Playing for Keeps: Division 1 Quarters Recap and Semis Preview

Recaps Div 1 Quarter Finals

Come at the king

The match commenced with the ceremonial exchange of scores. Both teams were loosening up while getting reacquainted with one another. The Finest were precise on offense, as Wyeth was carving up his opponent with a series of slants and hooks. They held serve on their second possession to go up 14-7.

It would not be long before this game had its breakpoint. On just DK’s second drive, up and coming Finest rusher Francois Hogue put the team on his back and made a heroic play to shake the game. Rochdi was moving to his right, looking for a late read. Hogue broke off stride and quickly shuffled to his left, getting his arms up into the passing lane. Rochdi had no choice, he attempted to throw over Hogue’s outstretched hand. Hogue’s tip caused the ball to flutter upwards, both men stared at it momentarily as if it was suspended mid-air. Hogue, hungry to make the play, snatched it and burst open like a bat out of hell towards DK’s end zone. One of the DK defenders was able to catch up to and de-flag him before he reached the goal line, but the damage was already done. Finest offense took the field.

Wyeth caught DK vulnerable on the turnover, and you could tell the legend was ready to deliver the critical blow to his opponent. He worked the field extra sharp, and promptly punched in a smash-out to Kishon Thompson on the goal line. A +1 made it 21-7 Finest.

Rochdi got up and got back to work, striking a 2 play touchdown with the Pilons. First a pass to Serge saw him cut the field in half. Then a hook to Alex, who dipped half the defense with the hip thrust and nifty spins and carried it in for a score. +1 had DK only trailing 21-14, still in the game.

Wyeth started opening up the field now, having carved DK up short until that moment. He ran Jerome on an intermediate corner, leading him to the sideline and allowing him to seal off Alex Pilon with his monstrous frame. In the red zone he simply cleared out the middle and hit Akked Moore on an inside slant. You could tell Wyeth had his matchups set, and had already figured out this defense.

With just a few plays remaining before half, and receiving the ball out of the break, DK knew this was their best remaining chance to catch up. They needed a score here. Rochdi used most of his plays to set his team up within striking range, about 10 yards out. On the last play he ran Serge on a crossing route along the goal line. The rub appeared to work, as he was open heading towards the sideline. The ball was just underthrown ever so close, grazing off serge’s right shoulder as he was moving left. The bobbled ball was picked by Jerome, sealing the 27-14 first half lead for the Finest.

Rochdi was smooth out of the break. He marched the field with poise, catching the Finest on a shoot in the red zone before firing it in to Alex for the score.  The Finest fired right back, working into position before hitting the sizzling JC Morin-Phaneuf on a curl in the back end zone. 33-20 Finest.

Time was starting to become valuable for DK, as each ticking second marked down the clock toward their downfall. Rochdi decided to gamble early, rather than wait and risk his hand being forced. He lofted a pass deep downfield to a streaking Alex. The problem was the Finest were playing for that exact pass. With Nathan Taylor on his back and Olivier Bourdages at his front, Alex didn’t have a chance. Bourdages took down the third interception of the day, allowing his offense to seal DK’s coffin on the next drive.

Finest didn’t toy with their opponent. Wyeth went right down a flung a hook to Moore, who boogied his way through a few missed tackles while scoring the touchdown. Dk’s hopes were cooked. Just for good measure, on their last possession of the night Wyeth stepped up and blasted a 40 yard bomb to his top weapon. JCMP toasted Serge on a straight go and Wyeth put it where only his receiver could get it.

Goodnight DK, Finest laid down a commanding 46-26 victory and send a clear message to the league that they’re still the champions until otherwise determined. Wyeth is the Tom Brady of FPF. 267 yards and 7 TDs.

 

 

“Flustered”

The air felt chancy at Hebert for the second spot of the Div 1 semi-final on Wednesday night. Conventional wisdom had the D-Boys taking this one, being the more mature, poised, developed team. Having succeeded at the highest stage of this game several times before. They had cold evidence on their side. Still, something wafted through the air at Hebert, call it a naïve optimism, which had viewers thinking they might be in for an upset. They might be in for a show.

