Division 2: First Half Review/Second Half Outlook

The second half of the FPF Winter season is well underway. By this point, the kinks should be ironed out, chemistry starts to form, mistakes lessen, and execution becomes a norm and not the exception. For certain teams that is the case, while for others not so much. With the first half of the season now in the rear-view mirror, let’s look how each team is doing.

I don’t want to give out arbitrary grades because they are too fluid. I can give a team a B+ today, and tomorrow they deliver an F performance, and vice versa. Also, I am currently back in school, and I am honestly tired of grades.

Division 2

Vengeances (6-0)

They are there only undefeated team left in the division. They are successful because they can beat teams with the long ball, the short game, and with an aggressive and equally stifling defense.

Their style of winning is also versatile, as they have blown out some teams, while also winning tight games that have gone down to the final whistle. They also survived an injury to Sean Semerjian who missed a game due to a hand injury and didn’t miss a beat.

This team has only eight players, but they don’t lack for firepower, speed, championship experience, and execution. It also helps that they have the league’s best Quarterback and Rusher on their side on their side in Kevin Wyeth and Matt Kirouac.

The team’s mix of playmakers at every level of both their offense and defense, and that always presents a tough combo for any team to beat. Their backend isn’t perfect however, as only Touch Foot 450 and Party Crashers Blue have given up more points.

The path to regular season perfection might be a little bumpy as they have big games against Run It Once and Urgence Medic over the course of two days to close out the regular season. The smart money says to bet on Kevin Wyeth and company. Let’s see if it will pay off.

Strengths: Roster, chemistry, cohesion, execution, championship experience, the GOAT at Quarterback and Rusher.

Weaknesses: Defense and lack of depth.

Blessed (5-1)

With 249 points scored, only Vengeance has put more balls into the endzone than Blessed. As their name suggests, the team has a deep and talented squad, with playmakers at every level.

They also have championship experience, as the core of this team in Stephen Harripersaud, Marvin Steinberg, James Langshaw, Jafar Hassan, and Will Power have won together at lower levels.

Speaking of winning, Blessed is coming off a tighter than expected 8-point victory over the winless Killa Bees, but good teams find a way to win games even when they don’t perform at their best. Nonetheless, it still is a little bit concerning that they only won by one possession against a team who’s QB in Patrick Chénard, threw five interceptions.

With their only loss coming at the hand of Vengeance in Week 1, Blessed has blowout wins over the Moretti Crime Family and Urgence Medic under their belts. They have a chance to stack more statement victories together, as they take on Run It Once, Got Skills Skills, Terror Squad, and Braves 2.0 to close out the regular season. Let’s see how they fare.

Strengths: Chemistry, championship experience, speed, length, and intelligence.

Weaknesses: Elite Quarterbacks, and second level defense.

Run It Once (4-2)

They have a two-touchdown loss to the Braves 2.0 in Week 1, and an upset defeat at the hands of the Moretti Crime Family last Monday night as their two defeats this season, but other than that Jeff Rosenblatt and his team have gotten off to a solid start, as the QB has spread the ball around to multiple Receivers, as all his targets have caught at least one touchdown. Leading the team in that area is Anthony Brisebois, as the 3-time All-Star has 12 touchdowns and 312 yards.  

On defense this team is just as solid. They have allowed only three teams to score more than three touchdowns on them. Brisebois, leads all Division 2 players with 31 tackles and four interceptions, to go along with two sacks and a touchdown. He is joined on that side of the ball by Matt Bond and James Ohayon, who have two and three picks respectively, and Sanders Armand who is always around the ball, as he leads the way with four pass deflections.

This is a team that is oozing talent, and they have signature victory over the Terror Squad. The only question is can they beat the top teams in the division. We will find out shortly, as they have huge games against Blessed, Urgence Medic, and Vengeance over the final month of the regular season.

Strengths: Roster, defense, versatility, length, big game experience.

Weaknesses: Winless against the division’s elite, second half schedule?

