Division A: Contenders, Pretenders, and We’re Not Sure Yet

The playoffs are just a few days away. The race to make the playoffs and the jostling for seeding has been going on for the last few weeks, and it all reaches a climax tomorrow. With that, I give you my annual Contenders, Pretenders, and We’re Not Sure Yet article.

Teams in all three columns have earned the right to be where they are. Obviously if you are in the We’re Not Sure Yet slot, that is a little problematic with the playoffs just around the corner, but at the same time it could be a positive, as the teams you play, might not be able to put their finger on who you are either. Time will tell how this plays out. I have been wrong about teams before, but I have also been right. Let’s see what happens.

Contenders

Allstars (8-1-1)

The team with the best record in Division A belongs at the top of the Contenders list. After starting the regular season with a tie to the Braves, and then a (32-26) loss to The Jamesons, the Allstars have won eight straight games.

The return to the lineup of Rory Semerjian along with the emergence of Nicholas Groppini as a top Div. A Receiver, has been a plus for an offense that is absolutely loaded. Great players like Fritzgerald Cenatus, Matt Bond, Vincent Malo would be among the top receiving options on most teams, but here, they are complementary pieces on this squad. That isn’t an insult, as it shows just how deep this team is. The fact that the Allstars can roll out top level pass-catchers and defenders on any given play is what separates them from the other teams in this division.

The first round of the playoffs will either see them take on Star City, KGP, Bless Up, or #NR. All four of those teams are talented enough to make it a game competitive, but pulling of the unthinkable is an entirely different matter.

Royaume Luminaire (7-3)

This team has a weaker roster then the one that won the Division 2 championship this past winter, but credit to Jesse Dupuis and company for surprising many by finishing second in Div. A. One of the keys to their success has been their deep offense. Currently they are the only team that has at least six Receivers with six or more touchdowns. The addition of Sean Semerjian has taken this offense to another level, as his presence in the lineup to go along with his team-leading 15 touchdowns, opens things up for the rest if his teammates. Going all the way back to their time as the The Alpha-T’s until now, one of the keys to success for this squad has been their ability to be interchangeable. No matter who is in the lineup, this relies on their chemistry and execution to get the job done.

On the other side of the ball this team has been solid, as they lead the division in points allowed with 297. The fact that Div. A expanded to nine teams this season, makes that fact they are the only unit to not allow more than 300 points that much more impressive.

An underrated attribute that often gets ignored on defense in flag football is size. Due to the nature of the game, speed is usually what people look at most, but on Royaume Luminaire, this team has the size advantage over most other teams they face. This squad has defensive pieces in Semerjian, Gaumont, Poulin-Rioux, and Samuel Lapierre who are all over 6’1. That will come in handy when they go up against taller Receivers like Pat Jérome, Sanders Armand, Rory Semerjian, Marvin Steinberg, Kenny Baye, Sébastien Crisi-Lauzon, Georges Gariépy, AJ Gomes, Jarryd Taylor, and both Ryan and Rashawn Perry.

There are two things that concern me about this squad. The first is the lack of a consistent pass rusher. In years past they would be able to rely on veteran Rusher Marc-Antoine Vallée, who has notched more than 100 career sacks, but he only played one game this year, so he won’t qualify for the playoffs. In his place, the team has used a Rusher-by committee approach which has seen four players notch a grand total of seven Quarterback take downs combined.

The other concern is the lack of a standout win. Yes, they beat the Braves to wrap up the regular season, but that was like the Braves 7.0 squad, as they were missing their entire team due to them taking part in the IFAF Americas Flag Football Championships. Besides that win, they are a winless versus the Allstars, Party Crashers, and The Jamesons.

Is Royaume Luminaire talented enough to go all the way? Yes, but can they finally beat a good team when the stakes are the highest? We are about to find out.

The Jamesons (6-3)

The only team to hand the Allstars their only loss makes the Contenders list. With players like Quaid Johnson, Anthony Brisebois, Ben McMahon, Stephen Osman, Marty Freeman, and the James Gang in Ohayon, Tyrell, and Drysdale, Jeff Rosenblatt’s crew is as deep and talented as any squad in Division A.

In addition to their win over the Allstars, the Jamesons have signature victories over Royaume Luminaire, and this past Thursday night versus the Party Crashers. The only question that remains, is can veteran Quarterback and Captain in Rosenblatt, finally lead his team to the promised land? With Star City and the Braves not having their usual dominant campaigns, it feels like if there was going to be a time for the Jamesons to do it, this would be this year.

Can they finally get over the mountain top, or will we see another playoff meltdown from this talented team? All eyes will be watching.

