Co-ed Semi-Final Preview

The first round of playoff action is on the books and the 2nd is fast approaching. In the lower bracket, Yin&Yang are set to play in their 2nd straight finals, this time against Drunk Again and Looking to Score. In the higher bracket, the only thing we know for sure is that Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce will not be in the finals. They were sent packing in the quarters by a Black Mamba team that continues to surprise. I thought that the playoffs would be enough of an incentive for Sriracha to find a way to win. Unfortunately, they did what they have done all season: they found a way to lose. I will discuss at length the three games that were played on Monday and preview the two games that are going to be played this Sunday. Before all that, here is your team of the week for the first round of playoff action.

 

Playoffs Round 1 Team of the Week:

Each week, I name 12 players to the team of the week (TOTW). Since this is co-ed and there always needs to be two girls on the field, both the offensive and defensive team of the week will feature two or more girls. If you are on the offensive TOTW, you cannot be on the defensive one.

Offence:

Quarterback: Gino Di Fazio (Yin&Yang) 14 completions, 163 passing yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT

Receiver: Kevin Donnet (Kiss My End Zone) 5 receptions, 82 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Chris Milard (Drunk Again and Looking to Score) 3 receptions, 72 receiving yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Keiya Allen-Beckles (Yin&Yang) 5 receptions, 49 yards, 2 TDs

Receiver: Rico Tulino (Michael Scott’s Tots) 9 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD

Receiver: Marie-Anne Landry -Duval (Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) 1 receptions, 23receiving yards, 1 TD

Defence:

Rusher: Erica Dubois (Kiss My End Zone) 3 tackles, 2 sacks

Defensive Back: Zackary Alberts-Gill: 4 tackles, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Justin Weir (Ying&Yang) 5 tackles, 2 PDs

Defensive Back: Frederique Potvin (Drunk Again and Looking to Score) 1 tackle, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Rocco Christiano (Drunk Again and Looking to Score) 3 tackles, 1 INT

Defensive Back: Raphael Ducas-Lapalme (Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce) 2 tackles, 1 INT

 

Games of the Week:

Black Mamba (26) vs Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (25)

Black Mamba continued to impress. They split quarterbacking duties between Etienne Brisson and Edouard Leroux and once again found a way to win. I am surprised each time this team wins because I think there is a simple formula to beat them. If you take away their deep crossing routes and limit the quarterback’s time in the pocket, they have a very difficult time moving the ball. In the past season, it was interceptions that hurt them. Leroux would throw two or three picks a and kill any chances of his team winning. This year, he has learnt how to protect the ball. While he does throw the occasional interception, it is no more than any other quarterback in the division. Even with the improvements Leroux has brought to his game, this team just seems beatable. However, week after week, they keep on finding new ways to win.

The key to their victory over Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce was spreading the ball. Six players all finished the game with multiple receptions. Earlier in the season I critiqued Mamba for not giving their girls enough attention on offence. Well, they clearly improved there since their girls accounted for 20% of their receptions. Jeanne Boisvert had a particularly impactful game with two catches for 13 yards and a score. On defence, there were no outstanding stats. When I saw that they held Sriracha to 25 points I expected to see an interception or two and quite a few PDs. There were no picks and only two PDs, one from super-star Etienne Brisson and another from Florence Tremblay. However, the most meaningful stat was the rushing total of Sriracha quarterback JF Marquis. He was held to just three runs for 30 yards. Felix D’Aoust, rusher for Black Mamba had a fantastic game. He held the division’s most dangerous runner to just a handful of yards and sacked him twice in the process. Without D’Aoust, this game would have ended very differently.

 

Yin&Yang (41) vs Michael Scott’s Tots (12)

Once again Michael Scott’s Tots have been knocked out in the semi-finals by Yin&Yang. In the winter season, they lost a very close game to them and just barely missed out on the finals. This season, Yin&Yang improved and added to an already strong roster while MST had the same roster as the winter season. To make matters even worse, Kenny Boutilier, one of their key players went down  injured in the early moments of the game. With one of their star players sidelined a difficult task was made even harder. In the end, Y&Y’s improved roster and Boutilier’s injury proved too much to overcome for MST.

