FPF Junior Recaps and Previews

FPF Junior is into the home stretch of the season. Teams only have two or three games left before the playoffs. For those of you who are familiar with FPF Junior, you probably know that the regular season doesn’t mean that much. Even if your team is 0-5 right now, if you can gather a head of steam and enter the playoffs on a strong note, anything is possible. FPF Junior has seen some wild upsets. Winless teams have gone on to win the championship and undefeated teams have fallen in the first round. So, for all the teams that have struggled so far, remember that these next few weeks can define your season. For all the top ranked teams, remember that nothing is yet secured. Everything comes down to the playoffs. One team that faced a harsh reality check last week was Flight School Bantam.

 

Week 5 Games of the Week: 

Bantam

North Shore (22) vs Flight School (20): Even the most confident teams in Bantam expected Flight School to finish the season 8-0 and win the championship. Well, North Shore managed the impossible. They beat Flight School. However, you could argue that Flight School beat themselves. They threw seven interceptions. Yes, seven. Despite turning the ball over on just about every single drive, they were still able to mount a late comeback and very nearly win this game.

North Shore did just enough to win this one. Some might say that quarterback Nicholas Masella passed for only 135 yards. On the contrary, passing for over 100 yards against this fearsome Flight School secondary is quite the feat. Masella turned to the receivers he trusted the most in this key match. Brendan Urquhart accounted for over 50% of his team’s offensive production. He caught 4 passes for 93 yards and a score. When North Shore had just two plays left to score and win the game, they looked towards Ashton Philistin. The FPF veteran hauled in a 40 yard touchdown pass with just two plays left. That touchdown as well as the successful 2-point conversion that followed Philistin’s touchdown handed North Shore the win. While North Shore’s offence scored just enough points to win, their defence was tremendous. They picked off the league’s best team seven times. Leading that ball hawking secondary was Brendan Urquhart. He tallied a ridiculous four interceptions. Urquhart’s defensive heroics are what gave North Shore the opportunity to beat this seemingly unstoppable Flight School team.

For Flight School, this loss might very well be the best thing that has happened to them all season. They were too confident that they could score at will and they never imagined that a team could beat them. Well, last week’s game was quite the reality check. This team loved the deep ball. They would attempt 40-yard bombs one after another because they knew they had the best athletes in the division. However, this week they played another very athletic team. What ultimately separated these two teams was the fact that North Shore played intelligent football while Flight School did not. If this Flight School team decided to move the ball slowly but surely down the field with hooks and slants, they would be unstoppable. Unfortunately, they have become reliant on that deep ball to win. This loss should bring Flight School back to earth and remind them that despite their tremendous talent, they still need to play smart football if they want to win. For those of you who are familiar with the adult divisions of FPF, it is not always the most athletic teams that win. On many occasions, athletic teenagers have been humbled by smarter and much less athletic teams. Luckily for Flight School, they have some of the smartest coaches around. Tony Khoury knows FPF better than anyone I know. If Flight School play the way their coaches tell them to, they will be nearly unstoppable.

Pee-Wee

Lakeshore Cougars (22) vs Flight School (31): Last week I talked about the Cougars and their upset win over the Gladiators. While the Cougars didn’t win this match, they were once again very close to an upset. In the dying minutes of the match, the Cougars were driving to take the lead and win. They had just crossed midfield and into Flight School territory when Flight School’s Dave Lileka Bolombe intercepted the Cougars and returned that pick for six. Had the Cougars scored on that drive instead of turning over the ball, they would have won. While I’m sure the Cougars will remember this game as a disappointing loss, I see it as a sign of improvement. The first time these teams met, Flight School beat the Cougars 24-0. The Cougars are trending in the right direction. They are gathering a head of steam at the most crucial point of the season. Their next two games are against teams that they have already beat and they have a rematch against Flight School in the final week of the regular season. It is entirely possible that the Cougars win these final three games and enter the playoffs with a ton of momentum. Personally, I would not bet against the Cougars winning it all this season.

