a minimum, I’d switch from QB to WR no hesitation.”

Has playing receiver changed the way you think about your receivers when you’re back at QB? Any newfound sympathy or still blaming them for drops?

“I wouldn’t call it a new found sympathy, but definitely a better understanding of that dawg mentality, where there’s 5 players in front of me who want the ball and all think they deserve it. I still try and not force throws, if my wide on the left is always open, I’m not shying away from giving it to him 10 times in a row if need be. Wins over stats. But I do try and distribute the ball a bit more. As for drops, if you touch it, you catch it, no excuses. I need to think about 100 things so if that ball is touching your hands, my job is done, now catch it.”

Which position leaves you more sore the next day: launching bombs as a QB or sprinting routes as a WR?

“Quarterback used to be hell back in the day, I had a sprained rotator cuff, a clavicule tendinitis, tennis elbow, all that because of my poor throwing mechanics. I had to ice my shoulder for three days every time, it was brutal. But with physiotherapy and a better throwing motion, playing quarterback for the past year has not been physically demanding. On the other hand, sprinting routes is definitely something tough and has me limping on the way back to my car.”

What’s the biggest ego check: throwing a pick or being clamped by someone?

“Throwing a pick. For sure. There’s somebody open somewhere, and you threw it to the other team. There’s always a better play that could be made when you’re the quarterback, and a pick is not it. Extra ego check when they hand you the ball they just picked, worst feeling. When it comes to being clamped, I wouldn’t know, never happened, but I’m sure it’s not fun.”

You get to design the perfect game — are you the QB in a tight shootout, or the WR catching a game-winner?

“Catching a game-winner is sweet. Seeing that spiral in the air and knowing you’re about to snatch it for the TD is the best feeling. But, give me QB in a shootout. Hand the reins and let’s go to work. When you’re confident and dissecting a defense for 40+ points as a quarterback, it’s a top tier feeling.”