On Y&Y’s side of things they did not make life easy for their opposition. They played a nearly perfect game, jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. During the season Gino Di Fazio let others try their hand at quarterbacking, but now it’s playoff time and there is no more fooling around. Di Fazio took every single rep except two. As he usually does in big games, he turned to his most trusted targets. Isiah Allard had a great game with four catches for 63 yards and two scores. Keiya Allen-Beckles had four receptions for 49 yards and two scores. Interestingly, Allen-Beckles seemed to be catching something other than the long balls. Throughout the regular season she would catch a ball or two a game, but each for a very long touchdown. Maybe MST found a way to cover her deep or Y&Y just tried to use her in a different way to confuse their opponents. Either way, it worked out great and Allen-Beckles had a fantastic game. On defence, Y&Y were rock solid. They held their opponents to under a hundred yards of total offence and only let them score twice.

 

Drunk Again and Looking to Score (40) vs Kiss My End Zone (18)

I knew when predicting this game as a win for my team that the odds were against us, but as a competitive guy I just cannot predict my team to lose such an important game. The odds were so long because not only were we facing the extremely talented Drunk Again and Looking to Score, we were also missing our quarterback Joshua Vazquez and rusher Jade Tremblay. To be perfectly honest, we did better than I expected. Jonathan Hared struggled early in the game as quarterback, but he quickly found a rhythm as the game progressed. By the second half he was marching the ball downfield with a certain consistency. He relied heavily on Kevin Donnet who caught five of his ten completions and when Donnet was covered, he ran. While it may not have been a pretty offence, it was enough to put up 18 points and keep the game close throughout the first half. Defensively, we found a system that worked pretty well. I was proud that we limited Chris Milard to only three receptions and we held them to 124 yards passing. However, with all that attention turned to stopping Milard it left us vulnerable to the run. And dear god can Rocco Christiano run. He ran just three less yards than he passed for and he scored as many touchdowns with his legs as he did with his arm. Erica Dubois tried her very best to reach him and did manage to sack him twice, but Christiano was simply too fast. With the speedy Jade Tremblay in at rusher maybe it would have been a different story.

 

Semi-Final Previews:

Midtown (6-2) vs Black Mamba (4-4)

Last time these two teams met it went exactly as I predicted. Midtown trounced Black Mamba. I know I keep on betting against Mamba, but would someone please explain to me how they have a chance in this game? These two teams are extremely similar. They both rely on athleticism and scrambling quarterbacks. There is only one key difference. Midtown are the better athletes. They are older, bigger, faster and have more football experience. Don’t get me wrong, I could see Black Mamba developing into a team like Midtown in a few years time, but for now all they look like is Midtown’s B team. While miracles can happen, the A team usually beats the B team on the big stage.

Prediction: Midtown

Party Mix (6-2) vs 3rd Down For What (6-2)

This is going to be a great game. Both of these teams had terrific regular seasons. Party Mix had a bounce back season after a dismal winter campaign and 3rd Down for What had yet another strong season. Both of these teams also elevate their game for the playoffs. Even last season, Party Mix found a way to be competitive in the playoffs. 3DW are a team of experienced veterans who have consistently found ways to win. I’m really not sure who’s going to win this one. I do not expect a very high scoring affair. Both teams will march slowly down the field and try to avoid a costly turnover. All in all, I think the team that throws the first interception will lose this one. Having said that, I believe Francois Deslauriers will throw one before Sara Parker so I have to choose 3DW to win this one.

Prediction: 3rd Down for What

The finals are on the line tonight. The winning teams plays in Brossard next weekend for a chance to win it all while the losing team is sent packing.

Best of luck to all the teams!