Waste Yout were given the ball to start, and quickly fed into that hope. Dan found Jarryd Taylor on a post, and he sauntered into the end zone like a feather drifting through a gust of wind. Yout were quickly on the board.

The D-Boys led us on further to this narrative, as Masciotra missed the first pass, before Kerr batted down his second attempt, creating a third and long from their starting line. That’s as close as Yout would get to tasting victory on the night, as Marco hit Theo for a 30 yard dig and scamper, before quickly cleaning up the drive for the score. A +2 to Comeau on the short corner put D-Boys up 8-6 after the first exchange.

Yout had one more march up field in them, getting all the way to the opponent’s 1 yard line before their lofty goals began to unravel. Kirouac sacked Dan on first down, pushing him back to the 10. On second down, the savvy QB chaser got his hands up and smacked Dan’s attempted pass, causing it to wander in the air before finding its way into Masciotra’s loving embrace. D-Boys got their turnover sooner than they expected.

Forgotten at one point this season in all the hoopla of the regular season, but Marco Masciotra is still an experienced killer in this league. One of the most accomplished QBs in the history of the game. He didn’t waste any time putting his pedigree on display, leading Theo to the red zone with a post before finishing the score on a quick out to Justin McLean. 15-7 D-Boys on the +1.

Yout wouldn’t stop scraping away, getting into the red zone once again of the following drive. Dan was controlling the short game, but D-Boys were starting to press closer on each pass. Finally in positon to do damage, Dan peppered a slant in to his right wide. Jordan McLaren had taken a step back off the snap, but suddenly shot in with full force, breaking the receiver’s plane and picking off the second straight red zone appearance for WY.

D-Boys got into position for the final pass of the half from about 15 yards out. Masciotra hurled it high in the direction of McLaren, who was ensconced in the middle of a crowd. The ball coldheartedly bounced around and landed into the hands of McLean, choosing him as much as he chose it. D-Boys gladly took the 20-7 lead into the half, and had possession coming out of the break.

It was clear that Yout desperately needed a stop coming out of the intermission. The defense raised the intensity to a critical level, pushing even the confident D-Boys back on their heels. Kerr knocked down Marco’s pass on fourth down, giving WY the ball back at their own 15 yard line.

Dan looked out of sorts to that point in the game, there’s no doubt that the D-Boys blistering red zone defense had knocked him off kilter. This was his final chance at redemption. Unfortunately, sometimes the cut’s too deep to recover. He double-clutched on first down, not liking his read at the final second. A lethal rusher like Kerouac doesn’t miss those chances. Big sack on first down. On second down and long he tried to hit Jarryd on a deep dig. The ball sailed over his receiver and into the lap of Justin McLean, who started sledding back towards the Waste Yout goal line. With only Dan remaining between him and his prize, the QB made a show of going for the tackle, no chance. McLean put on the nasty juke and carried D-Boys into the semi-finals rematch versus the mighty Braves.

 

 

Division 1 Playoff Breakdown semi-finals

 

Flag Moi L’sac (1st) vs MTL Finest (5th)

Previous Encounter:

46-34 Finest week 8

How we got here

Flag Moi L’sac

Off: 393 (1/8)            Def: 338 (4/8)

They finished first in the regular season rankings due to their victory over Braves in week 7. They have the number one ranked offense in the division. They also have QBOY Alex Nadeau-Puize, who combined for an incredible 60 touchdowns and over 2450 yards on the season. They also have a sneaky good defense, ranked fourth in the division but having produced double digit interceptions and an underrated 15 sacks.

MTL Finest

Came out and gave the business to DK this past week. They did an excellent job scheming for that matchup, putting their favorable individual matchups on display while working as a team to support their mismatches. Kevin Wyeth was absolutely locked in and laser sharp. JCMP and Jerome balance to create a dangerous inside-out receiving duo.

