Division 6: 13 Second Half Questions

We are officially in the second half of the FlagPlus Football season. The first half of the regular season has seen a couple of teams standout from the pack as Free Agent Squad and SKOL are the two remaining undefeated teams, while the Demons, Meat Fiddlers, Pigeons, Les Super Turbo Navets, have only one blemish on their respective records.

More than a few Quarterbacks have put themselves in the conversation for QB of the Year Award, as Max Guenette, Tyler Stewart, Manny Bizogias, and Matthew Bottazzi have looked solid so far, while others like Pranav Sharma, Viren Patel, and Hugo Stensland have started to add their names to the list.

Division 6 has also seen more than a few ballhawks emerge, as 37 different players have at least three interceptions, and 31 defenders have returned an INT for a touchdown.

I am currently in school, and this feels like the part of the semester that comes after midterms. The playoffs represent Finals, and now is the time for teams to make their plans and get down to the real work that is the second half of the season.

Before we get to the playoffs, these are some of the questions that must be answered. I wanted to go with 12 because that is the number of teams making the playoffs, but I decided to go with 13 because I couldn’t figure out which one to erase.

 Who is the better undefeated team, Free Agent Squad or SKOL?

Both teams have shown that they can win close contests and blowouts. Looking at the strength of schedule, with victories over Fire & Blood, Salt’s n a Pepper, and Texas Whales, SKOL has faced tougher competition. The only real test that the Free Agent Squad have had so far was a showdown with Cheat Squad last Sunday, where they eked out a (32-31) win.

Free Agent Squad has a chance to change the answer however, as their second half schedule which sees them take on Mutation, Demons, Cavaliers du Rohan, Fire & Blood and Chomedey Chodes is much more difficult than SKOL’s, with the exception of games against Show Me Dem TDies and WYD Step Bro’s? they don’t face anyone else who realistic has a chance to knock them off.

Will SKOL or Free Agent Squad finish undefeated?

As I said above, Free Agent Squad has the harder second half schedule. Due to that, I think they are more likely to lose a game along the way to the post-season. SKOL has the easier trek, but I think they slip on the road to the playoffs as well. Both teams will finish the regular season (9-1).

When and who will they lost to? You have to keep on reading the weekly articles to find out.  

Who will win Quarterback of the Year?

As I said earlier, there are a lot of names in the mix, but I am going with Max Guenette, as his ability to get into the endzone with his feet – he leads Div. 6 in rushing attempts, yards, average, and touchdowns – along with his 19 TDs through the air, is what separates him from Tyler Stewart and Matthew Bottazzi, who lead all players in TD passes with 23.

Which winless team will win a game?

Despite their records and struggles to find the endzone the Nard Dogs and Winded Warriors are trying hard, and have shown slight signs of improvement throughout the season.

Things are tough right now, and the schedule doesn’t really do them any favours, but this is an opportunity to learn and get better. It took me two full seasons to win my first game in FPF. That was a lifetime ago, but I still remember the win like it was yesterday. I’ve won my share of games since then, and a couple of championships along the way, but I never forget those ugly seasons.

I hope both teams win a game, because going winless sucks. I don’t think either team will, but they need to look at the bigger picture. Get reps, figure out both your strengths and weaknesses, and look at areas where you can add players. If you do that, better times will come.   

Who has been the most surprising team so far?

Free Agent Squad. I saw this team multiple times in the FPF Cup, and I never once thought they would be in the conversation for championship contenders in any season let alone having themselves on the path to perfection. Credit to Eagle for making some upgrades to the squad.

Who has been the most disappointing team so far?

I have to say it’s the Royals who sit at (3-3). In their defense they did lose last year’s Div. 6 Receiver of the Year in Xavier Hilditch, but some of his production has been replaced by the production of Rookie Anthony Alfonso, who is first on his team in targets, catches, yards, and touchdowns. The Royals also have All-Star Rusher Massimo Rosati, who leads Div. 6 in sacks with 15.

In addition to that duo, the team also has playmakers in both Cordell Ramsay and Braylen Ramsay.

Turnovers have killed this team, as Quarterback Eric Pawlusiak has 10 INTs to only 11 touchdowns. That will have to change if this team wants to gain some traction in the second half of the season.

Who will finish with the highest-scoring offense?

As of this writing, the Demons and Cheat Squad lead the way with 208 and 204 points respectively. Both teams have played in seven contests already. For that reason, I am going with Free Agent Squad. They have only played five games, but they sit third in points with 190. Spread that out over the rest of the season, and they are on pace to score 380 points which would lead all teams.