Party Crashers (6-4)

The second highest scoring offense in Division A with 398 points, this is another team with talent. Their top Receivers in Emile Taillefer, Vincent Cléroux, Louis-Philip Thibodeau, and Francois Hogue might be the fastest out of any team. The group also has four-time All-Star in Anthony Vendrame, who has four touchdown receptions, and five TD passes as well.

On defense this team also has playmakers in Kevin Laliberte, who leads the unit in tackles, interceptions, and pass deflections. He is joined by standout defenders in Tristan Fleury, Taillefer, Thibodeau, Cléroux, and the sack master in Hogue.

When looking at signature victories, the Party Crashers have them over the Braves, The Jamesons, Royaume Luminaire, and blowouts wins as well versus Star City and #NR. On the flip side, they have two losses in a row as they closed out the regular season falling to Bless Up and The Jamesons.    

This team has the talent to go all the way, but just like The Jamesons, they have failed repeatedly to get over the hump. Blown coverage, a dropped pass, or an ill-timed interception from Quarterback Frédéric Dupuis, whatever can go wrong in the playoffs usually does for this squad. Can they reverse their fortunes and finally slay the dragon that is themselves by eliminating mistakes? We are about to find out.

Braves (4-5-1)

They finished the regular season with a losing record. There should be an asterisk beside that tally, as they were missing several members of the team as most of the squad including Quarterback Jonathan Maheu, was playing for Team Canada at the aforementioned IFAF tournament.

The cast of characters remains largely the same, as their core is still intact with Maheu, Mike Pierrecin, Georges Gariépy, Jean-Daniel Chevalier, and Guillaume Beland, and the addition in the last few seasons of guys like Phil Pharand, Thomas Coutu, Francois Rocheleau, and Sébastien Crisi-Lauzon, means that this team has elite players all throughout their lineup, and the ability to mix and match to create advantages on both sides of the ball.

As always, the smart money here says don’t bet against the Braves. These guys are like Golden State Warriors. The regular season doesn’t matter, as it only serves as a dress rehearsal for the dance that is the playoffs. In just a few days, you can expect Maheu to look like his vintage self, and his team to do the same. That alone should be enough to carry them pretty far.

#NR (3-6)

Without question, this has been a disappointing season for this veteran squad. The team’s defense has been the biggest culprit, as they have surrendered more points than any other team with 389. The source of the problem on that side of the ball is a lack of turnovers and a dominant Rusher. This team has produced only six interceptions, and the same number of sacks.

On the other side of the ball, in his return to FPF after a three-year break, Quarterback Cory Pecker has shown glimpses of the elite QB we last saw, as he has thrown 43 touchdown passes in eight games, but his 10 interceptions are more than he has thrown in his last two seasons combined. With one regular season game remaining, Pecker has a chance to crack the 50 TD barrier for the third time in his career.

The team’s best Receiver is Kenny Baye, who has had a breakout campaign posting a career-highs in yards as well as touchdowns and is two catches away from doing the same in that department. His running mate in Rashawn Perry, is experiencing a resurgence as well. After recording single-digit catch seasons with Mo’ Khans, Mo’ Problems and Gryffindor in 2022, the three-time All-Star has produced his best numbers since 2016, with 34 catches for 262 yards and 12 TDs. The addition of Ryan Dobbs-Garnett has brough some extra grit to the lineup, as the goal line and short-yardage specialist is tied for third on the team in receptions and trips to the endzone with 26 and six respectively.

This lineup has the perfect mixture of size, speed, and toughness. They have signature wins over the Braves, and Star City, but also have blowout losses to the Allstars, Party Crashers, and Royaume Luminaire, and close defeats to Bless Up and The Jamesons. Despite their personnel, #NR is the second lowest scoring team in Div. A with 304 points. The offense will need to find another gear tomorrow against KGP, if they want to punch their ticket to the post-season.

When looking at the bigger picture, this team is on a five-game losing streak. They face a do-or-die matchup with KGP, tomorrow morning at Loyola. A win for #NR would seal their spot in the playoffs. A loss, combined with a win by Bless Up, would see them eliminated. For a squad who hasn’t won a game since May 28^th, it is a tall ask even though they have the more talented roster. Unfortunately for #NR, having that doesn’t guarantee you wins.

Star City (3-7)

Moving from one disappointing team to another, it is a shock to majority of the league that Star City has struggled so mightily this season. Before the year began, if someone would have told you that they would finish under .500, and be a fringe playoff team, you would have thought they were joking. Unfortunately for this squad, it isn’t a joke, as the lack of a consistent roster, depth, and suspensions, has tarnished what looked like a promising season.  

