Inside the Redzone (D4) – Conference Semi-Finals

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR! We are now down to the final four in division 4 and congratulations to all the teams who have made it here; it was not an easy task. This weekend’s games will only be played on Saturday night because Sunday is a holiday (Easter). The two games this weekend will be played at the same time, 8 pm, and will be on opposite ends with the middle field empty so the fans will have to travel back and forth. Perhaps next season there will be a scoreboard but let’s leave that for another discussion. I would like to remind everyone that the press conference for division 4 finals will be this Monday. Before I can preview the possible teams who will be at the press conference, it is important to find out how they earned such an opportunity.

 

 

Playoff Recap (Conference Semi-Finals)

 

Conference A

 

The Trojan Knights easily defeated the Eagles by a score of 45-13, a payback from their match up earlier in which the Eagles destroyed the Knights. Trojan Knights QB Norman Weeks did his thing; he was 16 of 23 for 248 yards with 6 TDs, he also rushed for 11 yards with a TD. At half time the Knights were up 26-0 and never looked back. Tristan Faucher and Dragos Dragan, Knights receivers, had great games as they combined for 145 receiving yards and 4 TDs. The Knights defense held Jonathan Goyette and Danny Bellemare, QBs of Eagles, to 8 completions, 2 TDs only (one rushing) and 2 INTs. The Trojan Knights always believed that they were a premier team who had an average season and they are only one win away from reaching the finals. This is their second straight conference finals appearance.

 

Who will face them? The Gators took on the Team Ditka. Despite what many had believed, Team Ditka pulled out an upset in overtime in what was probably the most exciting game this season; the final score was 30-29. The Gators were up 14-6 at one point in the first half and intercepted Billy Seretis but the player was called on a safety because he had allegedly left the end zone and then ran backwards (the Gators felt he was on the 1 yard line). Team Ditka got the ball with the score 14-8 and scored to make it 14-14 leading into the half.  In the second half, Brian Phaneuf was ejected from the game for making a comment after the play was dead and that was a huge loss for the Gators. Either way, the score was tied at 28 at the end of regulation. In overtime, both teams went for 1 point in their first attempt and converted. Then the Gators went for 2 and failed while Team Ditka went for 1 and converted. The rest is history. I give all the credit in the world to Team Ditka who are just playing some clutch football right now. Billy Seretis didn’t have his best game by far but made the plays when it counted most. Adam Lancione had 3 catches for 29 yards and 3 TDs. Team Ditka are continuing their Cinderella run and will take on another great team this weekend.

 

Conference B

 

The Marauders took on the Snookers, a match up they won by one score with the final being 22-14. Denis Beaurgard, QB of Marauders, made his return to the team; he was 16 of 31 for 177 yards with 3 TDs but also 2 INTs. The top receiver was none other than Jeremie Roussin who had 6 catches for 71 yards and 2 TDs but also 3 sacks on defense. The Marauders defense held Chris Politis to only 10 completions (also less than 50% pass completion) and held Andre John in check for the most of the night. In their two playoff games, the Marauders defence has averaged only 13 points against which is the reason why they are in the conference finals for a second straight year.

 

In the other game, the Cobras took on the perfect Dirty Birds who remained perfect. They defeated the Cobras by a score of 27-20. Jon Young, QB of Dirty Birds, was 18 of 28 for 166 yards and 4 TDs while his counter part Alex Lever was 19 of 31 for 147 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT; he also rushed for 1 TD. The Dirty Birds offense was efficient all evening and used their speed to overcome the Cobras defense. The Bishara brothers combined for 13 receptions (10 by Eric Bishara), 117 yards and 3 TDs. AT the half, the Dirty Birds were up 13-7 and never looked back. Matthew Bishara had a great game on defense as he was the only one to pick off Alex Lever. Jon Young is playing like a playoff MVP and will have a chance to elevate his team to the next level this weekend.

 

Playoff Preview (Conference Finals)

 

Conference A

 

(6) Trojan Knights vs. (7) Team Ditka – Trojan Knights won the week 2 match up by a score of 47-12 however this is a completely different Team Ditka squad, coming off two great upsets.

 

Key match up: Billy Seretis vs. Trojan Knights defense

 

Trojan Knights

 

The Trojan Knights defense has been doing a great job in the playoffs, allowing only 10.5 points per game. In addition, their offense has been on a tear by scoring 38.5 points per game. The Knights are determined to complete unfinished business from last Winter season but they know they have to take it one game at a time. Norman Weeks will have to continue to put up the points with great receivers such as Nicky McGuire, Dragos Dragan and Steve Troughton because that will put pressure on Team Ditka to follow suit. On defense Antonio Zappa and Luigui Di Ciaccio will have the challenge of stopping the creative offense of Team Ditka which has been tough to stop thus far.

 

X-Factor: Antonio Zappa

Clutchness meter: 8

 

Team Ditka

 

Team Ditka knows that they are oh so close to the finals, they can almost taste it but can’t get too far ahead of themselves. They will need to continue to play creative Team Ditka football which has gotten them this far. Billy Seretis is looking at a strong Trojan Knights defense and must use his football smarts and athleticism to carry his squad by using his support cast of Jonathan Makris, Adam Lancione and Gaspare Borsellino. On defense Adam Lancione will have a tough task of containing Norman Weeks. Furthermore Kosta Anastopolous, Alan Abou-Atme and Jonathan Makris will have to be lights out against a strong receiver core of the Knights however they are peaking at the right time so another win might not be farfetched. Billy Seretis still hasn’t lost as a starter so that definitely goes in Team Ditka’s favor.

 

X-Factor: Adam Lancione

Clutchness meter: 8.5

 

 

Conference B

 

(1) Dirty Birds vs. (4) Marauders – Season series is 1-0 for the Dirty Birds and it was a convincing win.

 

Key match up: Jeremie Roussin (rushing) vs. Jon Young

 

Dirty Birds

 

Jon Young on offense will be going up against a smart and organized defense and his teammates will need to run great routes and play aggressive all night. The speed of the Dirty Bird’s receivers will have to be used to open up this game. Defensively they have allowed 23 points a game in two playoff games. On offense they have scored 33 points a game. The key for them will be to play Dirty Birds football and they should have no problem.

 

X-Factor: Joe Birds

Clutchness meter: 9.5

 

Marauders

 

Last year when they (i.e. we) said it couldn’t be done, this Marauders team made it to the finals. This year they face a tougher challenge in a perfect Dirty Birds team. The Marauders are confident that they can pull out the upset but they will have to be thoroughly prepared. Denis Beauregard must have reads other than Jeremie Roussin available because Dirty Birds will neutralize him. Furthermore, with Jon Young rushing, Denis Beauregard will not have much time to make his decisions. Defensively, Jeremie Roussin will have an extremely tough task of containing Jon Young while the Marauders defense has to stop multiple Dirty Birds receivers including the Bisharas.

 

X-Factor: Jeremie Roussin

Clutchness meter: 8.5

 

 

I would like to offer my congratulations to all the players who were selected to the All-Star game. I will be in attendance this Saturday night so win or lose, please share your comments or suggestions with me. I would love to hear any quotes that you would to utter and I might even put it in next week’s article which will preview the finals. There are only two articles left so next week, I’ll announce the categories for STAR-AWARDS© and would like your opinion on who should win them although the ultimate decision will be mine. And that is it for this week’s edition of Inside The Redzone. If you have comments/suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me on Facebook or via email at [email protected]. This is Rehan “J.J” Sarwar signing off and wishing the final four teams good luck this Saturday. I’ll catch you all next week but until then, Stay Classy Division Four!