Division 3: RESPECT

Welcome to Week 8 of the FlagPlus Football Winter Season.

As most of you know, we lost Arteha Franklin last year. Despite her many hits songs and records, she was arguably most known for the song Respect. I remember my parents playing that track, along with her many others when I was a kid.

For our generation, that word usually comes up, in reference to washed up Rapper Baby (yeah that’s right) telling the members of The Breakfast Club, to put some respect on his name. Almost three years later, that interview is still funny as hell. The Birdman, hasn’t been relevant since 2005  but he walked in there like he was Jay-Z.

Anyways, respect in life, and in football, is an important thing. You get it by earning it. No way around it.

 
Speaking of earning it, week in week out, The Alpha-T’s, continue to show why they are the team to beat in Division 3, as yet again with their backs against the wall, they pulled out a victory from the jaws of defeat.

Their latest victim was the South Harmon Institute of Technology, as TAT’s, came back from a (21-12) halftime deficit, scored 24 second half points, and hung on for a (36-33) win.

A second half turnover by the South Harmon Institute of Technology, and The Alpha-T’s successfully going for three two point conversions in the second stanza, (what did I say about those last week) proved to be the difference.

In talking to South Harmon Institute of Technology Quarterback Jake Applebaum, before finishing the article, he told me that in order to beat The Alpha T’s, you can’t make mistakes against them. Having played TAT’s in Week 2, and losing by 5 points, I told him that I couldn’t agree more.

Because of their chemistry, and the fact that the majority of the team has been together for so long (Mike Pierrecin is new to the squad, and a clear upgrade over former CB/WR Bryan Mongeau, but he has played with QB Jesse Dupuis on Show Me Your TDs), that you need to bring you’re a game when you play them, or they will make you pay.

 

This is a team who hasn’t lost a game since last winter, and they are the class of Div. 3, that deserves some respect.

What is going on with the Junkyard Dogs offense? They started off the season (3-1), but they are currently on a two game slide, that has seen them reach the endzone only twice in each defeat.

Yes, the competition in those two losses were tough, as they took on South Harmon Institute of Technology, and Les Maloudes, but last time I checked, JYD weren’t pushovers, and more importantly, you have to beat good teams to win in this league to be taken seriously.

The Junkyard Dogs remaining schedule sees them play Lightweight, KGP, TOPSZN, and Blue Chips (three good teams). They will definitely need to score more than two touchdowns a game, if they want to have a chance of winning any of those contests.

Speaking of teams that deserve some respect, I finally had a chance to see the Olympia Performance, as my team played them last Sunday at Loyola. For a team with an (0-6) mark, I must admit, that their record doesn’t do them justice.

Yes, The Commission, made mistakes on both sides of the ball, but Olympia Performance, was able to capitalize on nearly all of them.
This team has a lot of talent. It starts with Saskatchewan Rough Riders, and fellow former Concordia Stinger, Cory Watson, who plays QB, WR, and DB.

The team also has solid playmakers in WR/CB Jamal Henry (Con U Stinger), and Center Anthony Hall, and the speedy Hoather brothers.
What I like most about this team though, is that they take a committee/ everybody plays a part approach, and more importantly, even with their record being what it is, nobody quits on this team, which unfortunately, isn’t always the case with every other team.

Right now, Olympia Performance, is lacking experience, as the majority of their team consists of rookies. An upgrade at QB might also help too, as it would allow Watson, to play his natural position, Wide Receiver. It also would make sense, given that Watson, won’t be around in the Spring Season, due to his CFL responsibilities.

This season is clearly a learning experience for Olympia Performance. With the speed, and football smarts they have, I fully expect this team to grow into a solid squad in the not to distant future.

 

Matchups

 

Jordan McLaren (The Magicians) versus Jesse Dupuis (The Alpha-T’s)

Arguably the best Wide Receiver in all of FlagPlus Football, taking on one of the best defenders in all of FPF. Those should be a really good matchup. Both players have speed, tremendous leaping ability, and are the key to whether or not their teams will be successful.