On the plus side, their offense has performed up to expectation, as they are fourth in scoring. Hall-of-Fame Quarterback Dan Lazzara has thrown more than 40 touchdowns (43) for the 15^th time in his illustrious career. His top three targets are Jeanslee Alexis, AJ Gomes, and Khalil Kerr. That trio along with Jarryd Taylor and the criminally underrated Darren Wiltshire, are explosive, and allow the unit to score at will.

The other side of the ball isn’t as electric, as only one team (#NR) has given up more points. On paper, this team has ballhawks on defense in Gomes and Whiltshire, but the unit has trouble defending the deep ball, and the lack of cohesion due to an ever-changing lineup has been a problem.

Star City is currently has a ticket to the post-season dance, after a huge (36-22) win this past Monday night against the Braves, that was the result of a spectacular effort by their defense that held the defending Div. 1 champs to one second half touchdown. The momentum from the win as well as playoff spot can all change depending on what happens when Bless Up takes on The Jamesons and KGP goes up against #NR. If Bless Up and #NR win, Star City is out. The same applies with a Bless Up win and a KGP tie.

If Star City gets lucky and both or one of those teams lose, how confident are you that they can shake off their regular season malaise, and find another gear come playoff time? I am not so sure.

KGP (2-6-1)

This team has a lot of familiar names, but since making the jump to Division 1/A, it has been anything but smooth sailing for this once dominant team. They have playmakers in Quaysie Gordon-Maule, Jonathan Garfinkle, Julien Paiement, and Dylan Garber. Quarterback Phil Cutler is solid, as he has thrown 45 touchdowns, his highest total since the Winter 2022 season.

If you look closely this team has a lot of grinders, who are smart and crafty, and are at their best when they are outworking their opponents and capitalizing on the mistakes. The problem with KGP, is that outside of Gordon-Maule and Mathieu Lepage, they lack a true elite player who is capable of dominating and taking over a game at a moment’s notice. That truth gets magnified even more on defense, as the unit has only produced five interceptions and three sacks, the lowest of any team in both areas in Division A. The lack of stops and takeaways have been the Achilles’ heel of this squad.

When looking at the bigger picture, the glass appears to be half full for KGP, as they have been playing their best football over the last month. During that period, they have a huge victory over Star City, a 3-point loss to the top-seeded Allstars and are coming off a (28-28) tie to Bless Up Monday night at the Marie-Victorin Complex that earned them a valuable point in the standings.  

KGP holds the eighth and final playoff spot in Div A. To close out the regular season, they take on #NR tomorrow morning at Loyola. The directive is simple, win and you’re in. A loss coupled with a Bless Up tie or win over The Jamesons tomorrow night in Brossard, would see KGP miss the post-season.

The lack of superstar players is what separates them from the upper echelon in this division. Will KGP be able to overcome that deficit tomorrow morning and knock off the favoured #NR? If they do, can they then pull off another upset in Round 1 of the playoffs? To do any of that, the lowest scoring team in the division will need to find an offensive spark.

Bless Up (2-6-1)

Another team facing a win and you’re in scenario, Bless Up will need to beat a heavyweight in The Jamesons tomorrow night in the final game of the Division A regular season in Brossard at 10PM. Despite currently being on the outside of the playoffs looking in, unlike several teams in the bottom end of the standings, this squad has been playing solid football all season long. They have earned points in their last two games, with a tie versus KGP, and an upset win over the Party Crashers 10 days ago.

When looking at their schedule from top to bottom, Bless Up has been in every game. Their biggest loss this year was by 12 points (44-32) to the Allstars. Four out of the team’s six losses have come by a touchdown or less. Whether you are playing tackle or flag football, the close defeats tell you three things about a team. The first is they need to learn how to win. The second is they are a play or two away from winning. The third is that they are better than their record suggests. Those trio of facts hold true for Bless Up.

When looking at their roster, this team is fast. With burners like Andrew Grant, Ashton Thibeault, Marvin Steinberg, James Langshaw, and Will Power, they might be the fastest team in FPF. Bless Up will need more than that however, as outside of Steinberg and Dilan Daoust, this roster lacks the height they will need to battle some of the elite and much larger Receivers in the division.

Even though they lack height, this team has championship experience at lower levels in FPF. Perhaps this squad can rely on that to help them push past The Jamesons tomorrow and inspire them to go further come playoff time. This is a smart and crafty team, perhaps they will save their best performance of the year for when they need it most.

Picks

Bless Up vs The Jamesons – Bless Up (Upset Special)

KGP vs #NR – #NR

Last Week: (4-1)

Two huge games on the last day/night of the season that will decide the playoff picture. You can’t ask for anything more than that. Enjoy the games everyone, and good luck to all four teams!

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 reach out to me on the FPF Facebook page.