Division 2: Semi-Final Preview

In the words of the great Redmen, Tonight’s da Night. We have arrived at the final four for Division 2, and it features the top four teams in the division. The last step before championship weekend for Vengeance, Run It Once, Urgence Medic, and the Braves 2.0 is finally here. Two teams will advance to the Finals, while two others will have their season and dreams come to an end. Who will win, and who will lose? Let’s find out.

(1)Vengeance versus (4) Braves 2.0

Previous Meeting: Vengeance (47-46) Week 3

Anytime these two teams meet up, whether it is in Division 2, or in Division 1, both sides always put on a show. Look no further than the last meeting which was was just the latest chapter in what has been the greatest rivalry in FPF history.

The battle of the best two Quarterbacks in FPF in Kevin Wyeth and Jonathan Maheu never gets old. Both teams have big game experience both in FPF and out. They are leaders, and players who can take over a game in a moment’s notice. Unfortunately for the Braves 2.0, they will be missing their best Receiver in Georges Gariépy, who is out for the rest of the season due to injury. The man nicknamed the Bus Driver, for his ability to take everybody to school, is a redzone monster with his size, length, and catch radius, but can also run by opponents in the open field with his route running as well as surprising speed and agility. He is also an impact player on the other side of the ball as he uses his smarts and intangibles to jump routes and keep Receivers away from the ball.

Luckily for the Braves 2.0, they have the talent, chemistry, and ton of playmakers on their roster to overcome the absence of Gariépy. Those players are Mike Pierrecin, William Trottier, Sébastien Crisi-Lauzon, and Guillaume Beland. Two members of the team who are getting their first taste of this rivalry in the playoffs, are the ultra fast Emile Chateauvert, and Gariépy’s cousin in the equally tough Normand Simard. Both have made several plays for their team this year on both sides of the ball.

The Braves 2.0 come in tonight’s game off a (44-39) win over the Moretti Crime Family, spear-headed by a two-touchdown performance from a trio of receivers in Crisi-Lauzon, Trottier, and Beland.

After trailing (26-22) at the half, the team Braves 2.0’s defense, rallied in the second half as they sacked and intercepted opposing Quarterback Joey Taylor, twice including once on the final play of the game.

Vengeance comes into tonight off a blowout win Saturday against the Party Crashers Blue. The winners played the waiting game, as they baited Quarterback Frédéric Dupuis into four interceptions, including three in the second half, and held their opponents to six points. The key to pulling it off was a combination of playing two deep safeties, and Dupuis still electing to throw deep passes to waiting defenders. He was intercepted twice by Michael Khazaka, and once each by Leonardo Lanni and James Drysdale.

For the Braves 2.0 to win tonight’s game, they will need rotate bodies at Receiver, as they need to take advantage of the speed that they have and the fact that Vengeance won’t have any subs. For as good as the latter is, playing an entire game without subs is taxing.

Another key will be avoiding turnovers. In his Division 1 Semi-Final Braves win this past Sunday against the Kangaroos, Maheu, turned the ball over twice in the redzone. That is a cardinal sin for any QB, but especially against Kevin Wyeth and his squad.

The biggest thing the Braves 2.0 must do is play a complete game. In the first meeting, they led (18-6) at halftime, but then proceeded to give up 41 second half points on the way to the 1-point loss. That is inexcusable.

For Vengeance to get the victory, they will need their players to step up on both sides of the ball as they did Saturday against the Party Crashers Blue. This season has been a breakout party for Drysdale, as he has dominated on both sides of the ball on every team he has suited up for. He and his team will need that to happen tonight, as they must replace the loss of both Sean and Rory Semerjian who are suspended for the entire post-season.

A part of me would love to see a rematch between Drysdale and Mike Pierrecin, as the former got the best of the latter, by beating him for two long touchdowns when they went went head-to-head in Division 4 action nearly a month ago. If not Pierrecin, look for the equally capable Beland, Trottier, or even Maheu get snaps across from the stud pass-catcher.

You can’t help but feel like this is a bit of teaser as both teams (Allstars vs Braves) will also be going head-to-head for the Div. 1 title this weekend. Will we see some new plays or formations by two teams who have never been afraid of innovation tonight? One thing will witness is a great game.

The Braves 2.0 are the deeper team, and I think they will have learned a lesson from their Division 1 win on Sunday, and more importantly from their Week 3 meeting with Vengeance.

Prediction: Braves 2.0 (44-39)

(2) Run It Once versus (3) Urgence Medic

Previous Meeting: Urgence Medic (40-30) Week 10

In the first meeting, Urgence Medic Quarterback Jesse Dupuis threw six touchdown passes. Rookie two-way phenom Samuel Lapierre and FPF Hall-of-Famer and Paul Lapierre, led all players with three TD catches apiece in the win. The team needed the presence of Lapierre, as they were without the services of three core players in Marc-André Lapointe, Anthony Lapointe, Alexis Gaumont, as well as AJ Gomes. All four players are expected to be available tonight.

Run It Once comes into this contest after an impressive beatdown of Terror Squad last Saturday in Brossard. Quarterback Jeff Rosenblatt was superb as he went 18 of 21 for 153 yards and five touchdown passes. He was helped on the evening by the combination of Anthony Brisebois and James Ohayon, who shredded the Terror Squad defense, for a combined five touchdowns, and several drive-extending catches.

The team’s defense was impressive as well, as they frustrated the Terror Saud offense, as they intercepted Tam Vilaydeth twice, with Brisebois running his back to the house, and batted down eight other passes.

These are two explosive teams that know how to put points on the board and create turnovers on defense. Both squads have a ton of championship experience, as well as size and speed to spare.

The potential matchups in this game will be fascinating as the two best two-way players in FPF in Anthony Brisebois and AJ Gomes could potentially lineup against each other. Two of the fastest Rushers in Ben McMahon and Marc-Antoine Vallée are ready to make an impact. Receiver James Ohayon going up against Samuel Lapierre as a Defensive Back. Sanders Armand taking on Emile Beaudoin, Jonathan Lyristis doing damage underneath and causing Dupuis to drop down from Safety, and Matt Bond potentially covering Nicholas Groppini on deep routes. This is a game I am more than happy to be scorekeeping for.

This matchup will come down to the Quarterbacks, in Dupuis and Rosenblatt. Both players are leaders, and capable of putting their teams on their shoulders when they need a big play.  

I can’t ignore the fact that even though they had Paul Lapierre, Urgence Medic was missing four key players and still found a way to get the win. I am going with them to complete the sweep tonight.

Prediction: Urgence Medic (36-32)

This is the best time of the year. The NBA and NHL playoffs are here. MLB is back, the NFL Draft is next week, and the FPF Finals are this weekend. As a sports fan, you can’t ask for anything more.

Good luck to all four teams tonight. And see you all this weekend!

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