Division B: 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

Beers and Brownies (8-2)

The top team in Division B has won two games in a row, and five out of their last six overall. This team is deep, fast, and long, and they use those attributes to near perfection on offense as only two teams have scored more points than them.

For as good as their offense is, the team’s defense is equally impressive, as they are experts at taking the ball away. Louis-Philip Thibodeau and Jeremy Augustin each have five interceptions. The duo is joined by Sanders Armand who has four, AJ Gomes and Gabriel-Charles Dabe Champagne recorded two apiece, and Charles Verreault with one.

In his first season as a fulltime Div. B Quarterback, Ignacio Valdes Manzanedo (Iggy), has 54 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. While the INT total is a little on the high side, he has gotten better each game, and is growing in confidence. That doesn’t bode well for the rest of the divisions come playoff time.

This team has several signature wins. Their only losses came by a combined nine points to Run It Once and Blessed. Beers and Brownies has the talent to go all the way, making them a definite contender. The only question is can they? I think so.

Poseidon’s Kiss (7-3)

This squad is lethal offensively and has the speed and size to matchup with any team in the division. Led by Quarterback Rocco Christiano, at times this offense looks like the play-call to his Receivers is simply get open. With talented and long pass-catchers like Jarryd Taylor, Corey Williams, Nicholas Groppini, and Juwan Edghill, sometimes that’s all you need to do.

On defense this team is aggressive, but sometimes that works against them, as experienced QBs can pick their spots on them. The decisions to hit those spots need to be exact however, as Poseidon’s Kiss has ballhawks that turn mistakes into extra possessions.

This team closed out the regular season on a two-game winning streak and have won three of their last four overall. They have several signature wins, with victories over the B-Raves, Run It Once, Blessed, and Ambush. Looking at the other side of the equation, they also have a pair of noticeable losses to Beers and Brownies, and one blowout defeat to the Silent Ticklers.

This squad checks a lot of boxes when looking at contenders. The only one they haven’t is beating the best team in the division. Will they get a third opportunity come playoff time?

Blessed (7-3)

They finished in third due to their (34-21) loss to Poseidon’s Kiss this past Monday night at the Marie-Victorin Complex.  

Blessed was able rebound after the loss, as they closed out their regular season schedule with a 30-point (48-18) win over the Silent Ticklers, locking themselves into third place.

When you take a closer look at their schedule, you will notice that Blessed has a statement win over Beers and Brownies, and two against Run It Once, including a (50-31) blowout victory in Week 2. Some of their other games however are a little perplexing. Blessed was blown out (52-26) back in Week 4 by Ambush, and they barely hung on to beat last place EZW (34-32) in Week 6.

This team has weapons on both sides of the ball in Will Power, Alexis Ferrand, Hinsley Adams, James Langshaw, Julien Proulx, and Phil Pharand, and they are led by one of the smartest Quarterbacks In the division in Stephen Harripersaud. All of that combined with the fact that they have knocked off the top team in Div. B, tells me that Blessed is a true contender.

Run It Once (5-4)

With a roster consisting of Matt Bond, Manu Allard-Roy, Noah Groper, Adam Rockman, Francois Hogue, and of course Quarterback Jeff Rosenblatt, this group is not lacking talent.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

The one thing this team is short on is wins. Although they currently are on a two-game winning streak, Run It Once lost two out of their previous three contests before that. This team has also yet to win more than two games in a row, but they have a chance to break that trend tonight as they take on Mangoose in Brossard.

Consistently inconsistent is the best way to describe this team up until this point. That is exactly how you don’t want to be playing once the playoffs start. Run It Once has an opportunity to reverse that trend this evening and enter the post-season on a high note. Can they?

Regardless of what happens against Mangoose, the real question that must be asked, is can Run It Once put it all together and use that talent to go all the way? I think they can.

We’re Not Sure Yet

B-Raves (4-5)

Having a deep roster is usually a good idea but having 16 different players take snaps for you is a little much. That has been the type of season the B-Raves are having, as this usual contender looks to finish the season with a non-losing record.