 Urgence Medic (4-2)

They are coming off an ugly blowout loss versus Blessed. On the positive side, they have a ton of championship experience, the third-best offense in Div. 2, big names on the roster, and a playmaking rookie in shutdown CB Samuel Lapierre who looks like the next great addition to the franchise. Unfortunately, except for their Week 3 win over the Moretti Crime Family, Urgence Medic hasn’t really beaten anybody good.

Upcoming games versus the Party Crashers Blue tomorrow and the Killa Bees the week after, won’t solve that problem, but with back-to-back meetings with Run It Once and Vengeance to finish off the regular season, Jesse Dupuis and his team will have a chance to flex their muscles and silence the critics.

Strengths: Chemistry, timing, roster, length, speed, ability to perform in the clutch, and championship experience.

Weaknesses: first-half schedule, lack of big wins.

Braves 2.0 (3-2)

They have the regulars in Jonathan Maheu, Mike Pierrecin, J.D Chevalier, and Georges Gariépy but over the last few seasons, they have added reinforcements in Sébastien Crisi-Lauzon, William Trottier, Manuel Crisi-Lauzon, Lauriane Beauchamp, Emile Chateauvert, and Normand Simard. This roster is talented, deep, and interchangeable. The new pieces have added speed (Chateauvert), big play ability, and more toughness (Simard’s calling card) to the lineup.

One question that must be answered, is can FPF rookies in Chateauvert and Simard, be able make an impact once the bright lights of the playoffs come on? If the answer to that question is yes, then the only thing that might hold this team back from winning it all is a lack of size (besides Gariépy and the Crisi-Lauzon duo), and an absence of continuity, as multiple players have been in and out of the lineup all season. Look no further than their loss this past Wednesday night versus Terror Squad, when the Braves 2.0 had to play 10 plays with only five players due to J.D Chevalier receiving an objectionable conduct penalty in the second half.   

This team has come the closest out of everyone to knocking off Vengeance, as they lost by one point (47-46) in Week 2. Unfortunately, we won’t see a rematch until the post-season.

Strengths: Skill, speed, toughness, execution, and championship experience.

Weaknesses: Roster inconsistency, length, and certain members of the team counting to 10.

Moretti Crime Family (4-2)

The defending Division B champs are finding that Div. 2 is a little bit tougher. The team’s (4-2) start isn’t horrible by any means, but they aren’t cruising like they were at various points in the summer. One reason for that could be roster inconsistency as multiple players on the team have missed game this season.

Another reason for their struggles has been turnovers. Hall-of-Fame Quarterback Joey Taylor has thrown an interception in five out six games, and at least two INTs in four of those contests. The quick math will tell you that is nine picks. Last year on their championship run last summer, Taylor never surpassed seven. Simply put, this offense has looked out of sync one more than one occasion so far this year. With playmakers like Dom Benevento, Rocco Christiano, Brandon Aylward, Marco Bertoldi, and Danny D’Amour they have the talent to turn it around. Can they do it before the playoffs begin?

This team has a talented roster, with speed and more than enough big game experience on their side.  They will need it, as their schedule gets undeniably tougher, as they take on Vengeance tomorrow night, then the Braves 2.0, and Got Skills to wrap up the regular season. Let’s see what happens.

Strengths: Roster (when available), championship experience, and speed.

Weaknesses: Turnovers, timing and chemistry on offense and defense.

 Terror Squad (4-3)

They have standout wins versus top-ranked teams in Urgence Medic and the Braves 2.0. Their losses have come against Run It Once, and two heart-breakers against both the Moretti Crime Family and Got Skills. Being literally a play away from being (5-1) suggests that this team should still be considered among the top teams in the division.

TS has an interesting matchup with Touch Foot 450 coming up, and a big showdown with Blessed in their second to last game of the year.

FPF Tam Vilaydeth, has put together a solid squad with usual suspects in Patrick Jérome, Serge Pilon Jr., Marc-Phillippe Roy, Vincent Malo, and Tommy Roadley Trohatos. The addition of Wade Shallcross Jr., and Roadley Trohatos’ former Sherbrooke Vert et Or teammate Axel Evengué, along with Fritzgerald Cenatus, who had an impressive showing lined up across from the Braves 2.0 Georges Gariépy, have been key pieces that will continue to make an impact over the second half of the season and into the playoffs.