Yes, I am aware that Dupuis, plays Safety, but you can be sure that he will be helping over the top, against McLaren, especially if The Magicians, who have lost two straight coming into tonight’s game, get down early, and need to turn the game into a shootout to win.

That also leads to the question, of who exactly will line up across from McLaren. Will it be Julien Bellavance, Anthony Lapointe, Elliot Lambert, or the aforementioned Mike Pierrecin?

 

Jason Rossie (Junkyard Dogs) vs Simon Dagenais (Lightweight)

Like I said earlier, the Junkyard Dogs offense has been sputtering as of late, and they are on a two game losing streak.

The Junkyard Dogs, currently sit at (3-3), tied with a glut of teams for the 8th and final playoff spot in Conference A. As fate would have it, one of those teams is Lightweight, and both squads face off tomorrow in Lachine.

For JYD, to get out of their funk, they will their Quarterback Jason Rossie, to pick up his game, as he has thrown just 2 TDs in both losses, and completed under 60% of his passes.

On a team that has a lot of talent at Wide Receiver in Jonathan Williams, Rory Semerjian, Jordan Rossie, and countless subs, this is a team that shouldn’t be struggling to find the endzone.

Rossie’s performance, and that of his targets, will be key, as they take on a Lightweight team who is not only coming off of an impressive (41-32) win over KGP, but has more than a few playmakers, in Cory Kennedy, Francois Hogue, and Justin Blanchard. They also have a sub list, that is as extensive as JYD’s.

Simon Dagenais, is coming off of his best game of the season, as he threw six touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 136.8 QB Rating, in his team’s (41-32) win over KGP.  

After the JYD game, Lightweight finishes with a tough schedule, as they play The BrotherHood, Top Sauce (depending on what team shows up), and Trinity. Dagenais, and his team need wins to stay in the hunt. Can they keep pace? 

Looking at the bigger picture, a win by either team, would potentially separate them from the pack, and more importantly, give them the head-to-head tiebreaker over each other.

 

Jean-Samuel Coderre (The Crew) versus Samuel Caron (Les Studs)

Two other best and exciting Quarterbacks in all of Division 3, will square off tomorrow night in Lachine.

The Crew, come into the game, off of a tough (26-12) loss to the BearSkins, in what was their worst offense performance of the season. They also lost the week before (37-32) to the Dirty Dawgs.

Les Studs, come into the tilt, winners of two straight and have been on fire during the streak, as they’ve scored 91 points over the span.

Before the loss to the BearSkins, The Crew, had averaged 34 points a game. Was last week just a blip on the radar versus a veteran BearSkins squad, or the sign of things to come?

If The Crew can’t find an answer this week, things might get ugly.

 

Elite 8

The Alpha-T’s

Les Maloudes

Dirty Dawgs

Les Studs

Trinity

BearSkins

South Harmon Institute of Technology

The BrotherHood

 

Picks

The Alpha-T’s vs The Magicians- The Magicians

Martine et le flag vs LGM – LGM (Upset Special)

Top Sauce vs KGP – KGP

Big Ballers vs Blue Chips – Blue Chips

The Commission vs South Harmon Institute of Technology – N/A

Scored your GF vs Jaguars – Scored your GF (Upset Special #2)

Junkyard Dogs vs Lightweight – Lightweight

Sweat & Beers vs BearSkins- BearSkins

Les Studs vs The Crew – Les Studs (My pick for Game Of The Week)

Trinity vs Cougars – Trinity

Freshmen vs Les Maloudes – Les Maloudes

The BrotherHood vs TOPSZN – The BrotherHood

Last Week: (8-4)

Season (51-25) That’s fitting

 

That’s it for this week’s article. I’ll be back next week, with a look at Week 8, and a preview of Week 9.

Good luck to everybody in their games.

Cheers.

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left so nothing out, feel free to reach me at [email protected] or on Twitter @BADNEWSB51