FPF Junior Playoff Breakdown

After a long weekend without football, I’m sure everyone was thrilled to once again take to the pitch last Sunday. Sadly, I was not able to take in the action from the sidelines at Kirkland as I usually do. Since I was not able to take in the games, I will not be able to do my weekly recaps. I will stray a bit from my usual script for this week’s article, but I hope you will still enjoy it. I will start things off with a look at the playoff picture in each conference.

 

Playoff Breakdown

Freshman:

The same as all the divisions, the Freshman playoffs start and end on June 17th at the Stade de Montreal with teams playing up to three games. The first round of games will be held at 10am on fields 1 and 2. What is important to note, is that the two top seeded teams from the Freshmen division will have a bye directly to the semifinals. That means, that the teams seeded from 3-6 will battle it out in the quarterfinals to have a chance to play one of the top ranked teams in the semifinals. For the moment, the two top seeded teams are the X-Men and the IB Vikings. The X-Men have actually clinched the first spot in the division with that top spot, a bye to the second round of the playoffs. While the first spot may already be locked up, the battle for second place is an extremely tight one. Even the Reapers, who are currently in 6th, are only three points away from a coveted bye. An even closer threat to the IB Vikings second place are the AP Hurricanes who are currently tied with the Vikings on points and are only behind them because of their head to head record. This division is so close that predicting what the final standings will be is just about impossible. The only thing that is certain in an evenly matched division like this one is that the playoffs will be a tightly fought and thrilling affair!

Sophomore A: 

While things may seem complicated in the Freshman division with byes, the playoff format for Sophomore A is very straight forward. There will be two semi-final games starting at 12pm on fields 2 and 3. One between the first and fourth ranked teams and another between the second and third ranked teams. The winner of those two semi-final matchups will meet in the final for all the marbles at 3pm on field three. The one big question remaining, is who exactly will play who. With three of the division’s four teams all within one point of each other, these final two weeks of action will be key to seeing just what the playoff picture will look like. The Dusters currently hold the top seed but the Sun Devils are tied with them on points. Just who will finish first between those two teams is anyone’s guess. While most of the attention in this conference might be focused on these two teams, we cannot forget about the talented NS Hurricanes who sit only one point off first place. However, their final two games are against the Dusters and Devils. While those two teams are formidable opponents, if the Hurricanes can beat them both, they have to be considered the front runners for the division title.

Sophomore B:

The Sophomore B playoff format is exactly the same as Sophomore A’s. The 1st and 4th seeds as well as the 2nd and 3rd seeds will face off in the semi-finals starting at noon on fields 2 and 3. The final will then be held between the winners of these two games on field 3 at 3pm. While it  may start to sound like a broken record, Sophomore B is an extremely tight race as well. While in other conferences, we have seen a two way tie for first place, Sophomore B has a three way tie for first place. Yes, you read that right. Three teams all have the exact same record of three wins and three loses and are tied with 6 points. Those three teams are the Musketeers, Bruins and Thundering Herd. After six weeks of games, these teams are still neck and neck. So for those who want my prediction as to who will finish on top, well, I honestly have no idea. Even the Buffaloes who sit in fourth have the pieces to make a strong playoff run. All they are missing is consistent quarterbacking. If they can get that element of their game down pat, they could be a true dark horse in this division.

Varsity:

Varsity is FPF Junior’s biggest division with nine teams. With that number of teams, fitting the entire playoff schedule into a single day was no easy feat. The Varsity playoff will get under way at 10am on field 1 in what we are calling a “play-in” game. This match will feature the 8th and 9th ranked teams from the regular season. The losing team’s season will end there while the victorious side will move on. The eight remaining teams will face off in the quarterfinals with the number 1 seed playing the winner of the play-in game, the 2nd seed playing the 7th seed, the 3rd  seed playing the 6th seed, etc. The four victorious teams from the quarterfinals will square off in the semifinals with the two winners from that round facing off in the finals. Despite my prediction from a few weeks back, the Mustangs are still in first place with a perfect 6-0 record. However, they are facing two uber talented teams in the final two weeks in the Falcons and NS Lions. It will be interesting to see if they maintain their perfect record versus such tough opposition. If the Mustangs do falter down the stretch, the Thunder are in prime position to take over control of first place. However, with so many talented teams in this division the championship crown is truly wide open. I can’t wait to see who will take home the trophy.