Strengths: Roster, chemistry, championship experience, balanced offense, defensive turnovers

Weaknesses: Late game defense, Second half defense, occasional drops by Receivers.

Got Skills (2-3)

Only two teams have scored fewer points in KGP and the Killa Bees. The one advantage that Got Skills has over both squads are a better offense. Led by Quarterback Nicola Centomo, and bevy of playmakers at Receiver, in David Amani Kabwe, David Centomo, Emmanuel Kerfella, Laurent Foucault, and Gabriel Lemonde among others.

The problem with their offense is that out of the seven receivers who have caught at least five passes this season, only three of them average more than 10 yards a catch. While the tackling in Division 2 is usually top notch, the numbers suggest that the Got Skills offense struggles to connect on deep passes. Out of the 25 passes the team has thrown so far, only six of them have gone for over 20 yards.

On defense, the team has surrendered just over 36 points a game. They have only recorded three interceptions and a paltry two sacks. A bigger problem though has been their ability to stop the deep ball, as they have allowed nine touchdown passes of over 20 yards.

Got Skills has an impressive win over Terroir Squad under their belts. They will need to solve the issue on both sides of the ball as it relates to the deep ball if they want to add to that total, as they have tough back-to-back matchups in the Braves 2.0, and Blessed over the net two weeks.

Looking at the glass half full, on March 18th and 19th they have back-to-back against the Killa Bees and Party Crashers Blue. This presents a huge opportunity for Got Skills to distance themselves from the pack in the bottom half of the standing and secure a spot in the post-season. Let’s see how they do.

Strengths: Roster, experience, speed, and playing up to their competition.

Weaknesses: Playing down to their competition, lack of turnovers, Rusher, deep ball defense, and deep ball offense.

Touch Foot 450 (2-5)

This team has explosive playmakers, length, athleticism, and speed galore. The one thing it doesn’t have is defense. Despite having ballhawks on the backend in Darren Wiltshire and Jeanslee Alexis, and a solid Rusher in Jerry Beauboeuf, this team has given up a Division 2 leading 287 points, for an average of 41 PPG. Part of the problem is a lack of communication, as blown coverages has hurt this team multiple times.

On the other side of the ball, turnovers have killed the team, as their QB by committee approach with Alexandre Jovin, along with Wiltshire and Alexis, have combined for 20 touchdowns passes, but also an alarming 13 interceptions.

Touch Foot 450 are coming off a big (34-33) win over the Killa Bees last Sunday at Loyola. When looking at their remaining schedule, they have a tough matchup this Wednesday at Stade Hebert as they take on the Terror Squad. After that, they have two winnable games against KGP and Party Crashers Blue. A win over either of those two teams would all but guarantee them a spot in the post-season. Can they get it done?

Strengths: Speed, length, and big play ability.

Weaknesses: Turnovers, offense, and defensive breakdowns.

KGP (1-5)

This is still the same talented and championship-laden roster that beat Terror Squad for the Division 2 title last winter. The problem however with this year’s squad, is their offense, or lack there of. Through five games this season, KGP barely averages four touchdowns a game (28.2 points). They have only cracked the 30-point plateau three times this year.

Part of the reason for their struggles has been the absence of starting Quarterback Phil Cutler, as the 9-time Al-Star has missed two games this season. In his four starts the veteran QB has helped his offense score more than 30 points three times, and led them to their only win a season, a (31-12) Week 3 victory over the Killa Bees.

Usually when you have a team with as many big names, championship experience and chemistry as KGP does, you would put your money on them to shake off a rough first-half start. The cheque doesn’t look like it will clear this time unfortunately, as they face the toughest second remaining schedule out of any team. They lost (42-36) to Terror Squad last night, and still have meetings with Braves 2.0, Vengeance, Moretti Crime Family, and Touch Foot 450 on tap. Best case scenario sees them going (1-3) during that stretch, and even that is not a given.

Strengths: Big game experience, championship pedigree, chemistry, and length.

Weaknesses: Remaining schedule and offense.