Who will win Defensive Player of the Year?

I was torn between James Di Costa, Denis Koutavas, Lukesh Prashar, Chazz Pisanelli, Antoine Côté, and Vincent Richard, but I am going with the last name of the list for a few reasons. Namely, he leads the division in tackles with 21, he is tied for the lead in interceptions with six, and he is currently in second place for defensive touchdowns with two. Also, if Bizogias wins Two-Way Player of the Year, he won’t be winning this award too. Sorry but that is usually how it works in FPF.

Who will finish with the top defense?

SKOL leads the way in points allowed with 42, and other teams like Free Agent Squad, and Les Super Turbo Navets are contenders as well, but I am going with the Pigeons, as they have last year’s Two-Way Player of the Year in Luca Chiricosta, and one of the top Rushers in Andrea Aquino. As a unit, the Pigeons have produced 16 interceptions, which is obviously the best way to keep points off the board.

Who will win Two-Way Player of the Year?

There are more than a few worthy candidates, but I must go with Manny Bizogias. He has 21 touchdown passes to go along with five interceptions, three of which he returned for TDs, as well as four pass deflections and a team-leading 15 tackles.

Who is the sleeper team that could go all the way?

They currently sit at (3-2), but I am going with Fire & Blood. As I said on the podcast earlier this week, I came away impressed after watching them beat the Flag Dealers Monday night in St. Laurent. I know it is a small sample size, but the team has speed, size, and playmakers at Receiver in Julien Pacheco, Vincent Walsh, Jean-Daniel Ratté and Charles-Antoine Nadeau. They also have one of the most underrated attributes in FPF – physicality. All those traits are crucial and necessary for winning teams.

Another team to watch out for is the Demons. They have faced a lighter schedule the last four games, but they have used those contests against QUEENS, Cavaliers du Rohan, Towers FT, and DG Shootas to stack wins and tighten up things up especially on defense where they have produced seven interceptions, pitched a shut-out, and didn’t allow more than two touchdowns a game. Just as important, the unit has given more possessions to their offense which they routinely turned into points.

On offense, led by Quarterback Max Guenette and Receivers Zayden Kung’u, Ibrahim Chibane, Ben Eglencyan, Liam Del Guidice, and Ryan Casey, the team has the speed and skill to score from anywhere on the field.

Who will win Receiver of the Year?

I think this race will come down to three players. Serge Hayek of Flag Dealers, Filipe Barros of Les Super Turbo Navets, and Jonathan Bottazzi of the Chomedey Chodes.

I have seen two out of the three play so far. Hayer is a beast. He is strong, has solid hands, and is good at high pointing the ball and leaping over defenders to get it. Barros is quick and a good route-runner who can beat Defensive Backs with his speed and has the reach to make plays on the ball cause of the width of his catch radius.  

The Chomedey Chodes Rookie Receiver in Bottazzi leads all Division 6 players in targets, catches, yards, and touchdowns. It helps when the Quarterback (Matthew Bottazzi) is related to you. Even if he wasn’t, the Receiver has shown that he has the talent to make an impact in this Division. I am going with him for the award.

Which teams will make the Finals?

The division split come post-season time will mean that only the top teams will make the Division 6 playoffs. Some people including myself will say that that is exactly how it should be, as we don’t want an NFC South situation in the post-season.

Feel free to take the field, but I think that we will see Free Agent Squad against SKOL in Division 6. In Div. 6D, I am going with the Chomedey Chodes and Towers FT.

Picks

Cheat Squad vs Flag Dealers – Cheat Squad

Demons vs DG Shootas – Demons

The Mortadel’s vs Show Me Dem TDies – Show Me Dem TDies

Mutation vs Free Agent Squad – Free Agent Squad

Les Super Turbo Navets vs Jurassic Park Rangers – Les Super Turbo Navets

SKOL vs Towers FT – SKOL (My pick for Game of the Week)

QUEENS vs Chomedey Chodes – Chomedey Chodes

Salt’s n a Pepper vs Le Speakeasy – Le Speakeasy (Upset Special)

Cavaliers du Rohan vs Fire & Blood – Fire & Blood

Texas Whales vs WYD Step Bro’s? – WYD Step Bro’s?

Les Flags Daddies vs Meat Fiddlers – Meat Fiddlers

Pigeons vs McGill Swim Team – Pigeons

Last Week: (4-3)

Regular Season: (28-18)

That is it for this week. Good luck to everyone in their games today, tonight, and this week.

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.