Despite the struggles of this team, their Division A squad, and most notably their QB Jonathan Maheu, I wouldn’t count this group out just yet. Just like their top crew, the core remains intact, and perhaps all they need is the desperation of a win or go home playoff affair to get their juices flowing.

The B-Raves have a tune-up match against the Beer Belly Brigade tonight. This could be exactly what the doctor ordered to get them back on track.

Ambush (5-5)

This team is the epitome of we’re not sure yet. Let me explain. Ambush kicked off the season with a loss to the eventual last place EZW. They followed that up with a 3-point defeat at the hands of Beers and Brownies.

The team rebounded by winning three straight as they knocked off Run It Once by one, snuck past the B-Raves by nine, and blew out Blessed by 26 on May 29th. Instead of capitalizing on that momentum, Ambush then lost their next three games to the B-Raves, Manggose, and Poseidon’s Kiss. They followed that slide, by winning their last two regular games against the Silent Ticklers by one point, and Beer Belly Brigade by a jaw-dropping 36 points.

Ambush has chemistry as core players like Ben McMahon, Chris Colantonio, Phil Roberts, Kevin Donnet, and both Anthony as well as James Drysdale, have played together for several seasons. This team is loaded when it comes to talent, as they added Sean and Rory Semerjian to the squad.

The only thing holding Ambush back is themselves. They need to find that killer instinct instead of letting teams stick around. They also must play a complete game. Slow starts have come back to bite them, as they have trailed at the half in six of ten contests this year.

The ability to put up points on anyone, and the ballhawks to keep the ball out of their own endzone as well, this team has it all, but is it enough to get them to where they want to go? I am not sure right now.

Pretenders

Silent Ticklers (5-5)

Injury, unsteady play, and lapses on defense at various points in games have led this team who many thought was a sure contender, to a .500 finish.

Not all is lost though, as the return of Quarterback Jordan Panetta from injury has helped spark a team that has won three out of their last five games. 

Kudos to this team for blowing out Poseidon’s Kiss (44-19) back in Week 7. That game was reminiscent of the Silent Ticklers squad we saw make a run all the way to the Finals in Division B last summer. The only problem with that win, is that and their victory over Mangoose, are their only wins of significance on their schedule. Their victories over the Beer Belly Brigade and EZW are important for the standings, but they don’t really move the needle. Things change quickly here in FPF, and the Silent Ticklers, going from contender to pretender is one of them.

Mangoose (4-5)

Their sub .500 record is surprising given that they have elite playmakers in Thomas Coutu, Marvin Steinberg, and Oliver Suri, as well as solid contributors in Gabriel Drapeau-Zgoralski, and underrated defender Dominic Stiplosek. More importantly, they have good Quarterback in Nicolas Schaefer, who is starting to climb the ladder into elite status.

With exception of their loss to the Silent Ticklers last Monday, the team’s other four losses this year have been one-possession games. As the saying goes, good teams find a way to pull it out.

Mangoose has a chance to show everyone just how good they are, as they take on Run It Once tonight in Brossard. I will be the scorekeeper for that game. Perhaps, their performance will put them on the contenders list, and more importantly see them enter the playoffs on a positive note after two straight losses.

Beer Belly Brigade (2-7)

Their season went up in smoke once they lost starting Quarterback Alex Fafard for the year to injury. Jason Rossie has filled in admirably, but being thrown into an offense with almost no time to develop timing and chemistry is a recipe for disaster.

EZW (1-9)

The season they expected and the one they delivered were not on par, as this team struggled to find consistency and production game in game out at Quarterback, as they would use five different passers this season.

This team has talent in Jean-Christophe Ferland, Samuel Emilio Pelchat, and Cesar Martinez among others. To their credit, they have also show no quit despite the season not going how they expected. Before they hit the field again, they will need to address the game’s most important position. Maybe they could Jeremy White to be their QB the entire season this winter.

Picks

Mangoose vs Run It Once – Mangoose (Upset Special)

Beer Belly Brigade vs B-Raves – B-Raves

Last Week: (6-1)

The top eight teams have already claimed their playoff spot. The only thing left to decide is seeding. Business is about to pick up. 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.