Off: 362 (4/8)            Def: 380 (7/8)

What to expect

FMS always seem to have a calm, almost aloof, intensity to them. We should be sure to not confuse their zen-like approach with a sort of apathy for attaining the highest summit of the league. They’ve proven to us this year that they’re here to ball. Still, it’s natural to question if they have the same kind of fire burning in their pit that the Finest have had for the past decade. With the Finest, were talking about a preternatural, ancestral fire. The burning runs deep. It’s what makes them most relatable to the rest of us, and has us rooting for them every year even if their constant assault on the finals gets repetitive. It’s fascinating seeing humans face controversy, push hard with concentrated effort, and overcome all obstacles. It’s the oldest story of mankind.

All of this to say that this game is impossible to truly predict. There are so many potential avenues that can take course throughout the game by a minor flip of coincidence. Alex Nadeau-Puize can be extra sharp, put together a perfect game, exchange TDs with Wyeth for the first three quarters of the game, have his defense continue to close in on the Finest offense, get a read finally and make the crucial stop.

Alternatively, Wyeth can summon the Brady-Mamba mentality, lite up the FMS defense like a Christmas tree on sale, put the pressure on ANP to chase him, and have ANP falter by eventually losing momentary discipline and heaving an unnecessary pass into traffic.

Tips can happen, big sacks by holding the ball a fraction of a second too long, heroic defensive plays that no one saw coming. Also there’s a possibility that both offenses go round for round all game and need extras to settle the tab. That would be super fun. These two teams are so evenly matched, the crystal ball is clouded for this one. Bring out the coin.

Prediction: I’m not picking against Wyeth after seeing last game live. I don’t mind being wrong.  35-32 MTL Finest

 

 

Braves (2nd) vs D-Boys (3rd)

Previous Encounter:

28-21 Braves Week 1

36-28 Braves week 8

How we got here

Braves

Off: 386 (2/8)            Def: 282 (1/8)

Pairing the number 2 ranked offense with the best overall defense seems like a winning formula. Even if they finished second in the rankings due to a 1 point loss in week 7, they pretty much remain the unanimous choice for “toughest team in Div 1” this winter. They play hard nosed and with a short roster. Everyone feeds off each other and they form to play even greater as a whole than the sum of their already impressive parts.

D-Boys

The made easy work of Waste Yout, whose eyes were bigger than their mouths in thinking they upset this complete team. When they’re healthy and full, this defense is incredible. Seeing McLaren, Ojeaha and Johnson lined up pressing the line of scrimmage is enough to give the best QBs indigestion. Pairing them with McLean and Masciotra is just a nightmare. Masciotra was sharp in the Waste Yout game, coming through with the critical plays when needed and cleaning up drives well in the red zone. He’ll be pushed a lot harder in this game though, but he’s equipped to handle it.

Off: 312 (7/8)            Def: 293 (2/8)

What to expect

ALL ROADS TO THE FINALS LEAD THROUGH BRAVES. That’s been the mantra for the past 3 seasons now, as they won the Div A championship and fell to the Finest in the previous two semi-finals. This time they avoid the Finest, but still get a fierce draw in the pestilential D-Boys.

At full strength, with the roster they had on Wednesday, I’d have trouble picking against the D-Boys even though Braves defeated them twice in the regular season. However, word is that D-Boys will be missing at least one but maybe two crucial players. They’ll need to get Travis Moses suited up in this one, but with no other eligible substitutes they might be thin on the back end. Any trace of weakness in this roster will be attacked by Braves like scratching a fresh cut. If Comeau is forced to play defense for any amount of time in this one it won’t end well for the Boys.

Prediction: I’m hoping for an all-time, classic thriller, but with the roster uncertainty at this point, I’ll take the Braves.     40-34 Braves

 

That’s it for this one. The playoffs frenzy is in full swing, so check back next week for the 2019 FINALS preview! Yes, we’re already there! If you’re craving more content please check out the Calling the Audible podcast featuring Moe Khan, Peeze and Simon, it’s a healthy dose of absurdity to get you through the week. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and make sure to check back soon to find out how the latest playoff action shook out!