If anyone has any remaining questions regarding the playoff schedule, here is the full schedule with the times and locations of each game:

June 17th : *all games at Stade de Soccer de Montreal

Freshman:

[1-seed and 2-seed get a bye directly to the Semifinal]

Quarterfinal (2 games): 10 AM field 2, field 3

Semifinal (2 games): 1 PM field 1, 2 PM field 1

Championship (1 game): 4 PM field 2

 

Sophomore B:

Semifinal (2 games): 1 PM field 2, 1 PM field 3

Championship (1 game): 3 PM field 2

 

Sophomore A:

Semifinal (2 games): 12 PM field 2, 12 PM field 3

Championship (1 game): 3 PM field 3

 

Varsity:

Play-In game (1 game; 8-seed vs 9-seed): 10 AM field 1

Quarterfinal (4 games): 11 AM field 1, 11 AM field 2, 11 AM field 3; 12 PM field 1 (1-seed vs play-in winner)

Semifinal (2 games): 2 PM field 2, 2 PM field 3

Championship (1 game): 4 PM field 3

 

Games to Watch in Week 7

 

IB Vikings vs X-Men

 

While the X-Men have very little left to prove, this could be a statement game for the Vikings. A win would do more than cement their hold on second place, it would also prove they can play with the very best Freshman has to offer. One of the individuals I can’t wait to see in this matchup will be the one between the X-Men’s Phoenix Thomas and the Vikings’ Jailen Chopra. Throughout most of the season, Phoenix Thomas has been uncoverable. He has created separation at will and hauled in any pass thrown in his vicinity. However, if there is one player that could limit Phoenix Thomas, it’s Jailen Chopra. The talented defender leads his team in interceptions and is among the leaders in tackles.

 

 

Musketeers vs Thundering Herd

 

I have already talked about just how close the playoff race is in Sophomore B. This game will have a huge impact on the shape of that playoff race. Both the Musketeers and Thundering Herd are equal on points and the winner of this match will have the chance of taking control of the coveted first place position. The player that caused the Musketeers so much trouble last time these teams met was Jaeden Edghhill. He singlehandedly scored all off his teams’ scores and the Musketeers had no solution to covering him. If they can find a way to keep a lid on the explosive Jaeden Edghhill, they should win on Sunday and remain in first place.

 

Falcons vs Mustangs

 

These two teams represent polar opposites. One is doing much better than I expected while the other is struggling while I predicted them to dominate this division. The Falcons’ struggles are largely due to absences. They have been missing many key players over the past weeks. Most notably, was the absence of all-star quarterback Isaac Insaidoo. They have been struggling to produce offence without him. However, I have it from a good source that he should be back this week. On the Mustangs side of things, their success has been a team affair. Everyone contributes in their own way and while no one puts up Tristan Pelletier numbers, I would be hard pressed to find a single week spot on their roster. It’s that all-around skill that has led them to six consecutive wins.

 

Week 6 Team of the Week

 

Offence:

QB Nicholas Masella (NS Hurricanes): 196 passing yards, 3 TDs

RB Noah Swaminadham (X-Men): 65 rushing yards, 2 TDs

WR Guillaume Tessier (Falcons): 9 receptions, 73 receiving yards

WR Lucas Piscopos (Musketeers): 7 receptions, 94 receiving yards

WR Ethan Brinberg (Mustangs): 8 receptions, 86 receiving yards, 1TD

WR Caleb Perks (Bruins): 6 receptions, 45 yards, 2TDs

 

Defence:

Rusher LeThai Khieu (IB Vikings): 1 tackle, 4 sacks

DB Zachary Cyrenne (Sun Devils): 10 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 defensive TD

DB Kingston Paquet (Sooners): 1 PD, 1 sack, 3 INTs, 2 defensive TDs

DB Massimo Moufrage (Musketeers): 8 tackles, 4 PDs, 1 INT

DB Markus D’Alessandro (AP Hurricanes): 6 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 defensive TD

DB Frida Llaguno (X-Men): 5 tackles, 1 PD, 1 INT

 

With that, one more week of action has drawn to a close and that means we are one week closer to the playoffs. I cannot wait to see what these final two weeks will hold. There are so many close races going on throughout all four divisions that these final games will be absolutely great to watch. Each game over these next two weeks will have their own storylines and a direct impact on the seeding for the playoffs

Luckily, I will be on the sidelines for these final two weeks of the season. I will be scorekeeping the rest of the games in Kirkland and look forward to seeing you all there.