While I did spend a lot of time talking about the Cougars, it is still Flight School that won this game. Quarterback Dave Lileka Bolombe had a perfect game. He completed over 70% of his passes on his way to throwing for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Most importantly, he did not turn the ball over once. Accounting for nearly half of those receiving yards was the phenomenally talented Malik Sabourin-Danglade. He caught eight passes for 72 yards and one score. When Flight School wasn’t targeting Sabourin-Danglade, they were throwing it to Guill Karll Narciso. He had a strong showing with five receptions for 50 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, it was again Sabourin-Danglade who stole the show. He was a menace to the Cougars quarterback on every single play. He was constantly in the opposing backfield hurrying the quarterback and forcing him to get the ball out of his hands quickly. For his fantastic rushing, Sabourin-Danglade was rewarded with five sacks and two defended passes.

 

Week 6 Predictions:

Sophomore

Bulls (3-2) vs Wolves (3-2): Second place in Sophomore is at stake in this week 6 duel. The last time these two teams met, the Wolves won in convincing fashion. However, it is important to remember that the Bulls were playing with only 5 players in that game and they were without many of their key players, including their quarterback and top receiver. In week 6, the Bulls should have a full squad and I am sure they are thirsty for revenge. While the Wolves have the division’s leading passer in Adam Bateman, I do not think they will be able to keep pace with a fully equipped Bulls team.

Prediction: Bulls

Atom

Lakeshore Cougars (0-5) vs Jaguars (3-2): The Jaguars have only lost to Flight School so far this season. This team has an exciting group of young players. We all knew the Jaguars had an extremely talented roster, the only question was how quickly would they learn how to play together? On the Cougars side of things, they have gotten off to a rough start this season. However, the only silver lining going into this game is that they have not yet played the Jaguars. They technically lost to the Jaguars in week 3, but that match was a forfeit. Just like their Cougars in Pee-Wee, it is not too late for the Atom cougars to mount a late season playoff push.

Prediction: Jaguars

Mosquito

Diablos La Prairie (2-3) vs AP Hurricanes (0-5): The Hurricanes have struggled to put points on the board this season. Luckily for them, the Diablos’ defence has conceded the third most points in the division. If there is ever a time for the Hurricanes to get their offence going, it might very well be this week. As for the Diablos, they are on a run as of late. They have won two of their last three and their one loss was a closely fought match against the talented Gladiators. While many teams might be taking the Diablos lightly, they are an up and coming team in this division. A win this week could spark a winning streak heading into the playoffs.

Prediction: Diablos La Prairie  

Pee-Wee

Flight School (4-1) vs Gladiators (3-2): These two teams last met in week three. The Gladiators won that hotly disputed affair 33-26. After that win, I thought the Gladiators were going to run the table and win the championship. However, back to back losses have brought this team tumbling back to earth. If they lose this game, they could fall into third place. However, with a win they will reclaim the top seed in the conference. As for Flight School, their offence has been firing on all cylinders over the past few weeks. In just two games, they have scored nearly 80 points.

Prediction: Flight School

Bantam

LCC Lions (4-1) vs Musketeers (2-2): This week 6 matchup features the division’s best offence against the division’s best defence. The Lions have scored over 200 points in their first five games while the Musketeers have only conceded only 70. One team scores over 40 points a game and the other team concedes just over 20 points. Something is going to have to give in this match. The Musketeers conceded 32 points to Flight School in week 2 and this Lions offence is every bit as talented as Flight School’s. Even though the Musketeers have a very well-organized defence, I think that the Lions have the athletes to pick that defence apart.

Prediction: Lions

Midget

Dusters (2-2) vs Flight School (4-2): The Dusters proved they have the ability to upset this division’s heavyweights when they beat North Shore back in week 1. However, it is now week 6 and teams are becoming familiar with the kind of football that the Dusters play. If the Dusters want to keep on having success over their next four games, they need to start switching things up both on defence and on offence so they are less predictable. As for Flight School, they have had no issues scoring points. However, their defence has let them down on a few occasions. If they can manage to stop their opponents just a few more times a game, they could very well win the championship.

Prediction: Flight School

I hope everyone enjoyed their week five FPF Junior article. As always, if you have anything to say about the articles, do not hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

Good luck in week 6!