Party Crashers Blue (1-5)

Defense is this team’s biggest problem, as only Touch Foot 450 have given up more points than them (287 to 236). With defenders like Louis-Philip Thibodeau, Jourdain Alexis, and Francois Hogue in the lineup, it’s a little hard to see how this is possible, but when you look between the lines you will see why. This team has at least 16 players who have played at least one game for the squad this season. While the high numbers are great for splitting up the cost of the FPF team registration fee, it isn’t so good when you are looking to establish things like chemistry, timing, and execution.

On offense, this team has proven that they can get the ball in the endzone, as only four other teams have scored more points than they have. Led by Quarterback Frédéric Dupuis and Receivers Vincent Cléroux, Felix Boutet, and Thibodeau, this team can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

Currently sitting one game out of a playoff spot, and their only win coming all the way Week 1 against the Killa Bees, the Party Crashers Blue will need to get at least one more win to secure a playoff spot. That will be easier said than done, as they take on Urgence Medic tomorrow at Stade Hebert, followed by matchups against the Braves 2.0, Got Skills, and Touch Foot 450 to close out the regular season. It might not be a murder’s row, but it is not a walk in the park.

Strengths:  Depth, speed, and big play ability.

Weaknesses: Roster continuity and defense.

Killa Bees (0-6)

The only winless team in the division has a huge hill to climb not just to get back into the playoff conversation, but to even get their first win of the season.  More on this in a moment.

The biggest reason for the zero in the win column has been their offense. The unit led by FPF Hall-of-Famer Patrick Chénard, struggled to start the year. In their first three games, the Killa Bees put up 18, 12, and 18 points respectively.

Since then, their offense has improved, as they put up 25, 33, and 26 points. Unfortunately, those totals came in a blowout loss to Vengeance and back-to-back heart-breaking defeat to both Touch Foot 450 and Blessed. Despite that improvement, their Quarterback must cut down on the turnovers, as he has thrown art least one interception in every game, including a season-high five in last night’s (34-26) loss to Blessed.

As far as climbing that hill, the Killa Bees will have to put on their hiking boots, as they will have the unenviable task of having to get past Urgence Medic, Run It Once, Got Skills and Terror Squad.

This team may have a zero in the win column, but they are not devoid of talent, as in addition to Chénard, they also have David Dumas-Goulet, Laurence-Olivier Viens, Jean-Christophe Viens, and Alexandre Branco among others. The team will need to rely on that talent and the veteran experience that the squad has, to uplift the lowest scoring offense in Div. 2, and generate more scoring opportunities and drives, while also protecting the ball.

Mathematically, the Killa Bees still have a shot at the post-season, but they will need to finish with more wins than KGP to qualify, as KGP beat them (31-12) in Week 2. While came out on the losing end in their game last night against Blessed, the Killa Bees, have some positives to build on, as it appears they are finally turning the ship in the right direction. Will they run into an iceberg, or will the waters get a bit calmer?

Strengths: Second half offense, veteran experience, budding confidence?

Weakness: First half offense, inability to stop big plays, and interceptions

Picks

Urgence Medic vs Party Crashers Blue – Party Crashers Blue (Upset Special)

Moretti Crime Family vs Vengeance – Vengeance

Terror Squad vs Touch Foot 450 – Terror Squad (My pick for Game of the Week Div. 2)

Braves 2.0 vs Got Skills – Braves 2.0

KGP+ vs Bulldogz –

Double Straddle vs Kangaroos – Kangaroos

Braves vs Party Crashers (My pick for Game of the Week in Div. 1)

That is it for this week. My apologies for not getting the article out yesterday. In all honesty, I was in the middle of writing about the last two teams, until a massive blackout hit my area (Cote St. Paul) yesterday afternoon. After waiting around for two hours, I had to leave for work, so I was unable to finish. This morning I had to go back and change a lot of what I wrote for certain teams due to games that were played last night.

Next week the format will go back to normal for the article. Look out for another interview, and the power rankings as well.  

Good luck to everyone in their games tonight and this week.

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt that I left something out, please feel free to reach me at [email protected]